Saint-Gobain SEFPRO

Saint-Gobain SEFPRO (Sintered and Electrofused Products), founded in 1929, produces refractories for the glass industry. The company consists of plants, sales offices and Research and Development Centers employing over 2200 people across four continents, with headquarters in Le Pontet, Vaucluse, France. The group belongs to the Innovative Materials division of the Saint-Gobain group.

History

The first electro-fused product was invented and developed in the 1920s by the laboratory of Corning Glass Works, the American glassmaker partnered with Hartford Empire Co.[1] Production began at Corhart Refractories Co., a Corning subsidiary, in 1927.

In 1929, a joint venture between Corning and Saint-Gobain, another leading glassmaker, established L'Electro-Réfractaire in Modane, France, with their principal product the Corhart Standard.[2] By 1940, the company was producing 2000 tons of the product per year. In 1942, a new, even more hard-wearing product was introduced: Corhart ZAC. New, pure raw materials were used, such as Zircon, Alumina and Silica (later known as AZS). During the Second World War, the Modane factory was destroyed.[3] In 1947, a new production site was selected in Le Pontet, located in the department of Vaucluse in France, some 350 km from the original location. This would later become the group's headquarters. Workers from the Modane plant relocated to Vaucluse to work in the new factory.

The relocation to Le Pontet was influenced by access to key raw materials such as high-purity bauxite from southern France, alumina supplied by Péchiney in Gardanne, and silica sand from the Mont Ventoux region, as well as its proximity to the port of Marseille and the Rhône River for hydro-electric power.[4]

In 1952, a Research and Development center was established next to the Le Pontet factory. The company focused on innovation and was granted multiple patents from the 1960s onwards.[5][6][7]

In 1973, "L'Electro-Réfractaires" merged with the Société Générale de Produits Réfractaires, based in Vénissieux, France, to form the "Société Européenne des Produits Réfractaires" (SEPR). The group finally became Saint-Gobain SEFPRO in 2001.

Acquisitions and Expansion

Source:[8]

• 1971: Acquisition of Refradige Italia, Italy; in 2000 it becomes SEPR Italia
• 1973 : L'Electro-Réfractaire merges with SGPR (Société Générale des Produits Réfractaires) to become SEPR
• 1987: Acquisition of Corhart Refractories, with plants in Buckhannon, WV, and Louisville, KY, USA
• 1991: Acquisition of Joint Venture for the Production of Fused Cast Refractories, China – ZPER. This acquisition marked the Saint-Gobain group's first expansion into the refractory market in China.
• 1996: Acquisition of Savoie Réfractaires, France, specializing in sintered materials for the glass industry
• 1996: European research centre CREE is established in Cavaillon[9]
• 1996: Vinhedo, Brazil, joins SEPR
• 2000: Acquisition of Valoref, France
• 2001: New factory built in Changping, Beijing area; ZPER is renamed Beijing SEPR Refractories

Plants

Research and Development (R&D) Centers

Source:[34]

Sectors Served

The SEFPRO group specializes in refractory products and services for the glass industry, serving markets like Container glass, Flat glass, E-glass, Wool Fiberglass, Reinforcement Fiberglass and Special glass. It produces fused cast AZS, high zirconia, alumina, sintered refractories, unshaped refractory materials, cruciform and expendables amongst others.