PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Sorg achieves 100% electric glass conditioning

Sorg successfully completed long-term testing of its fully electric Viking forehearth, which enables glass conditioning for all tonnages. When combined with Sorg’s VSM and VSM+ fully electric melting technologies, the Viking forehearth makes 100% CO2-free glass production possible from the initial melt to the final conditioned glass.

QuantumScape inaugurates Eagle Line for solid-state battery pilot production

QuantumScape Corporation celebrated the inauguration of its newly installed Eagle Line at its facility in San Jose, Calif. Upon ramp-up, the Eagle Line will produce QS battery cells to support customer sampling and testing, technology demonstrations, and product integration efforts.

Saudi Arabia and Türkiye agree on 5 GW renewable power projects in Türkiye

Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed a strategic agreement to develop large-scale renewable energy power plant projects in Türkiye. The deal includes the development and implementation of solar power projects in Türkiye with a total installed capacity of up to 5 GW, to be executed in two phases.

 

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Plibrico Company acquires TFL

The Plibrico Company acquired TFL, a long-standing refractory distributor, service provider, and precast shape manufacturer based in Houston, Texas. The acquisition strengthens Plibrico’s presence in Texas and the southern U.S. while expanding precast manufacturing capabilities, technical resources, and operational capacity.

Beta Glass under new ownership after €100M acquisition

African-focused private investment fund Helios Investment Partners completed the acquisition of Frigoinvest Nigeria Holdings, which indirectly owns controlling interests in Beta Glass and Frigoglass Industries Nigeria Limited. Beta Glass has two manufacturing sites and operates three furnaces, which produce about 700 metric tons of glass per day.

Thai glass manufacturer collaborates to increase glass collection rates

BJC Glass partnered with Thai Beverage Recycle and the Koh Lanta District, Krabi Province, to implement the Glass Return Project. The collaboration aims to establish a practical glass collection and recycling system on the island.

South Dakota Mines partners with Idaho National Lab on AI-driven project to cut energy use

South Dakota Mines is partnering with Idaho National Laboratory on a new two-year Department of Energy project that focuses on improving biomass drying, a critical but energy-demanding step in producing fuels and bioproducts from plant-based materials such as agricultural waste and forestry residues.

 

SPhotonix adds senior hires to scale 5D optical memory

SPhotonix strengthened its leadership team with two senior appointments following a successful $4.5 million investment round. The company, which specializes in 5D optical memory, named Masaaki Sakakura as principal scientist and Konstantinas Zakalskis as head of growth for advanced optics. Sakakura joins the company after working on Microsoft’s Project Silica.

Phoenix Award Committee announces Glass Person of the Year 2025

The Phoenix Award Committee named Carlos Moreira da Silva as the Glass Person of the Year 2025. Moreira da Silva was a key architect of BA Glass’s transformation into the world’s fourth-largest glass container manufacturer.

Trump announces plan for rare earth elements strategic reserve

The Trump administration plans to deploy nearly $12 billion to create a strategic reserve of rare earth elements. So-called “Project Vault” would initially be funded by a $10 billion loan from the U.S. Export-Import Bank and nearly $1.67 billion in private capital.

Storm Kristin impacts Portuguese glass manufacturing sector

Storm Kristin’s passage through mainland Portugal the week of February 1 resulted in operational and financial challenges for the country’s glass manufacturers. Though the Association of Glass Packaging Manufacturers is still quantifying the storm’s full impact on the glass sector, two of the industry’s primary manufacturers, BA Glass and Vidrala, reported major disruptions.

Standard Nuclear raises $140M to expand US advanced nuclear fuel manufacturing

Standard Nuclear raised $140 million in a Series A round, which will allow the company to boost production of TRISO fuel, moving supply toward industrial scale.

 

MARKET TRENDS

Opaque glass recycling outperforms European regulations

Research by Stazione Sperimentale del Vetro revealed that Europe’s optical sorting technologies are outperforming national regulations for opaque glass packaging. The technologies can reliably identify opaque glass fragments with an average visible light transmittance higher than 2.5%.

 

NEW PRODUCTS

Silicon Quantum Computing launches an application-specific quantum simulator

Silicon Quantum Computing announced the launch of Quantum Twins, an application-specific quantum simulator designed to accelerate molecule and materials discovery. Quantum Twins are comprised of large arrays of quantum dots patterned on pure silicon with 0.13 nanometer accuracy.

Tool for visualizing hydrogen fuels advances

Washington State University researchers developed a tool for viewing liquid hydrogen in an enclosed tube as it changes phases from liquid to gas, an important step in the lab’s partnership with aviation giant Airbus to accelerate efforts to produce a carbon-free commercial airplane.

French Supreme Court decision enables further market access for CoorsTek Bioceramics’ hip components

CoorsTek Bioceramics further established its right to market and sell its pink ceramic hip components in the European Union after the French Supreme Court ruled in favor of CoorsTek in its trademark dispute with CeramTec GmbH.

Author

Lisa McDonald