Ceramic and glass business news of the week for November 23, 2020

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

US BLM approves 500MW solar project in Nevada

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management gave its approval for the 500MW Yellow Pine solar project, to be located in Clark County, Nevada. The solar project, which will be constructed on 3,000 acres of land, is expected to generate enough clean energy to power about 100,000 homes and generate about $300m for the local economy.

National Research Council of Canada opens new advanced materials research facility

The National Research Council of Canada opened a new advanced materials research facility in Mississauga, Ontario, to serve as a national clean energy hub, supporting and undertaking foundational research of new materials for clean energy and other applications and transitioning them to industrial use.

Dominican Republic to build container glass manufacturing facility

Caribbean Glass Industry and Dominican National Brewery signed an agreement to reactivate the glass industry in the Dominican Republic by constructing a glass production plant that will manufacture 500 million bottles a year. It will be located in the municipality of Pedro Brand and is set to start production at the end of March 2021.

SCHOTT Glass India inaugurates glass melting tank, production capacity to increase by 25%

Pharmaceutical glassmaker Schott inaugurated a new melting tank in its Gujarat, India, facility with an approximate investment of €25 million. The new tank will increase the plant’s production capacity by 10,000 tonnes to reach an annual capacity of 40,000 metric tonnes. The expansion will help support the need for specialized pharma glass to store COVID-19 vaccines. 

Integrated smart energy lab launched in northeast England

The £9 million (US$12 million) Integrated Smart Energy Lab, an initiative by the North East Energy Catalyst partnership, combines smart energy research and testing capabilities across northeastern England. The Lab also will offer new capabilities for those seeking to innovate and commercialize smart energy solutions.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Sorg acquires share of ITEC

Glass engineering company Sorg acquired a share of ITEC GmbH, an independent design office for the glass industry based in Plößberg, Germany. ITEC will continue to operate as an independent company.

Immensa Technology Labs makes largest additive manufacturing investment in Saudi Arabia

Immensa Technology Labs announced its foray into the Saudi market through the acquisition of two leading 3D-printing companies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Shakl3D and LayLabs. The move is part of Immensa’s mandate to further extend its presence regionally and expand its reach and range of services to its clients in the Kingdom.

Joint efforts for stable electricity networks in Africa

An international and interdisciplinary team of scientists are cooperating with corporate partners to set up a transnational platform for teaching, learning, and research on electrical microgrids for rural areas in Africa. The long-term objective is to enable local communities to make autonomous and lasting use of a jointly developed socio-technological infrastructure concept.

Energy tech firms target Spanish grid alleviation with home solar-storage offer

Utility firm OVO Energy enlisted battery storage provider sonnen GmbH to launch a home solar-storage offering in Spain. OVO will offer its customers in the country domestic solar installs to be paired with batteries from sonnen and underpin their use via an energy management platform produced by Kaluza, OVO’s in-house energy technology company.

Fulton Schools launch collaboration with semiconductor industry giant

Manufacturing company Applied Materials is moving in with the Arizona State University’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering to work with faculty and students on numerous projects, specifically focusing on solutions and the future development to enable the next generation of semiconductor chips.

OTHER STORIES

Webinar: Demystify the metallographic challenges of heat treated materials

Buehler is hosting a webinar on metallographic challenges of heat treated materials on Dec. 2, 2020, at 1 p.m. Eastern. The webinar will focus on examples of surface heat treatment, for a variety of different material types.

Duralex glassworks seeks new buyers by December 31

Potential buyers of the French glass tableware manufacturer Duralex must make themselves known before the end of the year. Duralex has been plagued by financial difficulty as a result of the pandemic and was placed in receivership at the end of September.

Apple supplier CN Innovations mulls $1 billion unit sale

CN Innovations Group, a supplier to Apple Inc., is weighing a sale of its cover glass business that could fetch as much as $1 billion, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The Hong Kong-based company is working with an adviser to find a buyer for the unit and is calling for non-binding bids as soon as this week.

O-I allocates Green Bond funding for sustainable projects

As of this month, O-I Glass has allocated €255.6 million from its Green Bond scheme to its Eligible Green Projects. The allocation includes investments in purchasing glass cullet to further improve the environmental footprint of O-I’s products and production.

Libbey completes financial restructuring after bankruptcy

Glass tableware manufacturer Libbey Inc. successfully completed its financial restructuring and emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Through its Plan of Reorganization, Libbey Inc. is now a new private company formed and controlled by Libbey Inc.’s former lenders, Libbey Glass LLC, and will remain under the same leadership.

Winners revealed in Glass Focus Awards ceremony

Winners of the Glass Focus Awards 2020 were revealed during the annual showcase’s first ever online ceremony. Encirc took home three awards including Company of the Year and Rising Star while Pilkington claimed two prizes. Other winners included Ardagh Glass, Stoelzle Flaconnage, Stealth Case, and Allister Malcolm Glass.

Energy Department announces up to $3.75m for projects that use high-performance computing

The U.S. Department of Energy announced up to $3.75 million for new projects that use high-performance computing to solve key challenges related to manufacturing and advanced materials development.

MARKET TRENDS

Lux Research: Top emerging technologies to watch in 2021

Lux Research released its annual report on the top tech innovations that will have the greatest impact over the next 10 years.The top three technologies cited in the report are autonomous vehicles, natural language processing, and plastic recycling.