Pilkington: CEO European Auto Plant Tour

At each site he was presented with a summary of the plant's performance before touring the lines.

"It was a very interesting and informative trip," said Stuart, whose main experience within Pilkington has previously been in Building Products and who said on appointment that it would be a priority to familiarise himself with Automotive.

"Even though the schedule was a little hectic, it gave me some time at each plant to get to know the people and gain an understanding of their operations.

"I was very impressed with the obvious progress which has been made within Automotive Europe. Looking at performance levels now compared with those of just a couple of years ago, it is very encouraging to see how far we have come."