Ceramic and glass business news of the week for February 15, 2021

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

CoorsTek expands manufacturing capacity in southeast Asia

CoorsTek announced the expansion of its manufacturing footprint in southeast Asia. The U.S.-based company is beginning construction on the first phase of a 400,000-sq.-ft. engineered ceramics manufacturing facility in the province of Rayong, Thailand, with construction to begin in February 2021.

Murata completes new production building at Yasu Division

Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. has completed a new production building, which has been under construction since July 2019, on the premises of its Yasu Division. A completion was held on Feb. 9, 2021.

Borosil Renewables plans 500t/day Indian float glass plant

Borosil Renewables (formerly known as Gujarat Borosil), will add a 500 tonnes per day float glass line to cater to increased demand from Indian solar industry. The plant will be built in the vicinity of its existing plant in the Kutch district in the state of Gujarat, India.

Glasskon installs two insulating glass lines by Forel

To increase their productivity and to give their customers an even better product, Glasskon installed two special-focused insulating glass lines by Forel. The first one is dedicated to the production of double and triple glazing units up to 2.500 mm x 4.000 mm, and the second one is designed to manage many kinds of requests, offering the highest possible flexibility.

Equipment upgrades boost testing capability at Glass Technology Services

Investment in a transport tester and new vertical load machine enables Glass Technology Services to add to their large range of glass performance tests. The transport tester, an Ohaus Orbital Shaker, simulates the transportation process to assess performance during distribution and highlight any potential issues before they arise.

Tesla to set up electric car manufacturing unit in southern India

Tesla Inc will set up an electric-car manufacturing unit in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, according to a government document seen by Reuters on Saturday. The statement was part of a broader document outlining the highlights of India’s budget to its people in the local language of Kannada.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Total acquires 2.8GW solar and battery storage project pipeline in US

Oil giant Total has acquired a development pipeline portfolio, consisting of 2.2GW of solar projects and 600MW of battery storage assets in Texas, U.S. SunChase Power and private energy investment firm MAP RE/ES sold the assets, but no party disclosed financial details of the deal.

Glass Futures and Encirc hail biofuel success

A project undertaken by container glass manufacturer Encirc and R&D organization Glass Futures proved that new bottles are able to be made from 100% recycled glass, using only the energy from burning ultra-low-carbon biofuels.

BHP, Japan’s JFE sign low-emissions steel raw materials technology project

Miner BHP said it will invest as much as $15 million together with Japan’s JFE Steel Corp. on lower-emissions steelmaking technology through the blast furnace process, which is used widely globally.

OTHER STORIES

Webinar: Future trends of glassmaking

The next Glass International webinar will be an exclusive talk with Özlem Vergon, Sisecam’s Chief Strategy Officer, and will investigate the glass industry after the pandemic and future trends within the industry. The webinar takes place February 23 at 10 a.m. Eastern.

Saint-Gobain certified 2021 Global Top Employer

Saint-Gobain was once again awarded “Global Top Employer” certification for the sixth consecutive year. Only 16 companies in the world have received this label. The Top Employer label is awarded by the Top Employers Institute.

Absolut Vodka achieves 50% recycled material target four years ahead of schedule

Absolut Vodka achieved 50% recycled material within its clear glass bottle four years ahead of schedule. The Absolut Company pursued the target set internally by the company to use at least 50% recycled materials and was able to maintain the bottle’s characteristic clearness through close collaboration with container glass manufacturer Ardagh Glass.

Harper International selected for thermal purification of graphite in definitive feasibility study

Harper International announced that Westwater Resources, Inc. chose them to conduct engineering scale-up and front-end engineering design for production-scale thermal purification as part of the definitive feasibility study on the Coosa Graphite Project located in Alabama.

MARKET TRENDS

Coal-fired power took a beating during the pandemic

The share of energy generated from coal has dropped more sharply during the coronavirus pandemic than that of any other power source, according to a new report that looked at coal demand in some of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases.

NEW PRODUCTS

Paşabahçe launches anti-microbial glass technology

Şişecam’s glassware brand Paşabahçe launched V-Block Technology, which prevents the growth of microorganisms on glass surfaces. The initial V-Block product range includes various tumblers, tea glasses and saucers, mugs, and bowls.

AW-Energy announces wave energy strategy for green hydrogen market entry

AW-Energy Oy is entering the commercial hydrogen market by introducing a combined WaveRoller and HydrogenHub process for the production of green hydrogen. AW-Energy says that its wave energy device, when combined with other renewable energy sources, can enable significant green hydrogen cost reductions.