L-R: Franz Fayot, Luxembourg's Minister of the Economy; Guus Boekhoudt, Executive Vice President of Guardian Glass, Managing Director of Guardian Europe; Credit: MECO

During a press conference on Monday, Luxembourg's Minister of the Economy, Franz Fayot, announced that the Guardian group will invest in a new float glass production line in the Grand Duchy.

On the Bascharage production site, the existing furnace is reaching the end of its life and will be replaced, at the end of 2022, by an installation at the cutting edge of technological and environmental progress to produce high added value glass. The new furnace should be operational in 2023.

The new facility is designed to improve energy efficiency as well as the overall environmental performance of float glass production, significantly reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions. This facility modernisation programme will receive investment aid for environmental protection from the Ministry of the Economy.

Economy Minister Franz Fayot commented: “Guardian's investment in a state-of-the-art production facility is part of our economic policy to support the continued development of a high added value industry that consumes less energy and is more respectful of the environment".

In the context of a restructuring of its activities, Guardian merged its two production sites located in Dudelange and Bascharage in 2020. As part of the announced investment programme, Guardian Glass will now consolidate all of its production activities, including the Dudelange rolling mill in Bascharage, to make it a centre of excellence for glass. Guardian's European headquarters have been established in Bertrange since 2016. The group currently employs a total of more than 400 people in Luxembourg.

Guus Boekhoudt, Executive Vice President of Guardian Glass and Managing Director of Guardian Europe, added: “The story of Guardian Glass in Luxembourg began 40 years ago in Bascharage with the group's first float glass production plant outside the United States. Thanks to this new investment in Bascharage, glass production in Luxembourg will continue for the next 15 to 20 years. I would particularly like to thank the Luxembourg government, and in particular the Ministry of the Economy, for all the support given to the development of Guardian in Luxembourg".