TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AGC, a world-leading manufacturer of glass, chemicals, ceramics and high-tech materials, announced today that it will provide the world's first glass roofs for player and official benches at the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 football tournament in Brazil between June 15 and 30.

The roofs incorporate AGC's Dragontrail™ cover glass technology, the same used in smartphone, tablet and television displays. They will be used at all matches of the 16-game tournament, a prelude to the 2014 FIFA World Cup™.

Composition includes three layers of Dragontrail, a high-performance, flexible and highly scratch-resistant glass. For this outdoor application, the glass is resistant to deformation, discoloration and deterioration, remaining clear and transparent over a long period of time to ensure the best-possible visual experience for spectators.

Conventional bench roofs in stadiums are made from plastic. To develop its new glass roof, AGC successfully adapted high-performance glass by synthesizing the company's technological expertise in automotive, construction and electronic-display glass solutions.

"I am delighted that our glass bench roofs will support one of this year's greatest global sporting events, which will be enjoyed by people from every continent," said Kazuhiko Ishimura, President & CEO of Asahi Glass, Co., Ltd. "This is a wonderful first step for us to show the world the evolution and potential of glass materials, and how they can change the future. By further developing our technologies we plan to support the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil."

"I'm pleased that our glass bench roofs have met all FIFA requirements for the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013. It is rare for FIFA to commission a materials manufacturer like AGC to provide on-pitch installations, and I believe this reflects FIFA's high expectations that AGC will continue developing technologically advanced glass solutions that allow new, creative and attractive infrastructure to be implanted at stadiums during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil next year."

In October last year, AGC was named a 2014 FIFA World Cup™ Branded Licensee as the first B-to-B company to market the "Official Licensed Glass Roof of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ Player Benches" for the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™. Separately, the company is constructing its first glass manufacturing facility in South America, which will begin operating later this year in Sao Paulo State, Brazil, to contribute to the growth of Brazil's industries and economy ahead of the series of global sporting events scheduled to be held in the country.

About the AGC Group

The AGC Group, with Tokyo-based Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. at its core, is a world-leading supplier of flat, automotive and display glass, chemicals and other high-tech materials and components. Drawing on more than a century of technical innovation, the AGC Group has developed world-class expertise in fields including glass, fluorine chemistry and ceramics technologies. The group employs some 50,000 people worldwide and generates annual sales of approximately 12 billion USD through business in about 30 countries. For more information, please visit www.agc-group.com/en.

About Dragontrail™

Dragontrail is AGC's damage- and scratch-resistant specialty glass that has been adopted for use as cover glass in numerous smartphones and tablet PC models. For more information, visit http://dragontrail.agc.com/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

Official Licensed Glass Roof of the 2014 FIFA World Cup(TM) Player Benches (Photo: Business Wire)