Minister Franz Fayor at Webasto Luxembourg SA;
Credit: MECO
During a visit to the Webasto Luxembourg SA site in Grevenmacher on Thursday 3 February 2023, Luxembourg's Minister of the Economy, Franz Fayot, confirmed the ministry's financial support to the company for the establishment of a new high-tech glass production line for glass car roofs and windshields, which is more environmentally friendly, replacing part of its current facilities.
The new production line, which should be commissioned at the end of 2024, will allow the company to achieve significant energy savings, and therefore reduce its CO2 emissions. The Ministry of the Economy is supporting this investment as part of the environmental protection aid scheme. It is part of the group's desire to make the Grevenmacher site its global centre of expertise for glass. It aims to help Webasto compete in the growing target market of glass rooves for electric and self-driving cars and enable it to introduce high-tech features into automotive glazing.
A German company based in Stockdorf, near Munich, Webasto is one of the 100 largest automotive suppliers in the world, with nearly 15,700 employees spread over more than 50 sites, including the first glass production site in Grevenmacher, acquired in August 2022. The group markets a wide range of roof, heating and cooling systems for different types of vehicles and is constantly adapting to new developments in the automotive market, particularly with a view to advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving.
Founded in February 1992 by the American company Guardian Industries Corp., the production site in Grevenmacher was acquired in 2014 by the Japanese group Central-Glass CO. and bore the name of Carlex Glass Luxembourg, before being acquired by Webasto. Since August 2022, the site has been operating under the name of Webasto Luxembourg SA, and currently employs around 500 people. The main activity is the development and manufacture of innovative automotive glazing. Webasto Luxembourg also has a research and development unit dedicated to glass production and manufacturing methods.
During his visit, Minister Fayot said “With this investment, Webasto confirms its commitment to the Luxembourg site and its confidence in the future of the site. The Luxembourg entity in Grevenmacher plays a key role in the development of the group's R&D and engineering activities in the field of glass. This investment fits perfectly with our economic development policy targeting the application of sustainable technologies in Industry 4.0.”
“The development of skills in glass production opens up many new possibilities for the Webasto Group, for example in the fields of switchable glazing, ambient lighting or photovoltaics. These features are not only sought after in the luxury vehicle segment, but also increasingly in small and medium-sized high-volume vehicles. In addition, "high-tech glass" is also playing an increasingly important role in self-driving cars, for which we have also developed the Roof Sensor Module. This means that Webasto already offers suitable roof systems for the electric vehicles of the future today,” said Jan Henning Mehlfeldt, Global Head of the Group Roof Business on the Webasto Board of Directors.
