Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.

Type: Public
On the web: http://www.agc.co.jp
Employees: 50,957
Employee growth: 1.1%

Asahi Glass Company (AGC) shatters the conventional image of glassmakers. The world's #1 maker of flat glass also claims the top spot in automotive glass, plasma display panel substrates, and fluorinated resins. Glass for construction, solar, automotive, and other applications account for half of AGC's overall sales. The company's Electronics and Display division makes high-purity silicon carbide, electronic components, and synthetic quartz glass for semiconductors and glass substrates, and its Chemicals unit makes soda ash, caustic soda, and other specialty chemicals. Subsidiaries include US-based AGC America and AGC Glass Europe. It operates mainly in the Asia/Pacific region as well as the US and Europe.

Key numbers for fiscal year ending December, 2011:
Sales: $15,092.3M
One year growth: (4.5%)
Net income: $1,184.0M
Income growth: (21.6%)

Officers:
President, CEO, and Director: Kazuhiko Ishimura
Senior Executive Officer and General Manager, Finance and Control Office: Shukichi Umemoto
EVP Technology: Katsuhisa Kato

Competitors:
Guardian Glass
Nippon Sheet Glass
Saint-Gobain