Ceramic and glass business news of the week for June 28, 2021

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Africa Renewable Energy Fund II raises EUR 130m for first close

The Africa Renewable Energy Fund II has raised EUR 130 million (US$154m) for its first close, securing funds for investments in early-stage renewable energy projects in Africa, according to the African Development Bank.

Ohio will soon be home to the largest solar factory complex outside of China

First Solar unveiled plans to double its U.S. manufacturing capability by building a new state-of-the-art factory in Ohio. The $680 million investment by First Solar, the only U.S.-headquartered major manufacturer of solar panels, will be the company’s third factory in the Toledo area.

Vitro to construct $120 million float glass furnace at Garcia

Mexican glass manufacturer Vitro is to build a $120 million float glass furnace at its García plant near Monterrey, Mexico. It will be the third glass furnace at the plant and is set for construction later this year.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Oldcastle APG acquires EP Henry

Oldcastle APG announced its acquisition of EP Henry, a privately owned manufacturer of hardscape and masonry products in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The acquisition follows several recent strategic hardscapes acquisitions by Oldcastle APG, including Allied Concrete Products and Abbotsford.

Lightsource BP’s latest acquisition brings Spanish pipeline to 3 GW

Lightsource BP added 703 MW to its Spanish pipeline through the acquisition of projects from Grupo Jorge, bringing its total pipeline in Spain to 3 GW. The acquisition consists of three Aragon-based projects, which Lightsource BP will start construction on next year.

Bangkok Container Glass completes Vietnam solar plant acquisition

Bangkok Container Glass completed the $41 million acquisition of Solar Power Management (Thailand), a solar plant company. The organization operates two solar power projects in Phu Yen Province, Vietnam, with a total installed capacity of 99.21 MW.

Berlin Packaging acquires Elias Valavanis S.A.

Berlin Packaging, the world’s largest hybrid packaging supplier, announced the acquisition of Elias Valavanis S.A., a supplier of glass packaging for the food and beverage industry based in Larissa, Greece.

Hyperion acquires carbide rod manufacturer Sinter Sud

Worthington, Ohio-based materials science company Hyperion Materials & Technologies reached an agreement to acquire Italy-based cemented carbide product manufacturer Sinter Sud S.p.A.

Canadian, Japanese industry groups enhance cooperation

The Canadian Nuclear Association and the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen their collaboration in advancing nuclear energy’s development, application, and deployment to meet climate change goals.

Canada and EU announce critical minerals alliance

On June 14, Canada and the European Union announced a new strategic partnership around critical mineral supply chains. This announcement comes out of the recent Canada-EU Leaders’ Summit.

OTHER STORIES

Webinar: Synthetic carbon adsorbents for challenging separations and purifications

A C&EN webinar compares performance of several Carboxen Synthetic Carbons against granular activated carbon. The Carboxen adsorbents can be used for separation of volatile compounds in gas streams, purification of air and permanent gases, and separation of dissolved molecules in liquid streams. The webinar takes place July 20 at 11 a.m. Eastern.

Hydrogen in Glass Manufacturing presentations now available to download

The presentations from the recent Hydrogen in Glass Manufacturing virtual event are available to view and download. Sixteen presentations were given over two days.

BMW creates closed-loop material cycle for tungsten production tools

The BMW Group created a closed-loop material cycle for tungsten and is collecting old drill and milling bits at its plants in Germany and Austria for recycling. The secondary tungsten obtained in this way will then be used to manufacture new milling and drilling tools.

Saint-Gobain publishes its first Integrated Report

Saint-Gobain announced the publication of its first Integrated Report, inspired by the International Integrated Reporting Council reference framework. The report includes new tools such as a mapping of the impact of the various stages in the Group’s value chain on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

RHI Magnesita expands Board of Directors

RHI Magnesita, a global supplier of refractory products, systems, and solutions, announced the appointment of three new independent non-executive directors. The appointments lift RHI Magnesita’s proportion of female directors to 38%, exceeding the Company’s goal of achieving 33% female Board representation by 2025.

MARKET TRENDS

The global chip shortage is creating a new problem: More fake components

A ZDNet article talks with industry analysts who believe that the global chip shortage is creating the perfect environment for counterfeit semiconductors to enter the market.

Drought-stricken communities push back against data centers

An NBC News article looks at the environmental cost of building hundreds of million-dollar data centers, which guzzle electricity and water while creating relatively few jobs, particularly in drought-stricken parts of the United States.

Could Africa be the next renewable energy heaven?

An article on the Davis Wright Tremaine LLP website looks at how well Africa has lived up to its potential for clean energy projects over the past decade.

NTPC to reduce net energy intensity by 10%

India’s largest power generation utility NTPC Ltd announced its target of 10% reduction in net energy intensity and installing 60 gigawatt of renewable energy capacity by 2032, as part of its energy compact goals.

NEW PRODUCTS

New fiber designed to accelerate network transformation to 5G, cloud, and beyond

Corning Incorporated introduced its latest innovation, Corning SMF-28 Contour optical fiber, to help telecommunications operators address the ever-expanding number of connected devices, build-out of 5G networks, and advances in cloud computing.

Electric box furnace for ceramic aerospace coatings on steel

The L&L Model XLE214 electric box furnace is used for curing and bonding ceramic coatings to various steel bodies primarily deployed in the aerospace industry. This process provides extra strength to aerospace parts that are subject to various heats and stresses under normal operating conditions.