Ceramic and glass business news of the week for January 13, 2020

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

World’s largest floating wind turbine just came online

One of the three platforms that will make up the WindFloat Atlantic wind farm off the coast of Portugal was connected to the grid via a 20-kilometre (12.4-mile) long cable on New Year’s Eve. Once the other two platforms come online, WindFloat will be able to provide enough clean energy for around 60,000 homes.

Cummins boosts production at two glass manufacturers

Standby power systems from Cummins are providing extra protection at two glass-manufacturing facilities in Lahore, Pakistan, allowing production lines to always be on, and operations to continue seamlessly even in the event of a power outage.

Fuyao expanding local operations, adding 100 workers

Fuyao Glass America is investing $46 million into a research and development expansion at its Moraine, Ohio, auto glass manufacturing plant that will create 100 new jobs. That will bring the employment level at the local plant to 2,400 employees.

Medallion commences US site selection, logistics study for rare-earth processing facility

Medallion Resources Ltd. engaged international engineering group Stantec to evaluate sites in the United States for its rare earth element extraction plant using feedstock sourced from the Southeast United States.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

AAMA and IGMA officially combine as Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance

The American Architectural Manufacturers Association and the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance officially combined into one organization, Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance. The unified organization’s vision focuses on improving home and building performance through better glass, window, door, and skylight technologies and standards.

Allied Glass acquired by investment firm

A Sun European Partners affiliate completed the acquisition of Allied Glass for an undisclosed sum. Allied Glass is one of the largest U.K.-based manufacturers of glass packaging containers for the premium spirits and food and drinks markets.

Morley Glass & Glazing and Saint-Gobain Glass to recycle post-consumer glass

Morley Glass & Glazing has partnered with Saint-Gobain Glass to recycle and reuse post-consumer glass. Saint-Gobain Glass already operates the U.K.’s largest cullet or waste glass return scheme. Morley Glass & Glazing has offered its 50,000 ft² manufacturing space in Leeds, West Yorkshire, to serve as a collection centre for post-consumer glass.

OCMI acquires KYP Accesorios

OCMI completed the acquisition of Spanish ampoule machine maker KYP Accesorios. By joining forces, OCMI OTG and KYP wish to deliver to their customers a wider range of products, a better service, and a constant investment in R&D.

Kyocera and 24M develop world’s first SemiSolid lithium-ion battery system

Kyocera Corporation and 24M announced that Kyocera has formally launched its residential energy storage system, Enerezza, the world’s first system built using 24M’s novel SemiSolid electrode manufacturing process.

OTHER STORIES

Nominations sought for Excellence in Concrete Awards

The annual Excellence in Concrete Awards will be given to teams responsible for the best concrete projects of 2019 in Oregon and Southwest Washington. The entry deadline is Jan. 25, 2020.

CelSian to provide three training courses throughout February

Dutch process optimization consultancy group CelSian Glass & Solar are to provide training support on “Introduction to Glass Melting” (February 4), “Expert Training: Heat Transfer in Glass Melting Furnace” (February 18), and “Introduction to energy efficiency and CO₂ emission” (February 19).

NGA announces publication of flat glass EPD

The National Glass Association published an environmental product declaration for flat glass products sold in the U.S. The declaration is valid for five years for clear, low-iron, and tinted glass products that have been manufactured in an unprocessed annealed state.

O-I sells its soda ash interest

Container glassmaker Owens-Illinois sold its 25% share in Tata Chemicals (Soda Ash) Partners Holdings, a soda ash producer, to Valley Holdings, a subsidiary of Tata Chemicals Limited, for $195 million. O-I said the sale is one component of its divestiture programme, which aims to raise between $400 and $500 million.

MARKET TRENDS

Etch process to reach $8.8 billion by 2024

A report by BCC Research says the global market for etching processes should grow from $6.9 billion in 2019 to $8.8 billion by 2024 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.9%. The processes are expected to grow because of the increase in demand of a large array of semiconductors and power devices.

Three fiber cement markets driving global demand

A study from The Freedonia Group examines how a number of developments in India, the United States, and China will affect the ebb and flow of the global fiber cement market through 2023 and beyond.

Solar installations to grow by additional 142 GW in 2020

According to a report by IHS Markit, new annual global solar installations in 2020 will reach 142 gigawatts, a 14% rise over the previous year. The expected 142 gigawatts are seven times that of the entire capacity that was installed by the start of the prior decade (20 GW in 2010).

NEW PRODUCTS

Perovskites—ideal for optoelectronic applications

Goodfellow’s new range of perovskites, a group of materials demonstrating great potential for optoelectronic applications, includes powder and solid forms of barium titanate, bismuth aluminate, bismuth titanium oxide, calcium titanate, copper tungsten oxide, lithium titanate, lead titanium oxide, lanthanum titanate, and samarium ferrite.

Double planetary mixing and discharging in a sanitary turnkey system

The ROSS Double Planetary Mixer is available in a “super sanitary” turnkey configuration, featuring a common stainless steel workbench for both the mixer and a matching discharge system. This system is scalable through 1,000-gallon production models.

Graphi-Coat 623 prevents oxidation of graphite at high temps

Graphi-Coat™ 623 is a patented titanium diboride based coating developed by Aremco Products, Inc., that significantly inhibits the oxidation of most commercial grades of graphite to 2,000°F (1,093°C). This two-part system is a water-based, nonvolatile material that is applied easily using a brush, roller, dip- or spray-processing.

Faster, automated Fisher number measurement with Micromeritics Sub-Sieve Autosizer II

Micromeritics Instrument Corp. launched the new highly automated Sub-Sieve Autosizer II (SAS II), an instrument that boosts the productivity and accuracy of particle sizing via the air permeability technique, a benchmark in many industries.