Ceramic and glass business news of the week for November 13, 2023

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Texas Instruments breaks ground on new 300-mm semiconductor wafer fab in Utah

Texas Instruments recently broke ground on its new 300-mm semiconductor wafer fabrication plant in Lehi, Utah. This fab will connect to the company’s existing 300-mm wafer fab in Lehi.

Numat building world’s first industrial scale MOF manufacturing campus

Numat Technologies, Inc. is constructing the world’s first industrial-scale metal–organic framework (MOF) manufacturing campus in Chicago. The integrated campus will feature an ISO 9001:2015 certified MOF manufacturing facility co-located with the industry’s first technology-enabled material design and application development center.

Chiz Bros opens Detroit warehouse to provide ceramic fiber and refractory products

Chiz Bros, a provider of custom solutions for refractory and high-temperature applications in a wide range of industries, opened a warehouse in suburban Detroit. The facility carries the same inventory as the company’s Pittsburgh-area location.

American Battery Factory brings lithium iron phosphate manufacturing to the US

American Battery Factory is an emerging battery manufacturer leading the development of the first network of lithium iron phosphate battery cell gigafactories in the U.S. The company recently broke ground in Tucson, Arizona, on a 2,000,000-sq.-ft gigafactory.

Namibia starts construction of Africa’s first decarbonized iron plant

Namibia began construction of Africa’s first decarbonized iron plant, to be powered exclusively by green hydrogen. The Oshivela project in western Namibia is backed by the German federal government, which has injected 13 million euros.

Cervepar invests $40 million in Paraguayan glass factory

South American brewer Cervepar will modernize its glass facility in Paraguay. The investment will increase the plant’s production capacity and allow Cervepar to export products to the European glass market.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Riou Glass enters Spanish market with Vidresif acquisition

French flat glass producer Riou Glass acquired 100% of the capital of Vidresif, a Spanish glazing manufacturer. The acquisition will allow Riou Glass to enter the Spanish market, which is part of its expansion plan into Europe.

Verallia acquires cullet treatment centers from Santaolalla

In Spain and Portugal, glassmaker Verallia finalized the acquisition of three companies of the Santaolalla Group: Ecosan Ambiental, Ecolabora and Vidrologic. In doing so, it assumed ownership of five new glass waste processing plants, both for industrial flat glass and hollow glass.

SINTX Technologies enters long-term supply agreement for aerospace components

SINTX Technologies, Inc., a manufacturer and developer of advanced ceramic materials and related technologies, entered a long-term agreement to supply jet engine components made of its silicon nitride.

UK and US sign partnership on nuclear fusion

The United Kingdom and the United States signed a partnership to advance the development and commercialization of nuclear fusion technology. This partnership is the first formal international fusion collaboration since the launch of the U.K. government’s £650m (US$794m) Fusion Futures Programme in October 2023.

USGS partners with Arizona to map critical mineral potential with cutting-edge data

The U.S. Geological Survey will invest more than $3.1 million to map critical mineral resources in Arizona in partnership with the Arizona Geological Survey. The funding comes in part from an investment by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in the USGS Mineral Resources Program’s Earth Mapping Resources Initiative.

Ardagh and Oliver Winery renew their wine bottle making partnership

Ardagh Glass Packaging-North America renewed its supply agreement with Oliver Winery, one of Indiana’s oldest and largest wineries. This agreement ensures that the majority of Oliver Winery’s wine bottles will continue to be manufactured by AGP-North America.

OTHER STORIES

IEA workshop focuses on priorities for diversifying clean technology manufacturing

On Nov. 6, 2023, the International Energy Agency convened experts from government, industry, research, development institutions, and civil society to discuss how to diversify manufacturing of clean energy technologies and their components for secure, resilient, and sustainable supply chains.

USGS and Lawrence Berkeley release map of all large-scale solar energy facilities in the US

All large-scale solar energy facilities can now be found on a single map, thanks to the U.S. Geological Survey and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This interactive map is based on the United States Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Database.

United States launches Project Phoenix to accelerate adoption of clean energy in Europe

The U.S. Department of State and the Slovak Ministry of Economy will co-host the inaugural Project Phoenix Workshop and Launch Event in Bratislava. Project Phoenix is a demonstration of the U.S. commitment to support partner countries in meeting their energy security and climate goals while maintaining the global nonproliferation regime.

MARKET TRENDS

What we know so far about the Portuguese green hydrogen scandal

Portugal’s prime minister António Costa resigned last week after his offices were raided, his top aide arrested, and multiple ministers named as suspects in a corruption scandal centered on lithium mining, data centers, and green hydrogen. A Hydrogen Insight article overviews the situation.

China expected to dominate solar manufacturing through 2026

A Wood Mackenzie report forecasts that China will hold more than 80% of poly, wafer, cell, and module manufacturing capacity for the next three years.

Exploring Brazil’s underexplored and untapped rare earths potential

Brazil has emerged as a major hub for rare earth elements exploration in recent years. An article on The Market Herald overviews the growing market.

NEW PRODUCTS

NETZSCH: Buy one, get one deal on new DSC 300 Caliris Classic

NETZSCH is offering its newly launched differential scanning calorimeter, the DSC 300 Caliris Classic, for free with the purchase of a qualifying instrument. Qualifying instruments include Kinexus Pro+, DMA 303, TGA 209 F1, LFA 467, ARC 305, and ARC 244. This offer is valid until Dec. 31, 2023.

Stanford launches free website for public to learn about more than 30 energy topics

Have questions about electric vehicles, hydrogen, gasoline prices, or other energy topics? Stanford University launched a new Understand Energy Learning Hub website that can help anyone find answers on more than 30 energy topics in an easy-to-navigate format.