The new company, Schott Donnelly LLC Smart Glass Solutions, will be a 50/50 joint venture owned by Donnelly and Schott, and will initially be based in Tucson, Arizona. Schott Donnelly LLC Smart Glass Solutions will provide electrochromic glass for automotive and architectural applications.

    Electrochromic glass darkens automatically or through controlled dimming to reduce unwanted solar heat and glare. The result is reduced energy costs, reduced glare and improved comfort for occupants of buildings and vehicles equipped with electrochromic glass.

    Donnelly currently produces and sells to automotive customers around the world electrochromic mirrors that dim automatically to reduce headlight glare during nighttime driving. Over the past five years, the company's Advanced Technology Center in Tucson has worked extensively in the development of electrochromic windows, including a major research project funded by the United States Department of Energy.

    Schott Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Schott Glas, which is based in Germany and is one of the world's leading producers of specialty glass products. With its extensive expertise in glass technologies and its strong international position, Schott's involvement in the joint venture will help create opportunities for commercialization of the technology and help establish a truly global market for Schott Donnelly LLC Smart Glass Solutions products.

   "Schott's technological expertise and global strength in the specialty glass markets make them ideal partners for us to work with in commercializing electrochromic glass technologies," said Dwane Baumgardner, Donnelly chairman and chief executive officer. "We have long held a vision of dramatically expanding the applications of our EC technologies, and through this partnership with Schott our vision will become reality."

    "Donnelly is a very respected name in the automotive industry with a strong technological background in the electrochromic field," stated Guy De Coninck, vice chairman, chief executive officer and president of Schott Corporation. "Schott and Donnelly have a long record of innovation in the field of special glass solutions. We are very excited about the future potential in the field of electrochromic application."

     Donnelly Corporation is an international automotive supplier dedicated to serving customers around the globe with industry-leading components and systems in automotive mirrors, windows, door handles and interior trim and lighting. Through its various product lines, Donnelly is a supplier to every major automotive manufacturer in the world. The company has been based in Holland, Michigan, since 1905, and today has approximately 5,500 employees in 12 countries worldwide. For more than 40 years, Donnelly has been recognized as a leader in the application of participative management philosophies and practices.

    Schott Corporation is the North American headquarters for the Schott Group (Germany), and has 12 divisions and subsidiaries employing approximately 3,000 people for the manufacture and distribution of special glass and glass-related systems. The Schott Group employs more than 17,000 people worldwide and has sales of nearly $1.8 billion.