Ceramic and glass business news of the week for October 24, 2022

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

CarbonCapture Inc. announces five megaton direct air capture/storage project in Wyo.

CarbonCapture Inc., a U.S. climate tech company that develops direct air capture systems, announced an exclusive partnership with leading carbon storage developer Frontier Carbon Solutions targeted to permanently remove five million tons of atmospheric CO₂ annually by 2030.

General Atomics announces plans for fusion pilot plant

General Atomics announced a new concept for a fusion pilot plant that uses a steady-state, compact advanced tokamak design approach.

First-ever US facility transforms unwanted plastic waste into concrete additive

CRDC Global, with support from the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, announced the opening of a new factory capable of converting difficult-to-recycle plastic waste into an innovative new concrete additive called RESIN8. The facility is the first in the U.S. and the second of its kind in the world.

Visy breaks ground at $500 million Queensland glass recycling facility

Visy broke ground on its $500 million glass recycling and remanufacturing factory outside Brisbane, Australia. The facility, which represents the largest investment Visy has ever made, will recycle up to 200,000 tonnes of Queensland’s glass annually to produce 1 billion bottles a year. The site is expected to be operational in 2025.

Corning Museum of Glass announces StudioNEXT expansion project

StudioNEXT, the expansion of the glass-blowing studios at the Corning Museum of Glass, is designed to transform The Studio into an international center for artists and students working in glass. The expansion is expected to be complete by the end of 2024.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Artemis announced acquisition of McDanel Advanced Ceramic Technologies

Artemis Capital Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm focused exclusively on partnering with differentiated industrial tech manufacturers, announced the successful acquisition of McDanel Advanced Ceramic Technologies LLC, a leading manufacturer of high quality industrial and advanced technical ceramics.

Saudi glass maker Raoom buys new line from German Benteler for $1.9m

Raoom Trading Co. purchased a new laminated glass production line from German auto parts maker Benteler for $1.9 million. Upon completion and operation of the line, Raoom’s financial results are expected to improve in 2024, according to a bourse filing.

India’s Borosil Renewables buys 86% stake in Europe’s largest solar glass maker

India’s first solar glass manufacturer Borosil Renewables Ltd, through its overseas wholly-owned subsidiaries, acquired an 86% stake in Europe’s largest solar glass manufacturer Interfloat Group. Interfloat Group is based in Germany and Liechtenstein and has been serving customers in the solar industry since 2008.

Safelite Group acquires Reliable Glass Division

Safelite Group, a vehicle glass services and recalibration company and owner of Safelite AutoGlass, announced an agreement to acquire the auto glass assets of Reliable Glass headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz. The transaction is Safelite’s sixth major acquisition in 2022.

Victoria Plc acquires Florida-based International Wholesale Tile

Victoria PLC, a U.K.-based designer, manufacturer, and distributor of flooring, announced further growth of its North American division with the acquisition of Florida-based flooring distributor, International Wholesale Tile LLC, for $28.5 million.

TuanChe and YangMing New Energy Technology establish strategic cooperation

TuanChe Limited, a leading integrated automotive marketplace in China, signed a strategic cooperation agreement with YangMing New Energy Technology to expand its research capabilities in the field of electric vehicle batteries as well as strengthen the company’s supply chain capacity.

Namibia, EU reach provisional deal on rare earth minerals

Namibia provisionally agreed on a deal with the European Union to sell its rare earth minerals. European Union and Namibian officials originally announced in July they were planning a deal on hydrogen and minerals.

‘The door is open’: Iranian astronomers seek collaborations for new, world-class telescope

In a major milestone for Iran’s scientific community, astronomers in Tehran announced that the Iranian National Observatory saw “first light”: The world-class, 3.4-meter optical telescope, whose future appeared cloudy just last year, is operational and acquired its debut images.

OTHER STORIES

FFEI celebrates diamond jubilee in digital imaging and inkjet innovation

FFEI Limited, an integrator and manufacturer of industrial digital inkjet systems and digital life science technology, recently acquired by Xaar, celebrated its 75^th anniversary. A day of celebration was enjoyed by both existing and former team members at FFEI’s Hemel Hempstead headquarters.

Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems gains new product development manager

Gasbarre announced that Bryan Stern joined the organization as product development manager for Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems. Stern will be focusing on equipment design, technical sales support, and technology advancements of Gasbarre’s products.

National Nanotechnology Initiative launches first National Nanotech Challenge

The National Nanotechnology Initiative is launching its first National Nanotech Challenge, Nano4EARTH, which will support the development of technologies to address climate change. The initiative plans to hold a kickoff workshop for the challenge early next year.

Lawmakers question how public access to federal research will be achieved

The top Democrat and top Republican on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee sent a letter to newly confirmed White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhakar asking for details about the new guidance that directs federal agencies to make federally funded research publicly accessible.

French cement giant Lafarge pleads guilty in U.S. court to paying millions to ISIS

French cement company Lafarge SA pled guilty in U.S. federal court to paying millions of dollars to the Islamic State and the Nusra Front to allow the company’s business operations in northern Syria to continue amid the country’s devastating civil war. As part of its plea agreement, Lafarge will pay $778 million in financial penalties.

MARKET TRENDS

How Türkiye’s abundant boron reserves are fueling the future

Last year, Türkiye, the world’s largest boron producer and holder of 70% of the global boron market share, exported $1 billion worth of boron-derived products.

Egypt: ‘E-Tadweer’ application to improve e-waste recycling

The “E-Tadweer” application has been launched in Egypt, more than two years after the project was presented. The platform will improve the recycling of e-waste by directing users to a specific point to deposit their used device.

Senegal: Toward the regulation of electronic waste management

The Senegalese government is preparing to set up a regulatory framework for the management of electrical and electronic waste in the country. The goal by 2025 is to recycle 90% of this waste.

NEW PRODUCTS

The New Invizo 6000: Near micron-scale view, nanoscale resolution

CAMECA, a business unit of AMETEK, Inc., introduces Invizo 6000 3D Atom Probe, a new counter-electrode concept with advanced analytical capabilities. Invizo 6000 enables ion optics with atom probe tomography field of view and allows for symmetric laser illumination of specimens.

SprintRay announces launch of OnX Tough, a new ceramic resin for dental 3D printing

SprintRay Inc., a manufacturer of digital dentistry and 3D printing solutions, announced the commercial launch of OnX Tough, a next-generation hybrid ceramic resin designed for 3D printing dental prosthetics. The resin was developed using SprintRay’s NanoFusion tech.

Brokk to showcase new innovations at Bauma 2022

Brokk, a manufacturer of remote-controlled demolition robots, will introduce three new products and showcase other innovations at Bauma 2022 in Munich, Germany. The new products include the Brokk Grapple Saw (BGS 15), the Brokk Surface Grinder (BSG 530), and My Brokk, an online portal that combines multiple services.