Guardian Industries Toggle Menu Our History Home EARLY YEARS 1932 Guardian Glass Company begins as a small windshield fabricator in Detroit, Michigan READ MORE 1957 William Davidson is named president 1968 Company goes public and changes name to Guardian Industries Corp. 1969 Permaglass acquisition adds Millbury, Ohio plant 1970 1970 First float glass plant begins operations in Carleton, Michigan READ MORE 1973 Second float line launches in Carleton, Michigan. This is the only Guardian plant to have two furnaces under one roof 1974 Guardian adds fabrication capability with acquisition of Glass Guard Industries in Webster, Massachusetts 1974 Upper Sandusky, Ohio automotive glass fabrication plant begins operations 1978 Kingsburg, California float glass plant starts operations 1978 Guardian enters mineral wool manufacturing in Huntington, Indiana 1980 1980 Corsicana, Texas float glass plant begins operations 1980 Fiberglass insulation manufacturing begins in Albion, Michigan 1981 Guardian expands into Europe with launch of float glass plant in Bascharage, Luxembourg READ MORE 1982 AIRCO acquisition in Carleton, Michigan adds new coating facility strategically located across the street from float glass plant 1982 Guardian celebrates 50th anniversary 1983 Guardian purchases Fullerton, California rolled glass plant 1983 Guardian adds low-emissivity (low-E) glass to product portfolio READ MORE 1984 Guardian purchases Floreffe, Pennsylvania float glass plant 1985 Guardian acquires Llodio, Spain float glass plant 1985 Guardian becomes privately held after 17 years as a public company 1985 Auburn, Indiana automotive glass fabrication plant begins operations 1985 Guardian launches new company-wide HealthGuard program focused on employee wellness READ MORE 1986 Fiberglass manufacturing expands with greenfield plant in Mineral Wells, Mississippi 1986 Guardian College Scholarship Program launches in North America to support employees and their children in the pursuit of higher-education 1988 Windsor Plastics acquisition adds automotive trim plants in Evansville, Indiana and Grand Prairie, Texas 1988 Richburg, South Carolina float glass plant, and a second float glass plant in Luxembourg (Dudelange), start operations 1990 1990 Guardian launches joint venture float glass plant in Maturín, Venezuela 1991 Oroshaza, Hungary float glass plant starts operations 1991 Ligonier, Indiana automotive glass fabrication plant begins operations 1992 Guardian acquires Consolidated Glass & Mirror Company in Galax, Virginia, expanding fabrication capabilities 1992 Guardian enters Asia with the launch of the Nong Khae, Thailand float glass plant 1992 Guardian Japan Ltd. expands company reach into Japan through distribution center and sales office 1993 Gujarat Guardian Limited (GGL), India float glass plant begins operations GGL is Guardian's joint venture float glass plant with Modi Rubber in Gujarat, India. 1993 Guardian adds a third facility in Luxembourg with the launch of the Grevenmacher automotive glass fabrication plant 1993 Tudela, Spain float glass plant begins operations 1994 Graham Fiberglass acquisition adds manufacturing plant in Erin, Ontario 1994 Guardian enters Latin America with distribution center in Sao Paulo, Brazil 1995 Guardian moves from Novi, Michigan to new world headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan 1996 Guardian acquires major interest in Automotive Moulding Company (AMC). Headquartered in Warren, Michigan, AMC has three automotive trim plants in Georgia and one in Michigan 1996 DeWitt, Iowa float glass plant begins operations 1996 Thalheim, Germany float glass plant begins operations 1996 Guardian opens float glass plant in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia Guardian's joint venture float glass plant in Al Jubail is known as GulfGuard 1997 Guardian adds second float glass plant in Thailand in Rayong 1997 Glass distribution center is established in Argentina 1998 Morehead, Kentucky automotive trim plant begins operations, and Guardian acquires Lab. Radio, an automotive trim manufacturer in Valencia, Spain 1998 Geneva, New York float glass plant begins operations 1998 Porto Real, Brazil float glass plant begins operations 1998 Inwood, West