Guardian Industries Sells Auto Glass Units

Japan's Carlex Glass Co. has agreed to buy the U.S. and European automotive glass operations of privately held Guardian Industries Inc. Terms were not disclosed.

Carlex is a unit of Tokyo-based Central Glass Co. Ltd., a global supplier of automotive, architectural and flat glass, glass fiber products, electronic components and other materials.

The company will acquire Guardian Automotive Products Inc.'s headquarters in Sterling Heights, Mich., and two glassmaking factories in Indiana. Carlex also will buy Guardian Automotive-E SA's headquarters in Grevenmacher, Luxembourg, and a glass plant in the same city.

Carlex currently supplies original-equipment and replacement windshields, sunroofs and side and rear windows for Ford, Kia, Nissan and Subaru.

Guardian's automotive units make heated windshields, head-up display windshields and heat-reflecting-coated glass. Its customers include Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors and Volkswagen.

The two Guardian businesses represent combined annual sales of $306 million, according to Carlex.