Saint-Gobain, the French sustainable construction company, has officially agreed to acquire Glass Service, a prominent provider of digital solutions for glass furnaces, encompassing advanced control systems and simulation software. This acquisition aims to enable customers to enhance energy efficiency and reduce their carbon footprint.
Established in 1990 in Vsetin, Czech Republic, Glass Service is recognized for its expertise in offering digital solutions for glass furnaces, including cutting-edge control systems and simulation software. The completion of this transaction is contingent upon obtaining antitrust approvals, with the anticipated closing by the end of the first half of 2024.
This strategic move aligns with Saint-Gobain's commitment to expanding its range of digital services, providing predictive, diagnostic, and data-driven solutions. The objective is to empower customers to improve energy efficiency and lessen the environmental impact of their products and processes.
Saint-Gobain has been actively investing in innovation through its venture arm Nova, engaging with startups like Sysdyne Technologies, focusing on enhancing productivity and traceability in ready-mix concrete production. Additionally, partnerships with Plantformance and Newboot aim to elevate manufacturing performance through a comprehensive suite of services and real-time data collection.
These collaborations position Saint-Gobain to integrate cutting-edge technologies, including IoT, AI, and digital twins, potentially resulting in a significant reduction of up to 10% in a factory's energy consumption. Notably, following the acquisition of GCP in October 2022, Saint-Gobain oversees Verifi in the US, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, a concrete management system leveraging IoT technology to ensure consistent quality and sustainability in ready-mix concrete production and delivery.
Further contributing to its digital portfolio, Saint-Gobain's merchanting businesses in France continue to witness success with the Solu+ and Cap Renov digital tools. Approximately 90% of worksites eligible for MaPrimeRénov’ utilized the Cap Renov advisory, layout, and estimation tool in 2023. These digital solutions align with Saint-Gobain's overarching "Grow & Impact" strategic plan, aimed at delivering end-to-end solutions to customers and accelerating the decarbonization of products and processes.
