(Yicai) Nov. 14 -- AGC, a Japanese producer of glass and electronic components, is looking to strengthen its collaboration with Chinese new energy vehicle makers, according to the firm’s chief representative in China.

AGC is a long-term supplier to major carmakers in Japan, the United States, Germany, and South Korea, but its market share in China is small, so the firm will focus on cooperating with local electric vehicle makers to provide them with technologies and solutions, Toshihiro Ueda told Yicai during the sixth China International Import Expo. 

The Tokyo-based company, which is known for its glass products, including flat glass, auto glass, and glass for electronics, exhibited remote-sensing Lidar solutions at the six-day trade fair that ended on Nov. 10.

“The Chinese automotive market is paying more attention to in-car entertainment functions, which cannot be achieved solely through traditional bent, flexible, or curved glass,” Ueda said, adding that AGC is good at meeting new demand for high-value features such as surfaces that block ultraviolet light and sound.

China is good at turning innovations into real products, Ueda noted. “It means death to a manufacturer of materials if it stops innovating and evolving.” he said. “We’ll embrace or even predict changes according to changes in the environment. We must speed up gradually moving research and development to China to develop new products targeting the country.”

The market poses many new challenges for NEV parts and designs, an observer of Japanese businesses told Yicai. Japanese firms can also provide solutions through R&D, and work with peers from Japan or other countries.

“Japanese companies owning related technologies cannot know about the demand in the Chinese NEV market or achieve new development without entering the market,” the person pointed out.

Editor: Emmi Laine