Virginia fiberglass manufacturing plant begins operations 1998 Guardian enters building products distribution; Guardian Fiberglass makes investment in Builder Marts of America (BMA) 2000 2000 Guardian Building Products Group acquires Cameron-Ashley Building Products 2000 Guardian opens float glass distribution centers in Veracruz, Mexico and Cartagena, Colombia 2000 Kingman, Arizona fiberglass manufacturing plant opens 2000 Guardian Science & Technology Center opens in Carleton, Michigan READ MORE 2000 Guardian develops the Sun-Guard series of coated glass products for commercial applications This would later become Guardian SunGuard® advanced architectural glass 2002 Czestochowa, Poland float glass plant begins operations 2003 Guardian Fiberglass acquires remaining shares of Builder Marts of America 2003 Guardian launches the world's largest sputter coater in Bascharage, Luxembourg 2003 Goole, England float glass plant begins operations 2003 Guardian purchases partial ownership of the Egyptian Glass Company float glass plant in Cairo 2004 El Marqués, Mexico float glass plant begins operations 2006 Guardian introduces ShowerGuard® glass, the industry's first temperable, permanently protected shower glass 2007 Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates float glass plant begins operations Guardian's joint venture float glass plant in RAK is known as Guardian Zoujaj International Float Glass Co. LLC. 2007 Winnsboro, South Carolina fiberglass manufacturing plant begins operations 2007 Guardian celebrates 75th anniversary 2008 Ryazan, Russia float glass plant begins operations 2008 Guardian purchases Siegel-Robert Automotive 2009 William Davidson (1922 - 2009) 2009 Guardian launches SRG Global, combining the trim operations of Guardian Automotive and Siegel-Robert Automotive to form one of the world's largest manufacturers of chrome plated plastic parts for the industry READ MORE 2009 Tatuí, Brazil float glass plant begins operations 2010 2010 SRG Global opens its Advanced Development Center in Taylor, Michigan Exclusively dedicated to research and product innovation, the new facility is slated to develop the future of plastics coating technology for industries worldwide. 2011 SRG Global launches automotive trim facility in Bolesławiec, Poland 2012 SRG Global launches automotive trim facility in Irapuato, Mexico 2012 Rostov, Russia float glass plant begins operations 2012 Koch Industries invests in Guardian Industries 2013 Ron Vaupel named President and CEO of Guardian Industries Corp. 2013 SRG Global and FALTEC Co. Ltd. celebrate grand opening of joint venture manufacturing facility, FALTEC SRG Global (Thailand) Co. LTD. 2013 Custom Glass Solutions by Guardian is established to serve diverse transportation segments in North America 2014 Kevin Baird named President and CEO of Guardian Glass 2014 Dave Prater named President and CEO of SRG Global 2014 Guardian sells its fiberglass manufacturing plants 2015 Guardian Science & Technology Center completes expansion READ MORE 2015 SRG Global doubles capacity at automotive trim plant in Irapuato, Mexico 2016 Guardian launches new coater at the Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia float glass plant 2017 Koch Industries, Inc. completes the acquisition of Guardian Industries Corp. READ MORE Quick Links About Us One Team One World Constant Improvement History Compliance & Ethics Supplier Portal Koch Industries Our Companies Guardian Glass SRG Global Careers Join Our Team Working @ Guardian Snapshots Contact Us Our Locations Make an Inquiry Guardian Glass Linked in Twitter Facebook Pinterest YouTube BACK TO TOP CALIFORNIA SUPPLY CHAINS ACT DISCLOSURE RESPONSIBLE SOURCING TERMS OF USE PRIVACY POLICY UK GENDER PAY GAP REPORTING UK MODERN SLAVERY ACT TRANSPARENCY STATEMENT Cookie Settings COPYRIGHT ©2016, 2017, AS AMENDED. GUARDIAN INDUSTRIES ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Cookies Settings We use cookies to offer you a better browsing experience, analyze site traffic, personalize content, and serve targeted advertisements. Read about how we use cookies and how you can control them by clicking "Cookie Settings."Cookie Policy Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies