Pilkington's new Russian float plant is on target for the scheduled summer start-up

"We have been able to get on at a good pace inside the building envelope, with the aid of warm air heating and heated reinforcement rods in the concrete to assist the setting.

"Even outside, work has continued on facilities such as the batch plant, which is being built up by welding it together piece by piece. When you add the wind chill factor to the freezing temperatures then the contractors working in these conditions deserve a medal.

"But although some contractors are behind on their programmes, the summer start-up will still happen."

Meanwhile, the Pilkington Glass team has grown rapidly and training in key areas is in full swing.

"We can't wait to move to site and start the business rolling," said Marek Grabowski, PG managing director and country manager Russia.

"In the meantime, we are building a position in the market by importing glass from our other Pilkington factories, particularly Sweden, and our combined efforts are paying off with an ever growing customer base."