Refractories News

Related Ceramics Industry News

• January 2024: Nouryon announced the completion of a production capacity expansion of nearly 50% for its Levasil colloidal silica products at its manufacturing facility in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States. The expansion aims to address the rising demand for colloidal silica, particularly in North America, and strategically expand the company’s global colloidal silica manufacturing footprint to serve regional and global customers.
• February 2024: Evonik Industries AG undertook a significant investment in the expansion of its precipitated silica plant at the Charleston site in South Carolina to meet the escalating demand, particularly from the tire industry in North America, and enhance the resilience of supply chains for Evonik partners in the region by facilitating local silica sourcing.
• November 2023: Covia Holdings LLC announced that mining operations at its Gore facility in Virginia will be idled in Q1 of 2024. This facility's recent product portfolio focused on the glass and construction end markets, such as Glassil high-purity glass sand and Granusil high-performance industrial silica.

• May 2023: Nanostone inked an MoU with ACWA Power, a global powerhouse in power generation, water desalination, and green hydrogen plants. The agreement, signed at Saudi Arabia's premier innovation hub, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), aims to assess Nanostone's ultrafiltration (UF) ceramic membranes and their process technology for seawater desalination.
• October 2022: METAWATER Co. Ltd announced the construction of the world's largest ceramic membrane filtration water treatment plant in the United Kingdom. The Hampton Loade Water Treatment Plant, located near Bridgnorth in the West Midlands, United Kingdom, can produce 210,000 cubic meters of water per day (equivalent to 55 million gallons daily) and supply up to 700,000 people. The plant is presently undergoing renovation, and upon completion, it will become the world's largest ceramic membrane water treatment plant.
• September 2022: Nanostone announced that its ceramic ultrafiltration membrane technology was approved for drinking water treatment in the United Kingdom under Regulation 31.

• July 2022: Sibelco acquired EchasaSA, a mining company that mines silica sand from the Laminoriaquarry near Vitoria in the Basque Country in northern Spain, 160 kilometers from Sibelco's nearest silica sand quarry in Ariya.
• April 2022: Source Energy Services has an agreement with Canadian Silica Industries Inc. and Contractor's Leasing Corp. Through this agreement, the company concluded the operation of its Peace River frac sand facility and increased its frac sand production with additional 400,000 metric tons, which will boost the company's business.

The recent developments pertaining to the major players in the market are being covered in the complete study.

• January 2023: RHI Magnesita GmbH announced the completion of its acquisition of Dalmia Bharat Refractories Limited's (DBRL) Indian refractory business is expected to add almost 300,000 tons of capacity annually to the existing production footprint in India, enhancing the company's business in the studied market.
• December 2022: Shinagawa Refractories Co. Ltd (Shinagawa) acquired the Brazilian refractory business and alumina-based wear-resistant ceramics business from Compagnie de Saint-Gobain S.A. (Saint-Gobain) in the United States. This acquisition was expected to help the company to enhance its product portfolio in the coming years.
• April 2022: Saint-Gobain acquired Monofrax, based in New York, and a manufacturer of fused cast refractories. This strategic move was expected to strengthen the company's position in the American market.

• In February 2022, Element Six UK Ltd collaborated with II-VI Inc. Through this collaboration, II-VI licenses Element Six's intellectual property and necessary equipment would produce high-quality single-crystal diamonds to expand its core competency in diamond technology.
• In July 2021, Element Six UK LTD and the University of Warwick entered a partnership to develop the next generation of synthetic diamond-enabled technologies. Under this partnership, Element Six applied its renowned expertise and capabilities in advanced material solutions.

• May 2023: Thai Acrylic Fibre Co. Ltd, part of Aditya Birla Group, launched a new variant of Regel fiber with 75% recycled content.
• January 2023: Romania's RIFIL Group introduced a new range of environment-friendly yarns branded as Infinity. These yarns are made from Thai Acrylic Fibre's recycled acrylic fiber, Regel.

• April 2024: AD Ports Group, a key player in global trade, logistics, and industry, revealed that its Ports Cluster was broadening its scope to include the worldwide distribution of marine lubricants. This move follows a strategic partnership formed with ADNOC Distribution, the foremost manufacturer of marine and automotive lubricants in the United Arab Emirates. As per the agreement, Ports Cluster will utilize its established connections and state-of-the-art infrastructure to distribute globally recognized lubricants to customers in the United Arab Emirates. It plans to widen this distribution network globally.
• March 2023: Castrol unveiled its latest offering: the marine cylinder oil, Castrol Cyltech 40 XDC (eXtra Deposit Control). This new oil is designed for LNG and methanol-fueled vessels but is equally compatible with ships utilizing traditional marine fuels. The introduction of Castrol Cyltech 40 XDC underscores Castrol's dedication to aiding the marine sector's shift toward cleaner fuels and advanced engine technologies while guaranteeing optimal engine performance and reliability.
• February 2023: Luberef, a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, revealed plans to expand its base oil plant in Yanbu' al Bahr, Saudi Arabia, boosting its capacity by 230,000 metric tons annually. The project will upgrade the facility, allowing it to produce API Group III base stocks. The expansion will elevate the Yanbu plant to a size nearly matching that of the Pearl gas-to-liquids joint venture, the largest base oil plant in the Middle East.

• June 2023: Saint-Gobain signed an agreement to acquire cement board producer Hume Cemboard Industries. Through this acquisition, the company strengthened its lightweight product offering in Malaysia.
• February 2023: Everest Industries Limited intends to invest USD 22.5 million to establish a manufacturing unit on a 20-acre site in the Badanaguppe Kellambali KIADB layout of Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, India. The new facility aims to produce 72,000 metric tons (MT) of fiber cement board and 19,000 MT of Rapicon wall panels. This state-of-the-art, highly automated plant is projected to generate approximately 127 job opportunities.

• March 2023: Universal Matter UK Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Universal Matter Inc., announced the acquisition of Applied Graphene Materials UK Limited and Applied Graphene Materials LLC, the principal operating subsidiaries of Applied Graphene Materials PLC. Through the acquisition, the company has strengthened its market presence.
• February 2023: Global Graphene Group announced that Honeycomb Battery Company, an advanced battery technology subsidiary of Global Graphene Group Inc., signed a business combination agreement with Nubia Brand International Corp. to develop battery materials. Honeycomb Battery Company is expected to use graphene produced by the Global Graphene Group.
• August 2022: Universal Matter entered a three-year collaborative innovation agreement with the ChemQuest Technology Institute. Through the agreement, the company has strengthened its growth and validation of Universal Matter’s graphene technology based on sustainable feedstocks.