NSG Group is to invest in additional production capacity of transparent conductive oxide (TCO) coated glass in Malaysia to support the growing solar market. In the plan, a float line at the Johor Bahru factory of Malaysian Sheet Glass SDN BHD will install online coating capacity in the near future and will start shipping TCO glass for solar panel manufacture after the facility is in operation.

It is anticipated that the supply from the converted line will commence during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ending March 2024. The investment is contingent on successful conclusion of commercial negotiations and government issuance of permits and incentives.

O-I Glass has completed the sale and leaseback transaction for its plant located in Vernon, California. The $181 million agreement includes a long-term lease as well as additional renewal options.

With this sale and leaseback agreement, O-I will have completed its $1.5 billion Portfolio Optimization programme, designed to re-align the company’s business portfolio, improve Return on Invested Capital, and fund organic growth, such as the recently announced new greenfield glass packaging production facility in Bowling Green, KY, which will leverage the company’s revolutionary MAGMA technology.

The family-owned companies Grenzebach Maschinenbau GmbH and Nikolaus Sorg GmbH & Co. KG have cooperated in the foundation of the joint company GS Engineering GmbH (GSE).

GSE will support the activities of their partners Grenzebach and SORG as leading suppliers for the glass industry, in particular in the development of overall projects with complementary services for works planning, architectural and construction planning, planning of the complete media and power supply, as well as services for project management, construction supervision, commissioning up to technical assistance and production support. In doing so, they will ensure that customers have full access to the latest technological developments for sustainable and state-of-the-art glass production.

As a global player with production activities in 14 countries on four continents and sales in more than 150 countries, Şişecam increased its consolidated net sales to TRY40.2 billion in the first half of 2022. International sales made up 62% of the total sales and investments in the same period reached TRY2.8 billion.

Saverglass has reported progress on its commitment to sustainability. Details of its progress are released in the "Saverglass Corporate Social Responsibility Report."

"Saverglass has been working towards accomplishing its corporate social responsibility for more than 20 years. We have taken concrete steps that will help us continue to be a force of positive impact to the people we serve, including our customers, employees, suppliers, and communities," said Régis Maillet, Director of Marketing and Communications. "Guided by our core values, we remain steadfast in our commitment to advance our sustainability vision of reducing emissivity by 2035 and carbon neutrality by 2050."

Pilkington OptiShower, a range of anticorrosive and durable glass by the NSG Group, has launched in the UK to support designers specifying glass for use in high-moisture environments. The glass has a wide range of residential and commercial applications, such as shower cubicles or back plates against cooking surfaces in kitchens.

SCHOTT has established a stand-alone company for its pharma business under the name SCHOTT Pharma AG & Co. KGaA to advance its growth strategy.

"By creating a separate legal entity for our pharma business, we are generating new opportunities to expedite our profitable growth," says SCHOTT CEO Dr. Frank Heinricht, "Pharma will remain an integral part of SCHOTT in the future. With this move, we are creating more room for organic and inorganic growth and further potential investments towards becoming climate neutral by 2030."

The flame pictured was produced in the furnace of Pilkington UK (part of NSG Group) in St Helens. The temperature required to manufacture flat glass at this plant is excessive and the drive to reduce CO2 in the glass making process is paramount to Pilkington. The Renewable Energy and Engineering Teams at Pilkington were delighted with the performance of Argent Energy’s B100 Biodiesel in the successful trial of circa 500 tonne of biodiesel made from wastes.

Among other activities, Pilkington UK are working to reduce fossil fuel usage in manufacturing, adding renewable generation and helping designers and consumers learn how to use glass products to reduce carbon usage in building, vehicles, and other applications.

O-I Glass, Inc. will build a new greenfield glass plant in Bowling Green, KY, USA. In line with strong consumer trends towards healthy, recyclable, and sustainable food and beverage packaging, the company is adding capacity to support its customers with brand-building premium glass containers. The company plans to invest up to $240 million in multiple expansion waves over time and create approximately 140 new jobs in the region. 

The new plant will be the first facility purposely-built for O-I’s revolutionary MAGMA technology that is set to redefine the glass production process for the future. MAGMA is expected to further enhance O-I’s capabilities to support multiple product categories and expand in today’s highly differentiated product segments.