China’s Keda Plans US$300 Million for Peru Glass Plant
PERU · INVESTMENT
Key Facts
- —The country Peru is a Pacific nation in South America that has bought its flat glass mainly from China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Chile.
- —What happened In an interview published Friday, 9 October, Keda Peru’s general manager said a second line could lift its Peru glass investment to about US$300 million.
- —The plant Peru’s first float glass factory, in Cañete province south of Lima, cost about US$150 million and was inaugurated on Wednesday, 7 October.
- —Who is behind it Keda Peru belongs to Twyford International, which Gestión describes as controlled by the Chinese industrial firm Keda Industrial Group.
- —The US link The general manager said exports to Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia and possibly the United States could begin at the end of October.
- —Still open No firm start date, permit or financing plan has been announced for the second line, which Keda ties to market conditions.
A Chinese-controlled manufacturer says it could double its Peru glass investment to about US$300 million, two days after opening a factory south of Lima. The plant is Peru’s first float glass works, and the company is weighing exports to the United States.
Keda Peru’s general manager outlined the plan to the Lima business daily Gestión in an interview published on Friday, 9 October. Peru has had a free-trade agreement with the United States since 2009 and already hosts a Chinese-run megaport at Chancay, north of Lima.
What Keda Announced on 9 October
Keda Peru’s general manager, Michael Xu, told Gestión that a second line would cost “practically the same” as the first, about US$150 million more. That would take the Peru glass project, begun about three years ago, to roughly US$300 million.
That second phase would add a new melting furnace and production line, with a start expected between 2027 and 2028. Xu said it depends on how the first line performs and on market prices, and Gestión added that glass import levels also matter.
A third phase would make higher-value products such as mirrors and automotive glass. Gestión reported no budget or date for that step.
Asked why the company chose Peru’s central coast, Xu said: “The most important thing is energy.” He cited water, electricity and natural gas at a competitive price.
Inside Peru’s First Float Glass Plant
Float glass is the flat, smooth sheet used in windows, doors, shop fronts and car windscreens. It is made by floating molten glass on a bath of molten tin, so the surface comes out even.
President Keiko Fujimori, a conservative, opened the factory in San Vicente de Cañete on Wednesday, 7 October, Andina, the state news agency, reported. Production Minister Juan Carlos Requejo also attended.
“Not only will we stop importing glass, with this plant we are going to export to the rest of the region,” Fujimori said. Her words were reported by the National Society of Industries, Peru’s main manufacturers’ association.
The state newspaper El Peruano put capacity at 600 tonnes a day and said building the plant created about 1,000 jobs, mostly local. Xu told Gestión the plant now makes 450 to 500 tonnes a day and should reach 600 tonnes within two to three months.
Who Is Behind Keda Peru
According to Gestión, Keda Peru operates under the Twyford brand and belongs to Twyford International. Gestión describes Keda Industrial Group, a Chinese machinery and building-materials group, as the controlling shareholder behind Twyford.
Twyford runs 31 production lines in nine countries, has more than 15,000 employees and already makes glass in Tanzania, in East Africa. Cañete is its first industrial project in South America.
Keda Peru names three strategic partners: Corporación Limatambo, Corporación Corrales and HPD Glass Group. About 70% of output is meant for Peru and 30% for nearby markets, according to Gestión.
The Chancay Factor and Washington
Chinese President Xi Jinping took part in the opening of the Chancay port, about 70 kilometres north of Lima, on 14 November 2024. Chinese shipping group Cosco owns 60%, Peruvian miner Volcan holds 40%, and the port cost about US$1.3 billion, Forbes Perú reported.
Days later, Mauricio Claver-Carone, then an adviser to Donald Trump’s transition team, floated a 60% tariff on any product passing through Chancay. He extended the idea to any port in the region owned or controlled by China, Gestión reported.
Keda’s factory sits south of Lima, not at Chancay, and the company has not said which port it will use for exports. For background on China’s growing footprint, see this guide to foreign powers and investors in Peru.
What It Means for You
For US builders, glass distributors and window makers, Keda’s export plan could add a new Pacific-coast source of flat glass. First shipments would be about 10 containers each, rising gradually as output grows.
Goods made in Peru can enter the US under the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, in force since 1 February 2009. Keda has not said what US duties, if any, it expects its glass to pay.
For Peru, the company estimates that replacing imports will save more than US$70 million a year in foreign currency. For investors tracking Chinese money in Latin America, the Peru glass venture is a bet on factories, not only on mines and ports.
What Is Not Known
Keda has announced no firm date, financing plan or permit for the second line, which would cost about US$150 million. Xu tied it to the first line’s performance and to glass prices.
Estimates of permanent jobs differ: Gestión cited 400 direct posts, while the government cited 850 over five years. It is also unclear how much Peru glass will reach the United States, or at what price compared with Chinese imports.
Even the first line’s cost varies: the presidency cited more than US$130 million, while El Peruano and Gestión put it at US$150 million. The plant also ran late, as a 2024 Production Ministry resolution had set 15 May 2025 as its investment deadline, Gestión reported.
More: Peru news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Keda planning in Peru?
Keda Peru opened a US$150 million float glass factory in Cañete, south of Lima, on 7 October 2026. Its general manager says a second line could lift the Peru glass investment to about US$300 million, starting between 2027 and 2028.
Who owns the Keda glass plant?
The plant belongs to Keda Peru, part of Twyford International. Gestión describes the Chinese firm Keda Industrial Group as Twyford’s controlling shareholder, and Twyford already makes glass in Tanzania.
Will the glass be sold in the United States?
Its general manager says exports to Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia and possibly the United States could start at the end of October. First shipments would be about 10 containers each, and about 70% of output is meant for Peru.
Is the plant linked to the Chinese-run port of Chancay?
Not directly. The factory is in Cañete, south of Lima, while Chancay lies about 70 kilometres north of the capital. Keda has not said which port will handle its exports.
Sources: Gestión, China Keda apunta a US$300 millones en Perú: ¿qué viene tras su primera planta de vidrio?, 9 October 2026; El Peruano, Presidenta Fujimori inaugura en Cañete moderna planta industrial con inversión de US$150 millones, 7 October 2026; Andina, Peru: President inaugurates modern industrial plant in Cañete worth US$150 million, 7 October 2026; Sociedad Nacional de Industrias, KEDA inaugura en la provincia de Cañete la primera planta de vidrio flotado de fabricación nacional, 7 October 2026; Gestión, Keda pone en marcha en Cañete la primera planta de vidrio flotado del Perú, 7 October 2026; Gestión, Grupo chino Keda culminaría ejecución de planta de vidrio en Cañete en 2025, 27 September 2024; Forbes Perú, Puerto de Chancay movilizó 270,000 contenedores durante su primer año, 14 November 2025; Gestión, Estados Unidos proponen aranceles a productos transportados por el puerto de Chancay, 17 November 2024; Office of the US Trade Representative, United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, accessed 10 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief