Ceramic and glass business news of the week for February 21, 2022

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

How one of the world’s biggest carbon emitters got a factory to zero emissions

Panasonic Corp. got its highest-emitting Chinese factory to “virtually net zero” carbon dioxide. It took six years, showing how difficult it can be for companies to reduce their environmental footprints. The Wall Street Journal details Panasonic’s story.

Purdue to add hypersonics research center to technology mix

Purdue University is adding a new Hypersonics Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center with a focus on developing high-temperature materials and creating new manufacturing processes to build and join these materials.

Stoelzle Oberglas completes €22 million glass manufacturing investment

Stoelzle Oberglas completed a €22 million investment of its flint furnace. The Austrian container glass manufacturer said the furnace will reduce energy consumption by 13% and has expanded production capacity to 270 tonnes per day.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Chinese firm to acquire Australian rare earth company

Apollo News reported that Chinese company Sheng and Resources plans to acquire Peak Rare Earths Limited, an Australian listed company. Australian media speculated that this acquisition signals China may strengthen its control on the world’s rare earth supply.

LG Energy acquires NEC Energy Solutions

South Korea’s electric vehicle battery maker LG Energy Solution acquired a 100% stake in NEC Energy Solutions, a U.S. grid battery integrator. A subsidiary of Japan’s NEC Corp., NEC Energy Solutions is regarded as one of the leading players in the energy storage system business.

Solek, BlackRock fund enter 200-MW solar partnership in Chile

Czech solar developer Solek Group plans to develop up to 200 MW of solar projects in Chile that will be sold to a climate infrastructure fund owned by BlackRock Real Assets.

Bottero and Tiama form AI focused joint venture

Bottero and Tiama formed an independent company called GlassFORM.ai with the goal to develop solutions for process automation. The joint venture is the next step of the strategic plan of the two companies, which have been cooperating for several years.

Ford, Volvo join Redwood Materials to launch free EV battery recycling program

Redwood Materials, the startup founded by former Tesla CTO JB Straubel, is launching an electric vehicle battery recycling program in California with Ford and Volvo as inaugural partners as pressure mounts to source materials for EVs.

OTHER STORIES

Online pharmaceutical packaging training course

Glass Technology Services is hosting a free online webinar series from March 1–15 on pharmaceutical packaging. The three talks will cover glass cracking and breakages, drug product and glass interaction, and glassware that doesn’t conform to dimensional specifications. The webinars will run every Tuesday at 11 a.m. GMT (6 a.m. Eastern).

glasstec 2022—Anticipation in the industry in the International Year of Glass

In the International Year of Glass, the glass industry will celebrate a long-awaited reunion in Düsseldorf, Germany, from Sept. 20–23, 2022, at glasstec 2022. This year, glasstec will be held once again in cooperation with the Chamber of Architects North Rhine-Westphalia on the Thursday of the trade fair on September 22.

Ambiq appoints new chief revenue officer to expand global growth

Ambiq, an industry leader in ultralow power semiconductor platforms and solutions for battery-powered Internet of Things endpoint devices, appointed Paul Rolls as its first chief revenue officer. In his new position, Rolls will oversee the company’s sales and business development strategy and execution.

Orion Engineered Carbons appoints new chief financial officer

Orion Engineered Carbons, a leading global supplier of specialty and high-performance carbon black, announced that Jeffrey Glajch has accepted the role of chief financial officer for Orion with a planned joining date of April 18, 2022. Glajch will succeed Bob Hrivnak, who currently serves in the dual role of interim CFO and chief accounting officer.

Department of Energy announces $22 million to advance particle accelerator technology

The U.S. Department of Energy announced a plan to provide $22 million for efforts to advance particle accelerator technology for medical, security, energy, and industrial applications. The efforts fall under two programs: the Accelerator Stewardship program and the Accelerator Development program.

American Physical Society takes on scientific misinformation

The American Physical Society is launching an initiative aimed at countering scientific misinformation and increasing trust in science, which was also the subject of a related panel discussion last month at the society’s Annual Leadership Meeting.

MARKET TREND

Japan is home to the world’s first autonomous container ships

Japanese freight companies launched two of the world’s first fully autonomous container ships over the past three weeks. A Quartz article provides a detailed look at how such ships could help keep freight moving in the future.

BMW switches to green steel production

BMW, the German car manufacturer, announced its goal to use steel produced by natural gas or hydrogen, as well as green power sources from its supplier network. The company also plans to increase the use of recycled steel in the standard production of cars at its European plants by 2026.

Manufacturing innovation will be key to future pandemic response

An institute in the Manufacturing USA network was tasked with creating a roadmap to inform industry stakeholders on how to better respond to the next global outbreak. Learn more about the roadmap and other projects undertaken by additional institutes.

NEW PRODUCTS

Roboze launches Helios PEEK 2005 composite material

Roboze announced the introduction of a new PEEK matrix composite that it believes will enable new applications in motorsport, aerospace, and energy. The material is a PEEK matrix composite reinforced with chopped fibers of ceramic. Helios PEEK 2005 will be made available in March via Roboze’s 3D Parts Marketplace.

Intel says its new crypto chip is designed to be energy efficient

Intel is investing in blockchain technology with a new chip designed to mine cryptocurrency. The company is focusing on sustainability and plans on developing the “most energy-efficient” computing technologies at scale.

Pentagon inches closer to unleashing two new supercomputers

Two new and powerful supercomputers are set to enter production service for the Defense Department early this year—and when they do, they’ll be equipped with sophisticated, artificial intelligence-optimized storage capabilities for highly intensive workloads.