• Allied Glass has agreed a deal to take additional space at a location in Leeds, UK as demand for its products increases. The company recently announced that it expects 2012 sales to exceed £100 million; its performance was being driven by rising demand for spirits in emerging markets such as China, India, Russia and South America.
• Sisecam has announced that its 2011 profits grew by 53% as it continued to expand abroad; according to reports, the company currently holds 3% of the global glass demand with its production, which has reached $3.7 billion.
• Glass manufacturer Zimbabwe Glass Industries (Zimglass), has reportedly failed to reopen as scheduled in April 2012, as the furnace is still to be completed. The company, which has failed to open on two previous occasions, is now expected to resume operations on June 1, 2012.
• Nippon Sheet Glass Co. said it slid into a net loss last fiscal year, and warned of deeper trouble ahead, soaking up restructuring costs to offset the impact of Europe’s economic weakness on its core construction and auto-glass operations.
• Germany’s RHI AG, a leading refractory manufacturer, may acquire Delhi-based Orient Refractories in a transaction valued at about Rs 600 crore, two people close to the development said. The deal is likely to be signed in the second week of June.
• The global market for zirconium is forecasted to reach 2.6 million metric tons by the year 2017. A spurt in the global nuclear energy sector will lead to high demand for zirconium and simultaneous increase in production capacities worldwide.