Saint-Gobain Sekurit

A company founded over 350 years ago by order of King Louis XIV to make mirrors for the Palace of Versailles is now making the glass that enables autonomous driving. That trajectory alone makes Saint-Gobain Sekurit one of the most fascinating companies in the global auto glass industry.

Saint-Gobain was established in 1665 as the Manufacture Royale de Glaces de Miroirs, tasked with producing mirrors that could rival those made in Venice, which held a monopoly on high-quality mirror production at the time. The company succeeded spectacularly — the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles is perhaps its most famous early commission. Over the following centuries, Saint-Gobain evolved from mirrors to flat glass to industrial materials, and today it is one of the largest building materials companies in the world, with over 160,000 employees across 75 countries.

The Sekurit division is Saint-Gobain's automotive glass arm, supplying OEM glass to European and global automakers. Their R&D in laminated and tempered glass technologies has pushed the boundaries of what automotive glass can do. They have developed glass with integrated antennas that eliminate the need for exterior antenna masts. They produce heated windshields that clear ice and fog in seconds. They have created glass that adjusts its tint based on sunlight conditions, reducing glare and cabin temperature without manual intervention.

Three and a half centuries of glass expertise is a competitive moat that cannot be replicated. When automakers need glass that incorporates cutting-edge technology while meeting the most demanding quality and safety standards, Saint-Gobain Sekurit brings a depth of materials science knowledge that no competitor born in the 20th century can match.