|
Economic Profile and Trends Value of Shipments | Annual Production | Labor Productivity The glass industry employed over 143,000 workers in 2001. Over 82% of glass industry employees are production workers with wages averaging about 9% above the manufacturing average. [DOC 2001] Intense competition between producers of glass and alternative materials has caused the industry to significantly improve its operations. The fastest growing segments of the industry have been pressed and blown glass (specialty glass), products of purchased glass, and mineral wood (fiberglass insulation). The United States is a large producers of glass products, with annual production of around 20 million tons annually. [Ross 1999] Overall, U.S. imports and exports are roughly equal. Some glass products do not lend themselves to extensive travel before use (e.g., beverage containers, fiberglass insulation). The glass industry is also capital-intensive, due in part to the cost of rebuilding furnaces every 8-12 years. Most of the industry's limited R&D funds are focused on developing innovative products.
Source: DOC 1994, DOC 2001, ITA 2001, NSF 1997 Value of ShipmentsIncreases in shipments have been driven by growth in specialty glass and products of purchased glass Annual Production Over 20 million tons of glass products are produced every year Labor Productivity Labor productivity of glass workers has increased betwen 27-53% over the past decade Page last modified on
|
