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On April 22, 2026, People's Daily published a special report reflecting on the development journey of China's glass industry—from humble beginnings to becoming a global powerhouse. Today, China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of glass, accounting for over 60% of global production, with high-end glass products covering multiple sectors. In this century-long evolution, NorthGlass has made significant contributions through independent innovation.

In 1994, NorthGlass successfully developed China’s first horizontal roller-type tempering furnace, breaking the foreign technology monopoly and pioneering the localization of glass deep-processing equipment in China. From overcoming technical challenges such as stress spots and deformation in the curtain wall glass of the National Grand Theater to contributing to landmark buildings worldwide, NorthGlass has demonstrated China’s manufacturing strength with numerous industry “firsts.”

The report highlights NorthGlass’s self-developed high-precision tempering furnace, capable of processing glass up to 24 meters long. This equipment operates unmanned, featuring global adaptive heating functions, real-time temperature monitoring, and capabilities that reduce energy consumption and operational complexity. NorthGlass’s self-developed ultra-large, fully automated cutting table controls diagonal precision within 0.25 mm, while its intelligent production line boosts efficiency by approximately 30%. A 3 m × 6 m 3D curved glass panel can be formed and tempered within 10 minutes, with product tolerance kept under 2 mm. Meanwhile, NorthGlass is actively advancing green manufacturing by using 6.5 million kWh of photovoltaic green electricity annually, fully replacing motors with permanent magnet synchronous motors, and switching to LED lighting—helping transform a traditionally high-energy-consumption industry toward sustainability.

From breaking monopolies to leading intelligent manufacturing, NorthGlass continues to make steady contributions to the rise of China’s glass industry through differentiated, intelligent, and green approaches.

In the production workshop of Tianjin NorthGlass Industrial Technology Co., Ltd. in Baodi, Tianjin, a high-precision tempering furnace capable of processing glass up to 24 meters long operates without human intervention.

“This equipment features a global adaptive heating function, allowing real-time monitoring of glass temperature to ensure optimal tempering conditions. This improves product quality stability while reducing operational difficulty and energy consumption,” said Yang Yuanxi, Executive Vice General Manager of the company.

In one corner of the workshop, a pane of glass is precisely placed on a fully automated cutting table by a robotic arm. The cutting wheel moves at nearly 100 meters per minute along a preset path, producing smooth edges, while diagonal precision is controlled within 0.25 mm. “Each process—including cutting, edge grinding, tempering, lamination, and insulating—is seamlessly connected through an automated production line,” Yang Yuanxi explained. Compared to traditional methods, the intelligent production line increases efficiency by about 30%.

Does intelligent manufacturing improve product processes? In the workshop, a 3 m × 6 m 3D multi-curved glass panel is transformed from flat to multi-curved and tempered within 10 minutes. After full-field scanning, the finished glass shows a tolerance of less than 2 mm compared to the design model.

Yang explained that such multi-curved, special-shaped glass involves large, thick, and complex geometries that are difficult to achieve with traditional processes. After years of research, the company has developed ultra-wide, high-performance tempering furnaces, single-curve bending and tempering units, intelligent multi-curve tempering units, and an automated glass deep-processing system.

“Glass manufacturing is an energy-intensive industry, and we are accelerating the exploration of energy-saving and green manufacturing methods,” Yang Yuanxi said. Since 2020, NorthGlass has installed photovoltaic systems on its factory roofs and now uses approximately 6.5 million kWh of green electricity annually. It has also replaced all motors with permanent magnet synchronous motors, reducing excitation losses and internal heat generation, thereby improving energy efficiency. The lighting system has been fully converted to LED (light-emitting diode) sources, further reducing electricity consumption.

The level of digitalization and intelligence in the glass industry is steadily increasing, with production techniques such as “one furnace, multiple lines” maturing and being widely applied. This is driving the transformation of glass companies toward flexible manufacturing to meet diversified demand. At the same time, energy-saving and carbon-reduction efforts are accelerating, with increased use of clean energy such as natural gas, development of distributed photovoltaic power generation, and improved waste heat recovery. By 2025, carbon emissions per unit weight of flat glass are expected to decrease by more than 4% compared to 2020.

The same People’s Daily report also reviewed the significant contributions made by China National Building Material (CNBM) to the rise of China’s glass industry.

Founded in 1922, Yaohua Glass, a subsidiary of CNBM, is known as the “cradle of China’s glass industry.” It produced China’s first brown heat-absorbing glass, ending the country’s long reliance on imports. Today, it continues to lead the industry in automotive glass, energy-saving glass, and specialty glass, driving diversification and high-end transformation. In the field of precision optics, CNBM Guangxin Technology has developed ultra-lightproof glass with a high signal-to-noise ratio, increasing light absorption to over 99.9%, significantly enhancing monitoring accuracy and extending the battery life of smart wearable devices—opening new opportunities in consumer electronics glass. In space exploration, the China National Building Material Science Research Institute developed high-stability quartz glass, which has been successfully used in the Tianwen-2 spacecraft’s inertial navigation system, ensuring mission performance through accurate attitude sensing and trajectory control.

Together with NorthGlass, these outstanding companies have written a remarkable chapter in the evolution of China’s glass industry—from follower to global leader.