Glass market in Russia: is there development without import and export

Dear Colleagues!

We are publishing an interview with Viktor Osipov, President of the Association "StekloSouz" of Russia from the Sector Media information and news portal.

The domestic glass industry is experiencing serious difficulties today due to the closure of the European market and the departure of a number of equipment suppliers. But, despite the difficult economic situation, specialists managed to reassess the industry development strategy and achieve success in replacing imports for certain types of products.

Factors hindering the development of the glass industry and the necessary steps to increase the volume and quality of production became the main topics of the 24th annual forum “Glass and Modern Technologies - XXI”.

Loss of overseas markets

Today, glass industry products are in demand in almost every sector of the economy. It is used in the electronics and chemical industries, instrument making, transport, agriculture, construction, furniture production and so on.

In 2020, the glass industry was one of the five largest exporting industries, but two years later, with the introduction of Western sanctions, there was a sharp drop in supply volumes. “We sold about 40% of glass abroad, but in 2022 foreign markets were closed to Russian products, and our sales fell by a third. So, if we talk about sheet glass, its exports decreased by 61%. At last year's forum, we examined the industry's problems in detail. Today we continue to look for ways to solve problems and have already developed directions for action,” said President of the Association "StekloSouz" of Russia Viktor Osipov.

Potential is within

The expert recalled that during the Soviet period, domestic glassmakers produced 310 million square meters. m of sheet glass annually, now - about 245 million square meters. m. “We are slowly moving towards the numbers that were included in the development strategy for building materials. Our goal is to develop the domestic market, which is what we are doing. For example, we produce glass for greenhouses. If 15 years ago 5–10% glass was used in greenhouse farming, now it is almost 100%,” noted the President of the Association.

In addition, through the efforts of the union members, the production of foam glass has been completely restored, and GOST standards for this type of product have been developed and approved. “Even 15–20 years ago we did not have foam glass production, today 10 factories are already operating, the last one was launched in Voronezh. They began to produce new materials - fiberglass mesh, which is in demand in road construction, and glass reinforcement. In glass fiber we have replaced imported production almost 100% and we feel confident in the market. As for the construction complex, we, in fact, fully provide it with new materials,” emphasized Viktor Osipov.

Import substitution: mission possible

The most important task facing all industries is import substitution, and the glass industry is one of the leaders in this matter. Domestic producers managed to completely replace the foreign product.

“Today, enterprises are developing and offering innovative materials to the glass market, and a lot of work continues on import substitution of certain types of glass and products. Manufacturers of refractories, raw materials and related materials keep up with the requirements of today, solving the tasks of glass industry enterprises. Manufacturers of machinery and equipment are finding technological solutions for the smooth operation of factories. Today our main task is not to slow down and maintain our current positions,” noted the head of StekloSouz.

Problems and solutions

The rise of the glass industry is impossible without stimulating the development of factories and further modernization of production facilities. “Yes, we produce various types of products for all sectors of the economy, but we must understand that glass production is a continuous process. The lack of a unified methodology for operating and designing equipment plays a negative role for the development of the domestic glass industry. In addition, we are experiencing a shortage of young specialists and a lack of scientific research. Therefore, we believe that it is necessary to change the process of personnel training, which today is carried out in isolation from production, and to change the mechanism for providing glass factories with young specialists. It is also necessary to resume the system of personnel retraining,” noted Viktor Osipov.

The forum participants decided to organize a committee on science and education within the framework of the established Scientific and Technical Center "StekloSouz" of Russia (STC SSR). His main task will be to establish business contacts with manufacturers of refractories, raw materials, machinery, equipment, heat installation organizations and other related structures. The preservation of common scientific, educational, production and information unity will create the right preconditions for the prosperity of the domestic glass industry and will allow the harmonious development of the Russian glass industry, the association is confident.

A total of 17 decisions were made following the results of the forum this year. Among them: continuation of active work with the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) to promote glass products of domestic enterprises; continuation of planned work on the development of technical regulation in various segments of the glass industry, including the development of joint ventures, SNiPs, SanPiNs and technical regulations.

Another issue that requires special attention is the responsibility of glass factories for the disposal of their products. Members of the union believe that the launch of a mechanism for collecting secondary raw materials will lead to economic turmoil in the industry, even to the point of stopping production. Therefore, professionals are calling for proposals to be developed to amend the legislative framework defining extended producer responsibility (EPR).