Ceramic and glass business news of the week for April 10, 2023

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Saint-Gobain achieves flat glass production using 30% hydrogen

Saint-Gobain manufactured flat glass using more than 30% hydrogen. The feat, achieved during test production at the Herzogenrath, Germany, facility, means Saint-Gobain has proven the technical feasibility of manufacturing flat glass with a proportion of hydrogen.

Nigeria breaks ground on US$171 million solar cell production plant

Nigeria’s National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure broke ground on a solar cell production plant in Gora, Nasarawa state. The plant will have a vertically integrated supply chain with an annual production of 1,000 tons of polysilicon, 50 MW of ingot, 50 MW of wafers, and 50 MW of solar cells, according to several local media.

Kyocera to acquire construction site in Japan for new smart factory

Kyocera Corp. reached an agreement to acquire about 37 acres of land for a new smart factory at the Minami Isahaya Industrial Park in Japan. The land purchase agreement includes a developed site of about 14 acres, where construction will begin in October 2023, and another 23-acre pre-developed site that Kyocera plans to acquire in 2024.

DOE invests $16 million to build first-of-a-kind critical minerals production facility

The U.S. Department of Energy announced $16 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to bring critical mineral supply chains to the U.S. The funding will support projects in West Virginia and North Dakota for the development of a first-of-a-kind rare earth element and critical minerals extraction and separation refinery.

Joint venture set up for Taiwan’s first subsea power cable factory

Denmark-headquartered cable manufacturer NKT signed the necessary agreements with Taiwanese Walsin Lihwa for the establishment of the recently announced joint venture that will support the construction of the first subsea power cable factory in Taiwan.

New York’s first offshore wind farm linked to land

The subsea export cable for the South Fork wind farm offshore New York has now been installed. The three-phase 138 kV high voltage alternating current cables are integrated with two fiber-optic cables and will transmit electricity produced by the 132 MW wind farm to Long Island.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Jon-Don acquires Coatings Hub

Jon-Don, a supplier of commercial supplies, equipment, consumables, and know-how to specialty contractors, announced the acquisition of Coatings Hub, a California-based concrete coatings distributor with facilities in Santa Ana and Los Angeles.

SK Capital and Edgewater Capital close acquisition of Saint-Gobain’s crystals business

Funds advised by SK Capital Partners, LP and Edgewater Capital Partners, LP, private investment firms focused on the specialty materials and specialty chemicals sectors, completed their previously announced acquisition of the scintillation and photonic crystals business of Saint-Gobain, S.A. The business has been renamed Luxium Solutions.

Saint-Gobain divests its glass processing business in Switzerland

Saint-Gobain signed a binding agreement for the sale of its glass processing business Glassolutions in Switzerland to the privately-owned German group AEQUITA. This transaction is expected to close by the end of May 2023.

US and Japan strike deal on minerals used in batteries for electric cars

The U.S. and Japan reached a trade agreement for critical minerals used in batteries. Under the deal, the countries agreed not to levy export duties on critical minerals they trade and coordinate labor standards in producing minerals, among other steps.

Cambodia paves the way for major renewable energy deal with Singapore

Cambodia is working with Singapore to become a major exporter of clean energy in the region. The deal, which is still at the commercial negotiation stage, would see Singapore importing 1 GW of renewable energy annually from Cambodia, making up a quarter of their low-carbon electricity imports by 2035.

Brown launches new initiative to galvanize research in sustainable energy technology

The new Initiative for Sustainable Energy at Brown University will convene researchers from multiple fields with the goal of developing solutions in three areas of sustainable energy that are critical for mitigating climate change and its dire consequences.

OTHER STORIES

Renishaw celebrates 50 years of engineering innovation

Global engineering technologies business Renishaw is celebrating its 50^th anniversary. The company, which was founded in April 1973, will mark this significant milestone with a year of global activities, including a “50 at 50” charity initiative that will see £150,000 donated to 50 not-for-profit organizations in the 36 countries where it has offices.

QEP3D—the authorized Lithoz service provider for LIS and LSD-print technology

Lithoz GmbH officially appointed Germany-based QEP3D as their service provider for the new layer-wise slurry deposition technology, recently added through the CerAMing acquisition, and for the laser-induced slipcasting technology launched in 2022.

Oregon lawmakers pass major bill aimed at luring semiconductor manufacturers

Oregon’s House of Representatives gave final approval to Senate Bill 4, which devotes big money to the semiconductor industry and gives the governor new land-use powers. Lawmakers will next consider tax breaks for semiconductor companies.

First Nations lay claim to all critical minerals and rare earth elements in Saskatchewan

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, which represents 73 First Nations in Saskatchewan, Canada, are laying claim to all critical minerals and rare earth elements in the province. The claim comes in response to the provincial government announcing its new critical mineral strategy.

MARKET TRENDS

How a Chinese battery company powers Türkiye’s home-grown EVs

Türkiye is partnering with Farasis, one of China’s top battery companies, to develop its first domestic electric vehicle. This partnership heralds the next step in the two countries’ already close economic relationship.

China is on a global hunt for rare earths

Faced with a growing reliance on rare earth imports, China is doubling down on efforts to buy up more rare earth raw materials at their source. To do so, it is ramping up production at home—but it is also aggressively investing overseas.

Danyang city remains world’s top glasses manufacturing hub

The city of Danyang in East China’s Jiangsu Province produces more than 400 million pairs of lenses each year, accounting for about 50% of the global production and 80% of China’s total production, with an annual output of more than 100 million pairs of frames.

Latin America’s opportunity in critical minerals for the clean energy transition

Latin America is a major supplier of critical minerals for clean energy transitions, with considerable potential to expand its role, the International Energy Agency reports.

NEW PRODUCTS

Lithoz and Glassomer launch innovation partnership for ‘LithaGlass powered by Glassomer’

After intensive research together with Germany-based glass manufacturer Glassomer, Lithoz announced the launch of the new “LithaGlass powered by Glassomer” material, which combines the desirable properties and stability of ceramics with the application uses of quartz glass.

Alcoa expands its EcoSource low-carbon alumina brand to include nonmetallurgical grade

Alcoa announced the expansion of its EcoSource low-carbon alumina brand to now include certain grades of nonmetallurgical alumina, including hydrates and calcined materials.

Plibrico to feature its most durable monolithic refractories for the steel industry at AISTech

The Plibrico Company announced it would demonstrate how its portfolio of refractories increase the longevity of thermal processing equipment and lower maintenance requirements for steel processors at the upcoming AISTech 2023 Conference in May.

The UK’s first electric concrete mixer is officially ready to roll

The UK’s first electric concrete mixer successfully completed a three-month trial of commercial deliveries. The e-mixer was created in partnership with Renault Trucks and vehicle component maker TVS Interfleet.

Rigaku expands chemical threat analysis with new, targeted capabilities

Rigaku Analytical Devices launched the CQL Gen-ID handheld 1064 nm Raman analyzer for the chemical analysis of common threats. The CQL Gen-ID analyzer can identify unknown solids, liquids, powders, pastes, or gels through translucent packaging.

L&L Special Furnace agitated heated oil quench tank for quenching various tool steels

The L&L Special Furnace model QTO1224 heated oil quench tank is used for quenching heat-treated tools in the forging industry. This small, versatile quench tank is available in various sizes and can be equipped with quench coolers, baskets, and production elevators for pneumatic quenching as required.