Ceramic and glass business news of the week for June 5, 2023

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Vitro completes $70 million glass packaging investment

Mexican glass manufacturer Vitro inaugurated a 230 tonnes/day furnace at its Toluca facility after a £70 million investment. The investment increased capacity by 50% to serve the perfumery and liquors segments with the latest glass production technology.

Stoelzle expands solar power system at Austrian site

Stoelzle Glass Group expanded the photovoltaic system at its Austrian production site of Stoelzle Oberglas in Köflach. In addition to its existing 1,600 kWp installation, Stoelzle added further solar panels with a capacity of 1,680 kWp. The electricity produced will be fed into the local grid as well as used for the company’s own needs.

SRC manufactures first solvent extraction cells for rare earth processing

The Saskatchewan Research Council designed and manufactured Canada’s first proprietary commercial-scale solvent extraction cell technology, which is designed to upgrade rare earth element concentrate to a commercial rare earth oxide. This technology is a step forward in the development of the rare earth processing facility in Saskatoon.

Vetropack resumes production in Ukraine

Vetropack, one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of glass packaging, is cautiously ramping up operations again at its Gostomel plant in Ukraine. The production facility was severely damaged during a Russian military attack at the end of February 2022. Now, with the resumption of production, the site is prepared for potential new crisis scenarios.

Croxsons completes move to new headquarters

Glass packaging supplier Croxsons moved to a new modern premise in Sutton, London, U.K. The move is the culmination of a five-year plan, with the workspace providing a collaborative environment for the Croxsons’ team.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Mitsubishi Electric and Coherent to scale manufacturing of SiC power electronics

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and Coherent Corp. signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on a program to scale manufacturing of silicon carbide power electronics on a 200-mm technology platform.

SORG and BGC sign collaboration project in Thailand

Nikolaus SORG and BG Container Glass (BGC) signed a new collaboration agreement. BGC, a Thai container glass producer, has five plants and 10 operating furnaces supplied by SORG. The new agreement covers current and new furnace design, including developments, furnace optimization, audits, and training of the staff.

Fortera joins Alliance for Low Carbon Cement and Concrete in Europe

Cement decarbonization pioneer Fortera joined the Alliance for Low Carbon Cement and Concrete, alongside international NGO ECOS and 10 other inaugural alliance members to make low carbon cement the norm.

OTHER STORIES

Forglass to host glass technology training course in October 2023

Forglass will hold an international training course on glass technology and furnace modeling on Oct. 17–18, 2023, in Krakow, Poland. Designed to benefit primarily glass technologists, the training conference will focus on the newest developments in glass melting technology and mathematical modeling of glass furnaces.

UC Santa Cruz now offers graduate degrees in materials science and engineering

The University of California gave approval to UC Santa Cruz to begin offering M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in materials science and engineering. Administered jointly by the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences and the Baskin School of Engineering, the new program aims to begin enrolling graduate students in fall 2023.

Custom Glass Solutions appoints new CEO

Custom Glass Solutions, LLC, a leading glass manufacturer focused on transportation applications, named Matthew J. Dietrich as chief executive officer, effective May 8, 2023. Most recently, Dietrich was CEO of Alco Manufacturing Corporation, one of the largest contract precision machining companies in North America.

Nvidia hits $1tn market cap as chipmaker rides AI wave

Nvidia became the first chipmaker to hit a $1 trillion valuation, leading a surge of enthusiasm across Wall Street for companies seen to benefit from the latest developments in artificial intelligence.

Latest DOE ‘EarthShot’ targets clean fuels and products

The Department of Energy launched a “Clean Fuels and Products Shot” focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the fuel and chemical industry, the seventh in its series of Energy Earthshots. It aims to reduce emissions by 85% compared to fossil-based sources by 2035.

NASA seeks input on public access policy

NASA is seeking public input on its new public access plan, which lays out policies and procedures for increasing access to scholarly publications, scientific data, and software. Comments are due August 17.

MARKET TRENDS

Supreme Court sides with concrete company in union case

The Supreme Court revived a Washington concrete company’s state court lawsuit over alleged damages from a drivers’ strike, in a decision that could mean the National Labor Relations Board decides fewer disputes. The 8–1 opinion found the strike was not protected under a federal labor law because the union did not take “reasonable precautions” to prevent damages to the company’s property and equipment.

Is national park EV charging ready for summer?

The National Park Service has debuted an electric vehicle charging station locator tool, which was developed in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. However, EV owners are likely to be disappointed when they see the results of a search for DC fast charging stations at or near national parks unless they are Tesla drivers.

How fiber-optic sensing and new materials could reduce the cost of floating offshore wind

Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are developing sensing technologies consisting of fiber-optic cables for floating offshore wind structures. These sensors would allow structures to self-monitor damaging conditions and would also help gauge how the structures impact marine mammals.

NEW PRODUCTS

New Positector SST Soluble Salt Tester

The Positector SST Soluble Salt Tester measures the concentration of soluble salts (salt contamination) on metal surfaces in accordance with ISO 8502-6, 8502-9. The gauge also features an onscreen interface that guides users through the Bresle test method.

Active Minerals International announces 2023 price increase

Active Minerals International, LLC announced a list price increase for all products effective July 1, 2023. Its portfolio of air-float kaolin, gellent attapulgite, and acti-gel 208 rheology modifier products will increase up to 10.0% as contracts allow.