Ceramic and glass business news of the week for February 6, 2023

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Owens-Brockway to modernize Sennett glass bottle production facility

Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc. will receive a $2.8 million grant to upgrade its aging glass manufacturing furnace. The glass bottle producer located in Sennett, Cayuga County, New York will use the Empire State Development grant to upgrade its facility and enhance the viability of the plant.

Europe’s biggest brick factory ready to go online as owner Forterra reports slowing sales

The biggest brick factory in Europe has been fired up for the first time, with commercial production expected to get underway soon. Forterra, one of the U.K.’s biggest brick makers, says the plant at Desford, in west Leicestershire, will start manufacturing in earnest when the necessary product certifications are complete.

Richest African man building fourth cement plant in Nigeria

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, agreed with China Sinoma International Engineering to construct a 6 million-ton cement plant to expand output and exports in his home market of Nigeria. On completion within 27 months, the company’s fourth factory in the country will increase local output capacity to 41.25 million tons from 35.25 million tons.

Saudi Ceramic’s new tiles factory on track for 2024 production

Saudi Ceramic Company announced that steady progress is being made on its new porcelain tiles factory with a capacity of 8.25 million square meters, with more than 40% of the work already completed. The company expected to launch commercial operations at the plant in Q4 2021 but were delayed due to some technical issues.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Built’s automated concrete acquisition

Construction autonomy firm Built Robotics acquired Roin Technologies, makers of the first automated concrete power trowel. The technologies underlying Roin’s automated power trowel and shotcrete robot will be integrated into Built’s software and hardware systems, and engineering efforts will focus on Built’s existing and future product lines.

Mo-Sci Corporation announces acquisition of assets of 3M’s advanced materials business

Mo-Sci Corporation, a leading provider of advanced high-tech glass development and manufacturing, acquired the assets of 3M’s advanced materials business (previously known as 3M Ceradyne), which was based in Seattle, Wash. The acquisition included more than 350 pieces of specialized equipment and all related intellectual property.

AGC and Saint-Gobain partner for the decarbonization of flat glass manufacturing

AGC and Saint-Gobain announced they are collaborating on the design of a pilot breakthrough flat glass line that is expected to reduce very significantly its direct carbon dioxide emissions.

OTHER STORIES

Webinar: Technical assessment of the capital facility needs of NIST

A new National Academies’ report, Technical Assessment of the Capital Facility Needs of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, assesses the condition of NIST facilities and recommends changes in funding and facilities planning to support NIST’s mission. There will be a public briefing webinar on Tuesday, Feb. 7, from 2–3 p.m. Eastern.

Program launch for International Powder Metallurgy & Particulate Materials Conference

The 2023 conference program for PowderMet2023: International Conference on Powder Metallurgy & Particulate Materials has been released. The conference, which is co-located with AMPM2023: Additive Manufacturing with Powder Metallurgy Conference, takes place June 18–21, 2023, at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.

Centorr Vacuum Industries announces new chief operating officer

Centorr Vacuum Industries promoted Randy Fellbaum to the position of chief operating officer. Fellbaum joined Centorr in 1997 as an electrical engineer and quickly rose to manager of the electrical engineering department.

Nutec Group announces change of CEO

Nutec Group announced effective Feb. 1, 2023, Genaro F. Cueva will step down from the position of CEO, remaining in his position as chairman of the Board. He will be replaced as CEO by Daniel Llaguno, currently president of the Nutec Fibers Division.

Rigaku Asia Pacific PTE LTD names new CEO

Rigaku Asia Pacific PTE LTD, the Singapore subsidiary of Rigaku, a manufacturer of X-ray analysis, measurement, and testing instruments based in Japan, announced Adam Chong as its new managing director and chief executive officer.

Ambiq’s creativity captures five 2023 AVA Digital Awards

The Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals awarded Ambiq, a pioneer in ultralow power semiconductors, five 2023 AVA Digital Awards, including three platinum, one gold, and one honorable mention for its videos, website, and EndpointAI Blog. Winners were selected from over 200 categories in audio, video, and web-based production.

NIST releases first AI Risk Management Framework

The National Institute of Standards and Technology released the first version of its AI Risk Management Framework, concluding an 18-month effort to develop voluntary guidelines aimed at improving trustworthiness of products and systems that use artificial intelligence.

MARKET TRENDS

India pledges $4 billion for green energy to cut carbon emissions

India’s plan to transition its economy toward green-energy production was a strong focus of this year’s national budget, with the government pledging 350 billion rupees (US$4.25 billion) to aid the transition. Climate-policy researchers say the funding is a welcome first step but that it needs to be followed by long-term commitments.

KaMin and CADAM announce global price increase for kaolin products

KaMin and CADAM today announced a price increase of up to 15% on their kaolin products to all markets effective March 1, 2023, or as contracts allow. Continuing increases in chemical inputs, mining costs, and new regulatory compliance costs continue to impact the businesses.

NEW PRODUCTS

Emerson launches a dedicated renewable power technology and software portfolio

Emerson combined its comprehensive power expertise and renewable energy capabilities into the Ovation Green portfolio to help power generation companies meet the needs of customers navigating the transition to green energy generation and storage.

Heavy-duty ROSS Three Roll Mills for high-viscosity dispersions

ROSS Three Roll Mills is used for high-viscosity dispersions in many industries. It features heavy-duty construction, precision workmanship, and ANSI 2017-compliant controls package, plus can be supplied with explosion-proof motors and controls.