Ceramic and glass business news of the week for March 8, 2021

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

France installed 973 MW of solar in 2020

France’s cumulative installed photovoltaic power reached 10.9 GW as of the end of December 2020. Around 47% of the new capacity corresponds to solar arrays exceeding 250 kW in size that, however, represent less than 1% of the number of new connections. Last year, solar covered 2.9% of the nation’s electricity demand.

Verallia invests €60 million in Jacutinga, Brazil plant expansion

Verallia will more than double the glass packaging production capacity at its Jacutinga, Minas Gerais, Brazil plant with a €60 million investment in a plant expansion. The world’s third largest food and beverages glass packaging producer says the investment will include a second furnace, which will increase capacity from 1 million to 2.3 million bottles a day.

Lincotek Medical doubles factory workspace, expands AM capacity in Tennessee

Lincotek Medical announced the expansion of its manufacturing plant in Bartlett, Tennessee, to meet the rising global demand for orthopaedic implants through new technologies, automation, and workforce training.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Verescence acquires majority stake in South Korean firm PacificGlas

Glass packaging solutions provider Verescence purchased a majority stake in South Korean company PacificGlas for an undisclosed sum. Verescence also entered into a long-term partnership with PacificGlas parent company Amorepacific, a global cosmetics company.

Berlin Packaging continues UK expansion with the acquisition of Roma International PLC

Berlin Packaging, the world’s largest hybrid packaging supplier, announced the acquisition of Roma International, a leading supplier of bottles, jars, and closures for high-end cosmetics and personal care products.

Calderys’ refractory offering expands with Haznedar Durer deal

The acquisition of  a 60% stake in Haznedar’s bricks and monolithics businesses (now grouped into one single entity called Haznedar Durer) was completed by Imerys, and especially its wholly-owned subsidiary Calderys, at the end of 2020. Calderys can now offer a complete refractory offering to customers, particularly those in Europe and the Middle East.

Stoelzle acquires Anchor Hocking US glass plant

Stoelzle Glass Group acquired the Anchor Hocking Glass Company facility in Monaca, Pennsylvania. This is its seventh glass plant and its first in the United States and the first outside Europe.

DOE launches partnership for next-generation fuel cell technologies

The U.S. Department of Energy is partnering with Advent Technologies to develop breakthrough materials that will help strengthen U.S. manufacturing in the fuel cells sector and bring high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells to the market.

OTHER STORIES

Webinar: The hydrogen solution

Cosmos Magazine is hosting a webinar about the future of hydrogen fuel on March 10 at 11 p.m. Eastern. Speakers include lead scientist of the Royal Institution of Australia Jessica Allen and associate professor Adam Osseiran.

Virtual event: Glass Digital Forum

The Glass Digital Forum, taking place on April 27–28, is a brand-new virtual event that will bring key stakeholders from the industry together to discuss the latest technologies and changes that have occurred in the sector over the past year. If you cannot attend the live event, you can watch conference presentations on demand for 30 days after the event.

Now available: Manufacturing USA 2019/2020 Highlights Report

The new Manufacturing USA 2019/2020 Highlights Report includes recent accomplishments among the manufacturing innovation institutes and their 1,900+ public-private partners in manufacturing technology, workforce development, and initial rapid response manufacturing projects for the COVID-19 crisis.

DENSO Products and Services Americas celebrates 50 years in America

DENSO Products and Services Americas, Inc., kicked off a year of commemorative activities to celebrate the company’s 50^th anniversary in America. DENSO will mark the anniversary with various employee celebrations across its administrative, sales, manufacturing, and distribution centers throughout North America.

Goodfellow receives Feefo Gold Trusted Service Award 2021

Goodfellow has won the Feefo Gold Trusted Service award, an independent seal of excellence that recognizes businesses for delivering exceptional experiences, as rated by customers. Feefo gives Gold Trusted Service awards to businesses that have collected at least 50 reviews in a given year, with a Feefo service rating of 4.5 and above.

NASA to begin testing an all-electric airplane

NASA is gearing up to begin tests on the X-57 Maxwell, the space agency’s first aircraft to be powered entirely by electricity. For now, the X-57 will remain safely grounded while NASA engineers test its electrical systems and motors.

MARKET TRENDS

Review: Lynas is shaking up the supply chain for rare-earth metals

A Quartz article looks at the role Lynas is playing and will play in the global rare earths market. The 38-year-old Australian company is the world’s largest rare earths producer and processor outside of China.

Solar overtakes wind as India’s largest renewable energy technology

Solar power has replaced wind power to become the largest renewable energy technology in India. According to data reported by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for January 2021, solar power capacity in India was 38.7 gigawatts while wind energy capacity was reported to be 38.6 gigawatts.

India’s Kerala turns homes into ‘mini-solar power stations’

A Reuters article looks at how southern India’s Kerala state is encouraging residents to install solar panels on their roofs. Despite Kerala’s solar innovations, the state has lagged behind much of the country in wider uptake of the renewable energy source.

NEW PRODUCTS

Graphene-enhanced concrete hits the market

The first graphene-enhanced concrete will hit the U.S. market this April 2021. The concrete is the culmination of a project between the Advanced Materials Division of Thomas Swan and Concrene, a U.K.-based nanotech company. The addition of graphene  improves the building material’s hardening process and results in a lighter and stronger structure.

Dual-chamber electric box furnace and quench tank for ammunitions manufacturing

L&L Special Furnace Co., Inc., shipped a dual-chamber heat treating and temper furnace along with an oil quench tank to a leading Eastern European ammunition manufacturer. The equipment will play a supportive role in keeping key production equipment on-line along with thermal processing of munitions projectiles.

Triple shaft mixers for hygienic processes

ROSS Triple Shaft Mixers are easily adapted to suit a variety of challenging viscous applications requiring hygienic and sanitary handling. Powder wet-out and dispersion, temperature control, emulsification, homogenization, and degassing are accomplished all in one vessel to produce creams, gels, and pastes in a highly repeatable and clean mixing process.

Thermo Scientific Spectra Ultra for advanced materials characterization

Thermo Fisher Scientific unveiled the Thermo Scientific Spectra Ultra, a next-generation scanning transmission electron microscope that offers structural and chemical insight on a wide range of materials at atomic-scale resolution.