Ceramic and glass business news of the week for May 30, 2022

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Canada’s first rare earth producer begins shipping concentrate

Vital Metals’ Nechalacho rare earths mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories has begun deliveries. Rare earth production at Nechalacho began last year, making the mine the first rare earth producer in Canada and the second in North America, besides California’s Mountain Pass mine.

Ardagh chooses Brazilian location for glass packaging facility

Ardagh Group says its first glass production facility in Brazil will be in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais. The facility will supply glass packaging to customers in the growing Brazilian market with production expected to commence in the first half of 2024.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Holcim acquires Baton Rouge concrete company

Cajun Ready Mix Concrete, the largest ready-mix concrete company in Baton Rouge, La., was bought out by Switzerland-based global building materials company Holcim. Cajun says the 108 employees will transition with the company to the new ownership.

Saint-Gobain acquires Fibroplac and Falper

Saint-Gobain entered into an agreement to acquire Fibroplac and Falper to accelerate its growth as a leader in light and sustainable construction in Portugal. Currently in Portugal, Saint-Gobain has 10 factories as well as a technical development center in Aveiro and employs more than 650 persons.

SensFit Technologies and Footwork Podiatric Lab partner to develop smart orthotics

SensFit Technologies, a startup company that developed a graphene-enhanced smart shoe with inbuilt sensors, partnered with Footwork Podiatric Laboratory, a leading Australian custom-made orthotic manufacturer, to develop Smart Orthotics to help diabetic ulcer treatment.

Four French glass companies combine to form Meca-Glass Group

Four French glass companies combined to become one entity. Mecavalente, Somobresle, Meca-Moules-Services, and Les-Mouleries-de-la-Bresle are now all united within the Meca-Glass Group. All customer contacts remain unchanged.

Bangladesh, South Korea enhance nuclear energy cooperation

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute signed a memorandum of understanding with the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission for technological cooperation in nuclear research and development.

Glassmaking innovators Pilkington newest member to join Northwest Hydrogen Alliance

Pilkington is the latest company to join the Northwest Hydrogen Alliance. Pilkington completed a world-first trial last year at its Greengate site in St Helens, Merseyside, where hydrogen was successfully used to produce float glass as part of the “HyNet Industrial Fuel Switching” project.

OTHER STORIES

Sustainable Industrial Manufacturing taking place in June 2022

Sustainable Industrial Manufacturing will provide an opportunity for those at the frontier of cleaner manufacturing to present sustainable solutions to business leaders from across five hard-to-abate sectors. The meeting takes place at the Brussels Expo Center in Belgium from June 28–29, 2022.

Kyocera to reduce greenhouse gas 46%, increase renewable energy use 20x by 2031

Kyocera Corp. announced a new target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 46% from fiscal year 2020 levels, a further improvement over the original target of 30% from fiscal year 2014 levels. Kyocera is also targeting a 20x increase in renewable energy adoption by FY2031 in its production activities (compared to FY2014).

Israel unveils roadmap for 20% renewable energy by 2025

Israel wants to more than double its solar capacity by 2025, as the government seeks to generate 30% of the country’s energy needs from renewable sources–and 70% from natural gas–by the end of the decade.

MARKET TRENDS

Critical minerals threaten decades-long trend of cost declines for clean energy tech

Prices of key minerals and metals for the clean energy transition have spiked in recent months. An article by World Economic Outlook energy analyst Tae-Yoon Kim looks at what the International Energy Agency is doing to help ensure reliable and sustainable international supplies of critical minerals.

Solar panels face recycling challenge

A C&EN article looks at how researchers and companies are preparing for a looming tsunami of photovoltaic waste.

China discreetly takes 10 percent of the world’s market for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles

A South China Morning Post article looks at Guangdong Nation Synergy Hydrogen Power Technology, the company leading the charge in China’s rise in the hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle market.

NEW PRODUCTS

FIBA reveals first ever glass floor for competitions

The International Basketball Federation approved LED glass flooring for Level 1 basketball competition for the first time ever. German manufacturer ASB GlassFloor makes the digitized playing surface, which displays media, whether court lines or sponsor content, on the court via LED.

HWI introduces JAWS tundish impact pad

HarbisonWalker International received a provisional patent on its JAWS technology, which delivers the next generation of tundish impact pads. The JAWS design provides reduced turbulence, enhanced flow release, and reduced scale eddy formation for improved tundish flow distribution.