Ceramic and glass business news of the week for February 3, 2020

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

LLNL, NNSA dedicate new Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory

Leaders from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the National Nuclear Security Administration hosted a dedication ceremony and media tour of the Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory, a state-of-the-art collaborative facility situated in the recently expanded Livermore Valley Open Campus, on January 23.

Gujarat Borosil upgrades and expands its batch plant

Indian solar glass company Gujarat Borosil, based in Jhagadia, Bharuch, increased its production capacity at the end of 2019 to 460 tonnes/day thanks to a second furnace. Borosil appointed EME to upgrade and expand its 180 tonnes/day batch plant.

Ghani Glass to double production capacity

Pakistan’s Ghani Glass is to nearly double its production capacity at its Model Town Extension plant from 300 tonnes a day to 500 tonnes a day. It is Pakistan’s largest glassmaker and exports to 26 countries.

Rare-earth miner Lynas to build waste treatment plant in Malaysia

Rare-earth mining firm Lynas reached a deal with the Malaysian state of Pahang to build a waste treatment plant. This deal fulfils one of the several conditions imposed by the Malaysian Government last year to continue operations in the country.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

AFRL, partners develop innovative tools to accelerate composites certification

In partnership with industry, a team of Air Force Research Laboratory/Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source personnel are looking to accelerate certification of advanced manufactured composite structures by turning composite manufacturing into a physics-based exact science.

RHI Magnesita acquires Missouri Refractories Co, Inc.

RHI Magnesita, supplier of high-grade refractory products, systems and solutions, acquired Missouri Refractories Co, Inc. The site is strategically located in the Midsouth of the United States, and it produces over 400 high-quality monolithic mixes.

Springer Nature and the Materials Research Society enter publishing alliance

Springer Nature and the Materials Research Society signed a strategic new publishing agreement that will come into effect starting on Jan. 1, 2021. At that time, the two organizations will partner to publish all five journals in the MRS portfolio as well as books.

OTHER STORIES

Jon K. Tabor retiring from Allied Mineral Products after 50 years of service

Jon K. Tabor, chairman emeritus of Allied Mineral Products, is retiring effective March 31, 2020. He celebrates 50 years with Allied on February 16, 2020. Tabor’s Allied career included sales manager, vice president of sales, president, CEO, chairman, and most recently chairman emeritus.

Cemex participates in construction of dam in Northwest Mexico

Mexico-based material producer Cemex supplied more than 600,000 cubic meters of concrete for the construction of the Presa Bicentenario (Bicentennial Dam) in the state of Sonora, in Northwest Mexico.

Changzhou Almaden supplying Tesla glass solar roof tiles

Due to abnormal fluctuations in its stock traded on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, China-based PV and glass manufacturer Changzhou Almaden Stock Co Ltd was recently forced to declare that it was supplying Tesla with glass encapsulated solar roof tiles.

MARKET TRENDS

FEVE figures show steady production growth for glass packaging in Europe

Production of glass packaging for food and beverage in Europe continues to grow according to the European Container Glass Federation. Packaging production increased by 2.0% in tonnes and 1.9% in units (representing an increase of 748 million units) in the first half year 2019, corresponding to best performance over the past four years.

NEW PRODUCTS

Nondestructive measurement of gas fill for insulating glass

The Sparklike insulated glass gas analyzers allow nondestructive and insulated glass-line integrated measurements of insulated glass units. The Sparklike product range consists of the Sparklike Handheld, Sparklike Lasers, and Sparklike Line Integrated Solutions.

Ultra-light landing gear made of carbon fiber composites for air taxis

SGL Carbon will begin serial production of landing gear made from braided carbon fiber material early this year. The landing skids will be installed in around 500 air taxis worldwide over the next two years.