Ceramic and glass business news of the week for February 7, 2022

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Hyperion fuel-cell company to open largest Columbus factory in a decade

Hyperion Companies, based in Orange, California, plans to relocate next year to the former Columbus Dispatch printing plant in Columbus, Ohio, which was closed in March 2020 when printing moved to Indianapolis. The 65-acre Far West Side plant will be the largest new factory in Columbus in a decade.

€19.8 million for energy research projects in Ireland

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland announced that it has awarded 49 new projects €19.8 million in government funding to support and enable a wide range of energy research in Ireland.

This solar panel ‘upcycling’ facility is a first for Victoria

The University of Melbourne and RMIT University partnered with the Melbourne-based company OJAS to develop an upcycling facility that will convert end-of-life photovoltaic modules into value-added materials.

Michigan finalizing plan to build first-ever wireless charging road for electric cars

Michigan finalized a contract to build the country’s first wireless charging road system in Detroit. The Michigan Department of Transportation awarded the project to Electreon, an electric vehicle solutions firm that will construct a 1-mile stretch of road open to the public and capable of charging battery-powered cars and trucks in real time.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Şişecam acquires refractory manufacturer Refel

Şişecam, global player operating in all core areas of glass production, is acquiring the Italian company Refel, one of the world’s leading refractory materials manufacturers.

Sabic buys Swiss Group Clariant’s 50% share in JV

Sabic, a global leader in the chemical industry, signed an agreement to purchase Swiss group Clariant’s 50% stake in specialties company Scientific Design, which is a leading licensor of high-performance process technologies and catalysts producer.

CEMEX and Synhelion achieve breakthrough in cement production with solar energy

CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. and Synhelion announced the successful production of the world’s first solar clinker, a key component of cement. Clinker is produced by fusing together limestone, clay, and other materials in a rotary kiln. Fossil fuels are typically used to heat the kiln, but they replaced the fossil fuels with concentrated solar radiation.

Deltech Furnaces supplies small-scale tunnel kilns to MGA

Deltech Furnaces was recently awarded a contract from MGA Thermal Pty Ltd to supply and install two custom-designed, small-scale, resistance-heated tunnel kilns. MGA Thermal is a scale up business headquartered in Australia. The company is empowering renewables through thermal energy storage.

Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems ships batch sintering furnace to Mueller Brass

Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems shipped a 60” wide x 90” deep x 30” tall atmosphere box sintering furnace. The batch sintering furnace will be installed at Mueller Brass Co., a major supplier of brass rod and forgings in the United States.

OTHER STORIES

glasspex India postponed until September 2023

Due uncertainty faced by the pandemic, glasspex India, glasspro India, and fenestrationpro India have been rescheduled for September 2023. The event teams will reach out to all industry partners, confirmed exhibitors, and participants and extend full support with event logistics and planning.

CelSian’s glass melting course now online

CelSian’s Glass Melting Technologies course, which was originally scheduled to take place in person in Sheffield, U.K., this March, has been moved online. The course will now take place over four mornings from March 14–17.

Mantec Technical Ceramics stride toward greener future

U.K. manufacturer Mantec Technical Ceramics has taken great strides forward in terms of environmental impact, with the announcement that three of its energy-saving ranges have now been officially classified as Carbon Neutral Products, as certified by the leading international validation body, ClimatePartner.

O-I Glass recognized for sustainable advancements

O-I Glass, Inc. received two significant acknowledgments for its continued sustainability transformation. EcoVadis upgraded O-I’s rating to Silver (2021: Bronze), and Sustainalytics awarded O-I with an ESG Regional Top-Rated performer classification.

Request for input on needs to support a strong domestic semiconductor industry

The National Institute of Standards and Technology released a request for input on potential programs to address research and infrastructure needs for the domestic semiconductor industry. Comments are due March 25.

MARKET TRENDS

China hikes first rare-earth quota of 2022 by 20% to meet surging new energy demand

China set a quota for the first batch of rare-earth mining in 2022 at 100,800 tons, up by about 20% compared with the level of last year. According to an independent industrial analyst, the jump is mainly due to China’s surging demand for neodymium magnets amid the new energy push in the country.

Shipping troubles threaten US offshore wind

The U.S. offshore wind industry has a looming problem: Turbines are growing to huge sizes, but only a few ships in the world are big enough to mount them in the sea. That global scarcity of large turbine installation vessels could hamper the construction boom of offshore wind arrays anticipated in the United States and Europe in the coming years.

America’s favorite pickup truck goes electric

Ford’s F-series trucks make up the best-selling vehicle line in the United States. The New Yorker looks at whether its new F-150 Lightning can compete with Tesla in the electric vehicle market.

NEW PRODUCTS

Lucideon: Updated ‘Metal release from ceramic, glass & enamel ware in contact with food’

International technology company Lucideon has pulled together information from across the globe for the latest version of its cross-industry reference guide, which sets out details on the safe use of ceramic, glass, and enamel ware in contact with food. The guide lists the relevant test methods and toxic metal migration limits in a simple and concise table.

CP Concrete Consortium receives US$80m for Carbon Pool Concrete development

The CP Concrete Consortium received US$80 million in funding under the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization’s Green Innovation Funding Programme. The funding will support the consortium’s development of its Carbon Pool Concrete reduced-CO₂ concrete production technology until 2032.