Ceramic and glass business news of the week for March 14, 2022

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

SCHOTT and Hungarian government invest in cutting-edge syringe production

SCHOTT is planning to build an entirely new production for high-quality prefillable glass syringes in Hungary. The 76 million euro investment is planned at SCHOTT’s existing site in Lukácsháza and is scheduled for completion in 2024.

Saint-Gobain to invest €120 million in glass wool expansion

Saint-Gobain, through its insulation subsidiary ISOVER, will invest €120 million in the coming years, starting in 2022, to increase its insulation production capacity in France and support the acceleration of the energy renovation market.

Finland opens nuclear power plant amid concerns of European energy war

Europe’s first nuclear power plant to open in 15 years began production in Finland on Saturday, at a crucial moment for energy supply following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Once fully operational, Olkiluoto 3 is expected to meet 14% of Finland’s electricity demand.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Sony partners with Honda to manufacture EVs

Sony has followed up on its SEMA announcement of complete electric vehicles that are undergoing testing by partnering with Honda to bring these vehicles to market by 2025. The companies signed a memorandum of understanding to create a joint venture company to be established this year, subject to regulatory approval.

FCC, NTIA vow to fix spectrum allocation turmoil

An FYI article details the initiative launched last month by the Federal Communications Commission and National Telecommunications and Information Administration aimed at improving coordination of spectrum management across the federal government.

OTHER STORIES

Entries open for 2022 glass directory

Entries are open for the 2022 Glass International Directory, which is the essential guide for glass manufacturers and suppliers of glassmaking equipment worldwide. Update your entry at https://glass-international.com/directory/admin. If you are not already listed, contact Esme Horn at esmehorn@quartzltd.com.

TME Engineering establishes Mexican subsidiary

TME Engineering formed a subsidiary in Mexico: TME Glass Americas. The French engineering group says the international expansion allows the hollow glass specialist to supply the American market.

Ford will split into EV and combustion divisions

Ford Motor Co. president and CEO Jim Farley announced that Ford will divide into the Ford Model e division, focusing exclusively on electric and connected vehicles, and the Ford Blue division, which will continue to produce the company’s profitable legacy combustion-powered models like the Mustang, Bronco, and F-150.

Saudi Arabia reveals formation of nuclear energy company

Prince Abdullah Bin Khalid Bin Sultan, Saudi Arabia’s governor to the International Atomic Energy Agency, revealed that the Kingdom has established the Saudi Nuclear Energy Holding Company. The company will be able to participate in nuclear economic projects locally and internationally, in addition to operating and developing nuclear facilities.

MARKET TREND

Electric planes are coming sooner than you think

An AFAR article looks at the rapidly growing movement to adopt electric planes. Leading airlines like United and EasyJet are onboard as early adopters, with the first U.S. commercial routes slated for 2026.

This Russian metals giant might be too big to sanction

The Wall Street Journal uses the example of Norilsk Nickel, a key supplier of nickel and palladium, to illustrate the dilemma that some governments face in seeking to punish Russia without hurting their own access to key commodities.

Who killed the electric mail truck?

A Vice article looks at the history of the USPS mail delivery vehicles and why their plan to transition more of the fleet to electric vehicles has fallen short of initial expectations.

NEW PRODUCTS

Xaar Versatex print engine and Nitrox Elite GS3 printhead to debut at InPrint

Xaar is launching its new Versatex ‘out-of-the-box’ print engine and the latest Nitrox Elite GS3 printhead at this year’s InPrint exhibition in Munich on March 15–17. The Xaar Versatex provides users who have limited inkjet experience with the ability to fast track the digital inkjet development and integration process.

Ardagh designs highly decorated wine bottle

Ardagh Glass Packaging North America collaborated with Constellation Brands to create a highly decorated wine bottle for its Crafters Union brand. The 750-milliliter claret wine bottle has a 360° design of tattoo-style illustrations, created by One Design.

Flexicon portable half frame discharger has bag dump, flexible screw conveyor

A new Flexicon portable half-frame bulk bag discharger with manual bag dump station and integral flexible screw conveyor transfers material discharged from bulk bags and/or manually dumped from hand-held sacks into downstream process equipment or storage vessels, dust free.