Flat glass, automotive glass, display and specialty glass, chemicals, CDMO pharmaceuticals and technical ceramics from own melting and process technology
AGC Inc.
Tokyo · Yokohama · Amagasaki · Takasago · Kitakyushu · Ichihara · Taketoyo · Kamisu · Aikawa · ŌamishirasatoNew on Amplifa
About AGC
AGC Inc. (until 2018 Asahi Glass Co.) is a listed Japanese materials manufacturer headquartered in Tokyo with production operations in more than 30 countries. The company produces flat glass using the float process for architecture and automotive, display glass substrates made of alkali-free glass, chemically tempered Dragontrail® cover glass, as well as glass and synthetic quartz substrates for semiconductors, including EUV photomask blanks. In addition, coatings (PVD, CVD, wet-coat), fluoropolymer products (PTFE/Fluon®), ion exchange membranes (Flemion®), technical ceramics and silicon carbide are produced. Through its chlor-alkali electrolysis business, AGC supplies basic chemicals and fluorine chemicals. In its Life Science division, AGC operates as a CDMO for synthetic active ingredients, biopharmaceuticals as well as cell and gene therapeutics with GMP-compliant production. The manufacturing steps include glass melting, hot forming, thermal and chemical tempering, laser cutting, machining, polishing, etching, plasma and coating processes as well as injection molding and extrusion processes.
- Site
- 100-8405 Tokyo
- Processes
- Flat glass production by the float process, Glass melting and forming process, Flat glass production by the Belgian hand-blown cylinder method, Hot forming (bending/press forming), Air-cooled toughening (thermal tempering), Chemical strengthening (ion exchange), Laser processing, Machining (edge processing, drilling)
- Materials
- Flat glass, Alkali-free glass, Dragontrail® cover glass, Synthetic quartz, Silicon carbide SiC, Ceramics, PTFE (Fluon®), Fluoropolymers (Lumiflon®, CYTOP®, AFLAS®)
- Founded
- 1907
- Employees
- 8,122 (AGC Inc.
- Industries
- Architectural glass/building materials, Automotive/mobility, Electronics/displays, Semiconductors, Chemicals, Life sciences/pharmaceuticals
- 01
Raw material preparation (quartz sand, soda ash)
- 02
Glass melting and float/pillar casting
- 03
Hot forming (bending/pressing)
- 04
Tempering (thermal/chemical, ion exchange)
- 05
Laser and mechanical machining, polishing
- 06
Coating (PVD/CVD/wet)
- 07
Composite manufacturing with plastics (injection molding, laminate)
- 08
Testing and delivery; in parallel chemical electrolysis and
Materials & Processes
Flat glass (float glass)
Continuous casting and drawing production for architectural and automotive glass.
Alkali-free display glass
Substrate glass with ultra-low thermal expansion for TFT-LCD displays.
Dragontrail® cover glass
Chemically tempered specialty glass for smartphone and touch covers.
Synthetic quartz
Synthetically produced SiO2 glass for semiconductor and optical components.
Silicon carbide (SiC)
Ceramic high-temperature and wear material for semiconductors and furnaces.
Technical ceramics
Refractory and fine ceramic components for furnace and industrial applications.
PTFE / Fluon®
Fluoropolymer extrusion and processing into films, sheets and composite products.
Flemion® ion exchange membrane
Fluoropolymer membrane for chlor-alkali electrolysis and energy applications.
Pharmaceutical active ingredients (API/CDMO)
GMP contract manufacturing of synthetic and biological active ingredients.
Glass-plastic composite
Injection-molded and laminate composite of glass and polymer films for automotive.
Locations
Tokyo (Headquarters)
JPGroup headquarters and administration
Yokohama
JPAGC Yokohama Technical Center (formerly Keihin plant), R&D and process development
Amagasaki
JPKansai plant, glass melting and processing
- Materials
- Flat glass, specialty glass
Takasago
JPKansai plant, production of flat glass
- Materials
- Flat glass
Kitakyushu
JPProduction site
Ichihara
JPChiba plant, chemical and bioprocess manufacturing (AGC Bioplant)
- Materials
- API, biopharmaceuticals
- Microbial bioreactors
Taketoyo
JPAichi plant, production
Kamisu
JPKashima plant, production
Aikawa
JPSagami plant, production
Ōamishirasato
JPQuartz sand mining operation for raw material supply
- Materials
- Quartz sand
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat glass production by the float processCasting | – | – | – | – | Flat glass, Alkali-free glass, Specialty glass |
| Glass melting and forming processCasting | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| Flat glass production by the Belgian hand-blown cylinder methodCasting | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| Hot forming (bending/press forming)Forming | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| Air-cooled toughening (thermal tempering)Heat treatment | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| Chemical strengthening (ion exchange)Surface | – | – | – | – | Chemically strengthened specialty glass, Dragontrail® |
| Laser processingMachining | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| Machining (edge processing, drilling)Machining | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| PolishingMachining | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| EtchingSurface | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| Plasma treatmentSurface | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| 3D printingAdditive | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| Lamination and integrated molding of glass and resinJoining | – | – | – | – | Glass, Resin |
| PVD (sputtering) coatingSurface | – | – | – | – | Glass, Resin film |
| CVD coatingSurface | – | – | – | – | Glass, Resin film |
| Wet coating / roll-to-roll coatingSurface | – | – | – | – | Glass, Resin film |
| Fluoropolymer film extrusionPlastics | – | – | – | – | PTFE, Fluoropolymer, Fluon® |
| Thermal laminationPlastics | – | – | – | – | Fluoropolymer film |
| Injection molding (glass-resin integration)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Resin, Glass |
| Pharmaceutical API manufacturing (CDMO, GMP)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Pharmaceutical APIs |
| Bioprocess (microbial and mammalian cell culture, protein manufacturing)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Proteins, Biopharmaceuticals |
| Salt electrolysis (caustic soda and chlorine production)Engineering | – | – | – | – | NaCl, Caustic soda |
4 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microbial culture vessel | AGC | – | – | – | AGC Bioplant Chiba |
| Single-use mammalian cell culture vessel | AGC Biologics | – | – | – | Seattle |
| Reaction vessel | AGC Pharma Chemicals Europe | – | – | – | – |
| Microbial culture vessel (pDNA) | AGC Biologics | – | – | – | Heidelberg |
Additional services
History
- 1907
Founding of Asahi Glass Co. in Amagasaki, Hyogo
- 1909
Start of Japan's first industrial flat glass production
- 1914
First export of flat glass to Great Britain
- 1917
Relocation of company headquarters to Tokyo; own soda production
- 1937
Listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange
- 1956
Entry into mass production of automotive glass
- 1966
Start of float glass production
- 1975
Development of the Flemion ion exchange membrane electrolysis
- 1981
Acquisition of Glaverbel (Belgium), market entry in Europe
- 1995
Start of TFT-LCD glass substrate production
- 2007
Unification of the group brand to AGC on the occasion of the 100th anniversary
- 2011
Launch of sales of the chemically tempered glass brand Dragontrail
- 2016
Acquisition of the CDMO company Biomeva GmbH (Germany)
- 2017
Start of production of EUV photomask blanks
- 2018
Renaming of Asahi Glass Co. to AGC Inc.; integrated operation of the biologics businesses as AGC Biologics
- 2020
Development of the glass antenna WAVEATTOCH for 5G base stations
- 2021
Launch of the management strategy AGC plus 2.0