CGBN

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Greece opens largest bifacial solar panel farm in Europe

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakia officially opened a new 204-megawatt solar park and promised to speed up permits for renewable energy projects. The €130 million (USD$141.7 million) solar park, located in the northern Greek town of Kozani, is the biggest system with double-sided, or bifacial, solar panels in Europe.

Saint-Gobain to recycle over 1,000 tons of glass per year at Faribault manufacturing site

Saint-Gobain North America, through its electrochromic glass subsidiary SageGlass, announced it will recycle over 1,000 tons of glass per year for the next five years, diverting the material from landfills and upcycling the components for future use through an agreement with a third-party processor based in Minnesota.

Kyocera to build its largest plant in Japan for production of semiconductor components

Kyocera Corporation announced a plan to build the largest manufacturing facility it has ever operated in Japan, expanding production capacity for components including organic semiconductor packages and crystal device packages.

MP Materials begins construction on Texas rare earth magnetics factory

On April 21, MP Materials Corp. commemorated the start of construction at its first rare earth metal, alloy, and magnet manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The first-of-its kind U.S. facility is a substantial component of a $700 million investment the company will make over the next two years to restore U.S. rare earth magnetics supply chain.

GE Renewable Energy opens 3D printing facility for wind turbines in US

GE Renewable Energy opened its new research and development facility in Bergen, New York, which will focus on more efficient ways to 3D print the concrete base of towers used in wind turbines.


ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Prince International completes acquisition of Ferro Corp., combines with Chromaflo

Prince International Corporation, a portfolio company of American Securities LLC, completed its acquisition of Ferro Corporation. The company will also combine with Chromaflo Technologies, a global provider of colorant technology solutions. The new company will be renamed Vibrantz Technologies Inc.

EV parts maker Schaeffler signs first of a kind European rare earth deal

German auto parts supplier Schaeffler signed a raw materials deal to ensure the supply of rare earth magnets from Europe for its burgeoning electric vehicle motor business. It is the first reported agreement by a European auto sector supplier or automaker to source rare earths within the region.

University at Buffalo and LIFT launch hypersonic materials project

University at Buffalo engineers are partnering with LIFT, the Detroit-based national manufacturing innovation institute, on a project to accelerate the development of materials for hypersonic systems.

Aeralis signs manufacturing design support partnership

British jet designer Aeralis partnered with Hamble Aerostructures, an Aernnova Group company, for integrated manufacturing design support of the common core fuselage and canopy of its modular jet.

Greater Victoria companies team up to make concrete more environmentally friendly

Butler Concrete and Aggregate partnered with Empire Hydrogen Energy Systems to add hydrogen technology to its fleet of ready-mix concrete trucks, with the aim of making them both more efficient and less polluting.

Keppel Infrastructure, NUS collaborate on sustainable environmental tech solutions

Keppel Infrastructure Holdings Pte Ltd entered into a master research collaboration agreement with the National University of Singapore to bolster Keppel Infrastructure’s low-carbon energy innovation and translational research and development of solutions in smart grid, renewables, and clean energy, as well as decarbonization technologies.

MagForum 2022: Magnesia minerals & markets

MagForum 2022 will bring together a panel of leading experts to examine and discuss the latest trends and developments in the magnesia minerals market, with a superb Field Trip to the magnesia operations of Nedmag at Veendam. The conference takes place June 7–9 at the Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin (Noordwijk), Amsterdam. Early bird rate until April 29.

Lithoz reports strongest Q1 in its history

Lithoz GmbH, world market and innovation leader in ceramic 3D printing, had its strongest start ever going into the new business year. With eight machines already sold since the start of the year, as well as introducing ceramic 3D printing technology to a new continent (Africa), the company continues to grow and strengthen their leadership position.

Stoelzle celebrates a year of US glass manufacturing

Stoelzle Glass Group has celebrated a year of container glass production in the United States. It says since its acquisition of the Monaca plant in March 2021, continuous investment in Stoelzle USA has proven an impactful first year breaking into the North American market.

DOE seeks precommercial technologies and host sites to decarbonize industry

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Industrial Technology Validation pilot is accepting applications on a rolling basis until June 30, 2022. The pilot will objectively assess the performance of emerging decarbonization technologies in industrial environments with a team of DOE national lab experts.

Thermcraft announces new general manager

Thermcraft, an international leading manufacturer of thermal processing equipment, announced that Andrew Belling joined the company as general manager. Belling will be responsible for process improvement, positive growth, and continued development within the Thermcraft organization.


MARKET TRENDS

Industrial mineral supply disruption: Ukraine crisis

An IMFORMED article looks at the ramifications of the Russia–Ukraine war on industrial mineral supply chains and markets. The stand-out minerals which are produced and exported in volume are kaolin (particularly the important ceramic ball clays of the Donbas region), the titanium minerals ilmenite and rutile, and zircon.

Study finds offshore wind could drive down energy costs in New England, US

A new analysis led by North Carolina State University researchers found offshore wind power could help lower wholesale electricity prices on average for six states in New England, with relatively low risk of wind turbines failing during extreme winter storms.

An SME’s guide to reducing your carbon footprint and environmental impact

A resource guide by Retail Merchant Services offers tips for small and mid-size enterprises on how to reduce their carbon footprint and environmental impact.


NEW PRODUCTS

Kyocera develops transmissive metasurface technology that redirects wireless signals

Kyocera Corporation developed a transmissive metasurface technology that can redirect wireless network signals in a specific direction to improve the coverage area and performance of 5G and eventually 6G networks.

Vestaro Consortium develops new generation of EV battery packs

The Vestaro consortium of companies, working to produce lighter and more cost-effective solutions for battery electric vehicles, developed a new generation of battery packs, the Pure Performance Battery.

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