- Amcor announced its intention to separate from its Australasia and Packaging Distribution (AAPD) business. Directors are of the view that the separation will enhance shareholder value by enabling each company to better pursue their own growth agendas and strategic priorities. Amcor has global leadership positions in the flexible and rigid plastics segments, while AAPD operates in the fiber, glass, and beverage can packaging markets in Australasia and packaging distribution in North America and Australia. Amcor expects completion of the separation to occur in December 2013, subject to shareholder, court, and other approvals.
- Eight Shanghai toughened glass manufacturers were ordered to suspend production after failing quality tests, according to english.eastday.com. Their substandard products are now being recalled, said the Shanghai Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau, the Shanghai watchdog. The recall follows a spate of incidents in the city involving safety glass shattering.
- Workers at glass manufacturers Ardagh Glass are to stage a series of strikes at sites in Scotland and England in a dispute over pay. The move comes after members of the Unite and GMB unions voted to back action at plants in Irvine, Ayrshire, and Barnsley, Doncaster and Knottingley in Yorkshire. Ardagh Glass employs about 1,300 workers. The strike will affect specified shifts between 9 August and 9 September.
- Calderys, a global provider of refractory solutions and a subsidiary of Imerys, announced its latest international expansions into two key areas of the Asia-Pacific market: Indonesia and Japan. Calderys has signed a joint venture agreement with Indonesian refractory manufacturer PT Indoporlen and has also acquired the Japanese refractory producer Tokai Ceramics Co Ltd.
- The steel industry and China will drive the global refractories market to 2017. The introduction of new higher quality refractories with longer in-service life cycles is steering the future direction of the global refractories industry, according to a new market report published by Materials Technology Publications. The key driving factor is the steel industry, which is responsible for up to 70% of the total demand for refractories. Specifically, the use of longer lasting refractories is leading to reductions in consumption per tonne of steel, with the rates varying according to geographic region.
Author
P. Carlo Ratto
CTT Categories
- Glass
- Refractories