PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

SiO2 opens production facility for vials

SiO2 Materials Science’s new production facility for cutting-edge vials was made possible by a $143 million contract they secured from the U.S. government this summer. SiO2 will be able to produce up to 15 million vials a year off of its 10 production lines.

Wind energy in Vietnam: GE Renewable Energy to supply eight of its 3 MW-137 wind turbines

GE Renewable Energy will supply eight units of GE’s 3 MW-137 wind turbines to support construction of the Phuoc Minh Wind Farm in the South Central Region of Vietnam. A consortium of PowerChina Huadong Engineering Corporation, Henste Engineering, and IPC Group will provide full engineering, procurement, and construction services for the project.

Pensana Rare Earths announces first drilling results

The first results from Pensana Rare Earths’ 7,500 km2 Coola Project reported high tenor soil anomalies up to 4.69% rare earth oxides (REO) extending over the 1.3 x 1.4 km Coola carbonatite. The highest REO values lie over the 3.2 km perimeter of the out-cropping circular carbonatite dyke. The company plans to drill test these defined targets in 2021.

DDS Glass Doors completes Elkton expansion, plans to create 50 jobs

Freezer and cooler door manufacturer DDS Glass Doors LLC is relocating to a larger facility in Elkton, Kentucky, a $1.6 million expansion expected to create 50 full-time jobs in the years ahead. In October, company leaders purchased an existing 96,000-square-foot building to house the expanded operations.

Gravel mine between Silverthorne, Kremmling moves through state permitting process

Peak Material’s Peak Ranch Resource Project, a proposed gravel mine operation in Silverthorne, Colorado, is moving forward with the state’s permitting process. If the state permits are awarded, Peak Materials will then have to obtain two permits from Summit County before the project can begin.

Ares Strategic Mining says ‘breakthrough’ will enable fluorspar production

Ares Strategic Mining said it received technology commitments that will enable Ares to manufacture a fluorspar product not previously anticipated at its Utah mining operation. Lost Sheep fluorspar mine and its surrounding claims are located at the Spor Mountain area, Juab County, Utah, approximately 214 km south-west of Salt Lake City.


ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Saint-Gobain strengthens its partnership with El Volcan in Latin America

Saint-Gobain and the El Volcan group, longstanding partners in Chile (fiber cement, mortars, insulation, plasterboard), Columbia (insulation and waterproofing), and Brazil (plasterboard), signed an agreement covering their operations in Peru (mortars and plasterboard) and Argentina (plaster and plasterboard).

Saudi and Azerbaijan clinch $300m renewable energy projects

Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan signed groundbreaking agreements for $300 million worth of renewable energy projects in the Caspian country. The Kingdom’s energy leader ACWA Power will develop Azerbaijan’s first wind power development in collaboration with local entities, in three deals that could herald further joint energy projects between the two countries.

Hy-Hybrid Energy, GOLDI Mobility, MMCUAV partnership on hydrogen drone business

Hy-Hybrid Energy, Goldi Mobility Kft, and Shenzhen MicroMultiCopter Co., Ltd signed a partnership agreement to move forward in unmanned aerial vehicles and drone business as a part of strategic collaboration. Under the agreement, the parties will work together to demonstrate hydrogen powered drones in Hungary.

SCHOTT joins the NKBA Global Connect Program to accelerate North American growth

SCHOTT, the inventor of specialty glass, joined the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) Global Connect Subscription program to accelerate growth in North America. The NKBA’s 50,000 strong membership will allow SCHOTT to gain a stronger foothold in the kitchen and bath industry.


OTHER STORIES

Webinar: Conversations with women in engineering

Design World is hosting a webinar with Aimee Kalnoskas of EE World, Lauren West of M3 Design Inc., and Elise Moss of Laney College on Jan. 21, 2021, at 2 p.m. Eastern. They will discuss their experience in the engineering field.

Miners praise US spending bill that funds rare earths programs

The United States pandemic aid and spending package passed into law December 27 includes more than $800 million to fund rare earths and strategic minerals research, spending that mining companies say will help counteract China’s dominance over the sector.

RHI Magnesita receives highest rating in refractory industry for climate risk management

RHI Magnesita was honoured to receive a B for addressing climate risk and tackling carbon emissions in the newly released Carbon Disclosure project (CDP) ratings. This global environmental disclosure system is widely recognized as the gold standard of corporate environmental transparency.

Corning in final stage of foldable phone cover glass development

In an article posted on The Elec, a Corning spokesperson said the firm was at the final stage of development of foldable glass cover solutions, with mass production and commercialization to begin in 2021.

Sandia to put nuclear waste storage canisters to the test

Sandia National Laboratories is outfitting three 22.5-ton, 16.5-feet-long stainless-steel storage canisters with heaters and instrumentation to simulate nuclear waste so researchers can study their durability. The three canisters, which arrived in mid-November and have never contained any nuclear materials, will be used to study how much salt gathers on canisters over time.

Covia successfully completes financial restructuring and emerges from Chapter 11

Covia, a provider of diversified mineral solutions,  announced that it has successfully completed its financial restructuring and emerged from Chapter 11. Through the restructuring, Covia reduced its long-term debt by approximately $750 million and its fixed costs, including railcar obligations, by an additional $300 million.


MARKET TRENDS

Russia to advance additive manufacturing in 2021

An Argus Media article outlines how Russian companies in the energy, aerospace, defense, and shipping industries are developing 3D printing facilities and metal powders to accelerate the integration of the supply chain in 2021.

Author

Lisa McDonald