Ceramic and glass business news of the week for February 27, 2023

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Spain’s PVH plans to build world’s largest solar tracker factory

Spanish solar tracking solutions manufacturer PV Hardware acquired over six hectares of land in Valencia, Spain, to follow its growth plans and build what it says will be the world’s largest solar tracker factory.

Rotork electric actuators installed in glass factory improve reliability and reduce emissions

A glass plant in the Mersin area of southern Turkey, run by Şişecam, installed 33 ROMpak electric actuators. The ROMpak units replaced existing underperforming actuators to operate butterfly valves, controlling the flow of hot air at the heart of the glass manufacturing process.

Bucher Emhart Glass to construct expanded Malaysian facility

Swiss technology supplier Bucher Emhart Glass is set to construct an expanded Malaysian manufacturing facility to replace an existing factory at another site in Johor Bahru. It has contracted industrial space solutions provider AME Elite Consortium to construct the RM108 million (US$24.4 million) production facility in i-Park@Senai Airport City, Johor.

Multimillion-pound investment puts Midlands firmly on the map for advanced ceramics

The Midlands Industrial Ceramics Group secured £18.27 million in government funding provided through the U.K. Research and Innovation’s flagship Strength in Places Fund, to put the area firmly on the map as a global center for advanced ceramics.

DOE breaks ground on concentrating solar power pilot

The U.S. Department of Energy celebrated the groundbreaking of its Generation 3 concentrating solar-thermal pilot facility at Sandia National Laboratories. This demonstration is the culmination of a $100 million research effort to develop next-generation concentrating solar-thermal power plants.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Saint-Gobain to acquire Indian glass wool firm UP Twiga Fiberglass

Saint-Gobain has entered into an agreement to acquire Indian market leader glass wool insulation producer UP Twiga Fiberglass Ltd. UP Twiga Fiberglass has produced insulation as a licensee of Saint-Gobain’s glass wool insulation technology since 2005.

CCI approves Dalmia Cement’s acquisition

The Competition Commission of India approved Dalmia Cement’s acquisition of Jaiprakash Associates Limited’s cement, clinker, and power facilities. Jaiprakash Associates will use the proceeds of this sale to pay back the lenders’ loans and concentrate on its other core business operations.

MP Materials and Sumitomo strengthen rare earth supply in Japan

MP Materials Corp. and Sumitomo Corp. announced an agreement to diversify and strengthen rare earth supplies in Japan. Under the agreement, Sumitomo will serve as exclusive distributor of NdPr oxide produced by MP Materials to Japanese customers. The companies will also collaborate on supply of rare earth metals and other products.

CarbonFree and bp collaborate on carbon capture and utilization technology

CarbonFree and bp announced an agreement to collaborate on the development of carbon capture and utilization projects using CarbonFree’s SkyCycle technology, which converts CO₂ into specialty chemicals, including calcium carbonate.

OTHER STORIES

Webinar: Utility-scale PV and string inverter market trends

A webinar hosted by pv magazine will discuss utility-scale photovoltaic market developments in Europe and accompanying technology trends. String inverter market changes and the changing equation for levelized cost of energy will also be brought into the spotlight. The webinar takes place March 7 at 9 a.m. Eastern.

Webinar: Advanced electron microscopy

IUVSTA is sponsoring a webinar on the remarkable progress achieved in the electron microscopy field to answer applied and basic questions raised by the constantly growing field of nanotechnology. The webinar takes place March 22 at 8 a.m. Eastern.

DOE announces $50 million for tribal clean energy projects

The U.S. Department of Energy announced $50 million in funding to support clean energy technology deployment on Tribal lands. Applicants may submit more than one application, provided each application is for a distinctively different project and each application addresses only one subtopic area.

MARKET TRENDS

Tax in Canada is accelerating the critical minerals industry

Peter Nicholson, president and founder of WCPD Inc, details the evolution of tax in Canada and explains how it is helping the critical minerals industry to thrive.

Made-in-Ohio solar panels benefit from federal incentives, supply chain politics

About two decades after cadmium telluride solar panels were commercialized in Ohio, the technology is finding momentum thanks in part to its domestic manufacturing and supply chain. Now, two cadmium telluride manufacturers have announced major expansions.

NEW PRODUCTS

Plibrico introduces industry first field enabling QR codes

To arm customers with immediate access to information that can answer their urgent questions, the Plibrico Company launched an industry first, field enabling QR code platform that will now be prominently featured on its refractory packaging.

Kyocera to introduce plastic-free retail packaging for ceramic knives and kitchenware

Kyocera will introduce 100% plastic-free packaging for its ceramic knives and kitchen tools during the U.S. Natural Products Expo West 2023 in Anaheim, Calif., March 9–11. The new packaging will reduce the company’s total plastics use by more than 20 tons per year.

Saint-Gobain launches Calumen Suite

Saint-Gobain Glass announced the creation of Calumen Suite, its new suite of digital services, and launched the first online tool in this suite, new Calumen. New Calumen, replacing the current CalumenLive service, is a brand-new glazing configurator designed for all building professionals.