Ceramic and glass business news of the week for June 20, 2022

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

SCHOTT plans to triple ready-to-use vial production capacity in the US

SCHOTT announced its plan to triple vial production capacity at their facility in Lebanon, Pa. SCHOTT’s ready-to-use vials simplify the filling process for pharmaceutical companies and are particularly suitable for biologics, vaccines, and mRNA-based drugs.

Ciner Glass receives planning approval for £390 million UK glass production facility

Ciner Glass received planning approval to build a glass manufacturing facility in the U.K. The £390 million facility, referred to in the planning documents as the Dragon Glass Bottle Manufacturing Facility, will be built in Ebbw Vale, Wales, and is scheduled to start glass production in 2026.

Lynas gets $120 mln Pentagon contract for US rare earths project

Lynas Rare Earths signed a $120 million follow-on contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to build a commercial heavy rare earths separation facility in Texas. Lynas is the world’s largest processor of rare earths outside China, and the contract with its U.S. subsidiary builds on Phase 1 funding for a facility announced in July 2020.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

ITT acquires additive manufacturing technology capabilities with investment in CRP

ITT Inc., a manufacturer of highly engineered critical components and customized technology solutions, announced its investment in CRP Technology and CRP USA. CRP is an industry leader in developing and manufacturing reinforced composite materials for 3D printing for various industries.

BP to purchase almost 40% in Asian Renewable Energy Hub

British oil and gas giant BP agreed to acquire a 40.5% stake and the operatorship of the Asian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH) in Pilbara, Western Australia. The AREH project is being developed by InterContinental Energy, CWP Global, Macquarie Capital, and Macquarie’s Green Investment Group.

GE purchases 49% stake in Morjar onshore wind farm in India

GE Energy Financial Services acquired a 49% interest in the Morjar onshore wind farm from Indian power company Continuum Green Energy India. Located in the Indian state of Gujarat, the 148.5 MW Morjar wind facility, which is expected to come online this month, will feature 55 units of GE Renewable Energy’s 2.7-132 onshore wind turbines.

Driven Brands acquires Perfection Auto Glass

Driven Brands Holdings, a North American automotive services company, expanded its U.S. auto glass offering with the acquisition of Indiana-based Perfection Auto Glass. Perfection Auto Glass is the fifth auto glass acquisition for Driven Brands.

Sefpro forges glass partnership with Chinese refractory group

Sefpro created a joint venture with China’s Anhui Sino-Refractory Technology (AFR) to strengthen its position in the largest and fastest growing glass market in the world. AFR, founded in early 2016, produces fused cast refractories for the glass industry.

OTHER STORIES

Webinar: Commercial space and astronomy partner for brightness mitigation

NIST is hosting a free virtual event on June 28 to provide a platform for commercial and public stakeholders supporting space activities to discuss relevant commercial space and astronomy updates and opportunities for international collaboration and to develop actionable ideas for partnering astronomy and commercial space.

DOE previews $8 billion hydrogen hub program

The Department of Energy outlined how it will implement an $8 billion regional hydrogen production hub program funded by last year’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. DOE plans to select between six and ten hubs, each of which will receive up to $1.25 billion to cover up to half of their total project costs.

Siemens to introduce roadmap for emerging energy technologies in Egypt this year

German company Siemens is working on a roadmap for emerging energy technologies, electric vehicles, and energy storage in Egypt. Informed sources told Daily News Egypt that the project is funded by the French company EDF, and it is scheduled to cover a five-year period. There will be another roadmap for a period of 10 years.

MARKET TRENDS

Africa is now the global leader in hydrogen energy

A major metals exporter, Africa has long held an outsized position in the global push to decarbonize. In the past year, a new wave of international investors flocked to Africa to tap another one of its emissions-free resources: its green hydrogen.

NEW PRODUCTS

Neuvokas fiberglass rebar earns Department of Transportation product approval

Texas, Maryland, and Virginia all approved the GatorBar fiberglass rebar product to ensure it meets the highest industry standards. GatorBar fiberglass offers what Neuvokas says is two to four times the tensile strength of steel and four to seven times lighter weight.

Micromeritics: AutoChem III enhances speed and sensitivity of catalyst characterization

Micromeritics Instrument Corp. released AutoChem III catalyst characterization system, which improves laboratory productivity and measurement sensitivity. For example, the AutoCool is a new integrated air-cooling system that reduces experiment time by 30 minutes or more without the use of cryogenic liquids or external cooling media.