Sisecam India: Pioneering sustainable glass solutions & social impact

Interview
MR. MUKESH SHARMA,
GENERAL MANAGER OF SISECAM INDIA
Şişecam India: Pioneering
sustainable glass solutions
& social impact
GM Mukesh Sharma Tells GB About Şişecam’s
Commitment to Quality, Innovation & Community
Development
In this interview with GB, the Şişecam India General
Manager sheds light on the company’s journey as a global
player in the glass and chemicals industry.
With a strong emphasis
on sustainability and a
commitment to United
Nations Sustainable Development
Goals, Şişecam India has emerged as
a leading provider of high-quality glass
products, setting industry standards
and making a positive impact on
Indian communities through various
CSR initiatives.
68 Glass Bulletin | July - September, 2023

Interview• 2
Mr Sharma shares insights into
Şişecam's production capacity,
investment plans, challenges in the
Indian market, and their vision as a
leader in the glass industry. Excerpts:
– Please tell us about Şişecam
Şişecam was founded in 1935 to
establish the Turkish glass industry
in line with the vision of the global
leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Today,
Şişecam is a strong global player in
the fields of glass and chemicals. It
is the only global company operating
in all core areas of glass production
– including flat glass, glassware, glass
packaging, and glass fiber. Currently,
Şişecam ranks among the world’s
top two manufacturers of glassware
and the top five producers of glass
packaging and flat glass.
With 88 years of experience and
more than 24,000 employees, Şişecam
conducts production activities in 14
countries on four continents and
operates a worldwide sales network
extended to more than 150 countries.
The company takes responsibility for
protecting the planet, empowering
society, and transforming life with
its CareforNext strategy, which is
compliant with and centred around
the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals.
– What is Şişecam’s production
capacity in India? Tell us more
about your products and how you
make them in the country.
Şişecam offers Indian consumers
a variety of products from highperformance
glasses to ultra-clear
glass, from its production bases
across the globe. In India, we have
a manufacturing plant in Gujarat’s
Halol, where we manufacture clear
float glass, mirrors (in ultra-clear,
bronze, and grey variants) and
frosted glass. We have a per-month
production capacity of around 18,000
metric tonnes for clear float glass,
200,000 square metres per month
for mirrors and 500 metric tonnes for
frosted glass.
Our Halol facility deploys the latest
technology, automated processes,
and quality control systems. We have
stringent quality control norms.
Apart from continuous online
inspection, glass output is manually
checked every two hours based on
all major functional and technical
specifications.
We are committed to offering our
customers the highest quality possible.
To accomplish this, we follow the EN
standards for thickness, which have
a lower tolerance when compared to
IS standards and which are generally
followed in the Indian market.
We also believe in an ecofriendly
production approach while
manufacturing mirrors. Şişecam
Mirror Flotal E is produced without
using any substances harmful to
nature such as copper and lead.
– How is Şişecam’s investment
appetite for the Indian market?
We have been actively investing in
India over the past few years. Şişecam
entered India as an investor in 2013
through a JV intending to meet
Indian consumer requirements and
understand the market better. As part
of our investment strategies, we have
built our state-of-the-art facility in
Halol.
In 2018, Şişecam gained a 100%
equity stake to grow faster. Since
then, we have spent a lot of time and
resources in understanding Indian
customers and their preferences.
We have plans to make additional
investments in the country in the
pursuit of upgrading the existing float
line through the cold repair process.
We are also constantly and thoroughly
evaluating the opportunities to
increase our product variety to better
serve our customers in the region.
– What are the main challenges
for Şişecam in the Indian market?
For starters, India has a unique
culture and way of doing business
that can be challenging. Building
relationships and understanding local
customs and region-specific norms is
important for success in this market.
Additionally, the Indian market is
highly competitive, with a large
number of local and international
players in competition. The Indian
economy can be volatile and currency
exchange rates can impact business
operations. We believe in the
government’s focus on easing the
complex regulatory environment and
improving overall infrastructure.
– How do you contribute to Indian
exports with production based in
the country?
As a global company with a strong
presence in India, we contribute
to Indian exports through our
high-quality glass that meets
global standards. Our products
manufactured in India are exported to
various countries.
A present, we export clear glass
and mirrors to Sri Lanka, Qatar,
and Nepal. We have also exported to
New Zealand, the USA, and other
Southeast Asian countries.
By leveraging the latest innovations
and technologies in production
facilities, Şişecam aims to strengthen
its position as a key player in the
global glass industry while increasing
its contribution to India's exports.
Additionally, we are actively
collaborating with local suppliers and
partners to enhance the value chain
and support the growth of the Indian
economy.
– What is Şişecam’s vision as a
leader in the glass industry?
Our vision can be epitomized by the
‘think global, act local’ philosophy.
Şişecam's vision as a leader in the
glass industry is to continue to
innovate and develop new products
and solutions that meet the changing
needs of its customers and the
industry. We aim to strengthen our
global leader position in the glass
industry by focusing on sustainability,
research and development and
operational excellence.
As a leading flat glass producer, we
are not just powered by a wide product
range and production capacities,
but also by a strong and long-term
relationship-based approach with our
business partners. We also aim to
provide the right glass solutions for all
parts of the value chain and decisionmakers.
When we say partnering
with customers, we mean working
together to generate demand, engage
through transparent trade policies,
increase the quality of the products
and services we offer, and last but not
least, maintain good relationships.
In addition to product innovation,
Şişecam is also committed to
sustainability and responsible business
Glass Bulletin | July - September, 2023 69

Interview
practices.
– What do you think about the
value-added glass/performance
glass industry in India?
India has a rapidly growing appetite
for value-added glass and performance
glass products. Respective demand is
driven by several factors, including the
increasing focus on energy efficiency,
the growth of the construction
industry and the rising demand for
high-quality building materials.
Also, the Indian government has
recognised the importance of energyefficient
buildings and has launched
initiatives such as the Energy
Conservation Building Code (ECBC)
and the Green Building Movement
to promote sustainable building
practices. These initiatives are
expected to trigger the use of valueadded
and performance glass further
by the construction industry. The
focus on renewable energy is expected
to boost the demand for solar glass.
Overall, the government's focus
on sustainable development and
promotion of domestic manufacturing
is expected to provide significant
growth opportunities for the valueadded
glass/performance glass space
in India.
– Being a late entrant, how do you
plan to keep up with other big
glass players in India?
As a global glass manufacturer,
Şişecam has significant expertise
and experience in the industry. We
leverage this and our network of
manufacturing facilities and supply
chain capabilities to compete with
other players in the Indian market.
Şişecam Flat Glass India keeps
exploring opportunities for strategic
partnerships and collaborations with
local companies to optimize operations
and increase efficiency.
We follow EN standards that are
stricter compared to IS standards.
Moreover, the focus on continuous
improvement of processes and
operations enhances productivity
while refining product quality. In line
with our objective of covering current
and future expectations of the market,
our R&D policy focuses on highly
innovative, environment-friendly,
competitive products and production
technologies, free from harmful
compounds.
Our global R&D centre (Şişecam
Research Development and Design
Center) is one of the most advanced
and among the leading research
facilities of its kind in Europe. We
also have 5 regional and 9 overseas
labs. We invest up to 1% of our global
turnover in R&D.
Overall, our product quality,
innovations, differentiated service,
demand generation activities for our
channel partners and relationshipdriven
engagement with them are
what gives us an edge over other
players.
– What do you think is Şişecam’s
biggest brand strength or value
proposition?
Şişecam is a diversified industrial
group operating in a wide range of
sectors. We believe that Şişecam's
biggest brand strength and value
proposition lie in its long-standing
expertise in glass production and its
commitment to sustainability and
efforts to create sustainable value
for customers, employees, and other
stakeholders.
Our products are widely recognized
for their quality, durability and design,
which have helped establish Şişecam
as a leading brand in the global glass
industry.
In addition, we are committed to
sustainable development. We aim to
reduce environmental impact through
initiatives such as waste management
programs, energy-efficient glass
product development and renewable
energy investments.
– What initiatives have you taken
to ensure environment-friendly
processes in manufacturing your
products in India?
At Şişecam, we aim to leave future
generations a livable planet. As
mentioned previously, Şişecam Mirror
Flotal E, produced at our Halol
facility, does not contain materials
toxic to nature like copper and lead.
It is manufactured using the latest
technology, automated processes, and
quality control systems. At the global
level, we have implemented many Six
Sigma Projects to improve productivity
and quality, reduce waste, etc.
We have made further investments
to produce highly reflective solar
control glass in India which can
help improve the energy efficiency
of a building, as it keeps solar heat
out and reduces the need for air
conditioning. It is perfectly suitable
for tropical climates like India because
its solar control properties provide
a comfortable environment in any
residential and commercial space
by radiating and reflecting away a
large proportion of the solar heat
while allowing optimum sunlight
to pass through a window. Also, the
increase in natural lighting reduces
the dependence on artificial lighting
further enhancing its efficiency.
– Do you plan on having more
regional offices in India?
We have offices in Mumbai, Delhi and
Halol (Baroda) at present. We plan
on expanding into the southern and
eastern cities too. Currently, our sales
team is operating across the country –
from Ludhiana to Bangalore and from
Ahmedabad to Kolkata.
– What are the CSR initiatives
Şişecam conducts in India?
As part of our vision of improving
the lives of the communities around
which we operate, we have partnered
with the Deepak Foundation for a host
of initiatives.
Starting with developing the
livelihoods of those dependent on
agriculture and related activities, we
train farmers in the best practices to
develop and diversify high-value cash
crops to generate income. We also
offer vaccines for cattle and livestock.
The recent pandemic has put a
spotlight on health and wellness. Our
Mobile Health Units (MHUs) and the
Anaemic Adolescent Girls Programme
cater to the disadvantaged across
villages. With the help of the Deepak
Foundation, we have even encouraged
women's empowerment through
self-help groups formed to improve
Menstrual Hygiene Management
(MHM).
Last but not least, to pave the path
to a brighter future, we are improving
the educational infrastructure in
places that need it the most.
Website: www.sisecam.com.tr
70 Glass Bulletin | July - September, 2023