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PPG to form fiber glass joint venture with Harsha in India

PPG Industries announced that it has signed a letter of intent with Harsha Exito Engineering Private Limited (India) to establish a 50-50 joint venture for the manufacture and sale of fiber glass reinforcement products. “We are encouraged by the prospect of continuing to expand PPG’s global reach, particularly in emerging markets,” says Thomas P. Kerr, PPG vice president, fiber glass. According to Kerr, the projected expansion of the Indian economy will help drive demand for fiber glass in such end-use applications as infrastructure, transportation and wind energy.

New Energy’s Latest SolarWindow coatings for generating electricity on see-through glass lead to increased transparency, improved color

New Energy Technologies announced that researchers developing its SolarWindow technology, capable of generating electricity on see-through glass, have developed a first-ever working prototype using new electricity-generating coatings that lead to increased transparency and enhanced color—attributes important to consumer acceptance of a commercially viable product.

Freedonia Group: US demand for products and services used in shale gas development will grow to $52 billion in 2015

Industry activity continues to escalate in the emerging Marcellus, Haynesville and Fayetteville shale plays. While shale gas drilling will slow from the rapid buildup of the 2005-2010 period, the industry will bring more than 8,000 new producing wells online through 2015. Increasing demand for drilling and completion products and services for new shale gas wells will be accompanied by growing markets for workover, restimulation and well site reclamation services in those regions where production is maturing. These and other trends are presented in “Shale Gas: Products & Services,” a new study from The Freedonia Group Inc., an industry market research firm.

Canadian government invests in fuel cell bus development

The Government of Canada has initiated a series of university-industry partnerships which includes a project to further develop fuel cell technology for buses. Through the Automotive Partnership Canada, in conjunction with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, $85 million is available for a range of projects aimed at enhancing the Canadian automotive industry.

Schott Solar to supply 67,000 solar modules to Thailand

Schott Solar announced that it has received a large order from Thailand. The solar company, with manufacturing locations in Albuquerque, N.M., Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic, will be delivering 67,000 photovoltaic modules for two solar power plants that Phoenix Solar Singapore has been building just north of Bangkok since June. The two sites will achieve peak output of 9.7 and 6.2 megawatts. From December 2011 on, they are expected to supply an annual yield of around 25,000 MWh of environmentally friendly solar electricity to as many as 10,000 Thai households.

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Credit: Copyright 2010 by The Freedonia Group

The research company Freedonia Group predicts that worldwide hydrogen demand will continue to climb, growing at a 3.4 percent annual pace through 2013.

Oftentimes the term “hydrogen economy” is associated with emerging energy and transportation technologies, but a new report from Freedonia, World Hydrogen, indicates the growth primarily is being driven by petroleum refining enterprises that require more hydrogen to produce low-sulfur fuels. Other big drivers are chemical, semiconductor, float glass, metal components and food industries (remember the margarine commercials referring to hydrogenation?). The report predicts that 475 billion cubic meters will be required in 2013.

Geographically speaking, although North America currently is the world’s largest hydrogen consumer, Freedonia says trends indicate that the Asia/Pacific region will jump from third to first place in the consumption roster. In fact, consumption in the Asia/Pacific region, according to the report, is growing 300 percent faster than in North America.

The 336-page World Hydrogen report is available for $5,300 from Freedonia.

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Monolithic ceramics represent the dominant and best-established segment of the industry). Ceramic matrix composites and ceramic coatings will achieve the more rapid gains, primarily due to their enhanced strength and durability.

A recently released report by the Freedonia Group shows that advanced ceramics will continue to penetrate applications such as capacitors, cutting tools, orthopedic joint implants and membranes, where they are valued for their favorable performance characteristics. Demand is estimated to be lower for body armor, as the Obama administration’s goal is to significantly reduce military involvement in Iraq.

The use of advanced ceramics is highly dependent on the health of the electronic components and electrical equipment industries, which combined accounted for 43% of total demand in 2007. The U.S. electronic components industry is projected to remain sluggish, limiting further advanced ceramics demand.

The medical product market will post the most rapid gains, benefiting from the increasing utilization of ceramics in joint implants and dental procedures.

Other markets set to post above-average gains include chemicals and plastics, environmental, industrial machinery and transportation equipment.

In the environmental market, pollution control is the largest application, but interest in reducing the country’s dependence on foreign oil will also provide opportunities. Emerging applications include the use of ceramic bearings in wind turbines and ceramic materials in photovoltaic modules.

The full report can be viewed at ceramicindustry.com.

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Credit: Unifrax

A new report by an industry research firm predicts that there will be a small but steady growth in world demand for refractories through 2012, averaging 3.5 percent annually or 4.5 percent based on anticipated price increases. The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland, Ohio based research firm pegs the 2012 total market value of refractories at $28.5 billion.

The report acknowledges that problems in the world economy will dampen demand to pre-2008 levels, but a researchers anticipate a recovery by 2012 and support for long-term growth that bolstered “by the increasing use of better performing, more expensive refractories.”

The outlook for refractory producers in the United States is fairly good, according to Freedonia. The U.S. is second only to China in production, and although demand in the U.S. will remain flat on a tonnage basis, the total value of  U.S.-made refractories should increase by eight percent through 2012 and 20 percent by 2017. Freedonia’s report asserts that the technical abilities of U.S. producers will continue to give the nation an edge in higher end items that can demand higher prices. These specialized refractories include preformed shapes and nonclay monolithics that will find their way to markets in Canada and West European countries like Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom.  Even so, the U.S., according to Freedonia, will become a net importer of refractories by 2017.

The report predicts that China will continue to be the dominant consumer and producer of refractories. Consumption in China is driven by the nation’s steel, cement and flat glass production. Freedonia notes that China uses refractories at a higher rate per done of steel than in developed nations.

Growth of these Chinese industries is expected to stay strong and account for over 80 percent of the new demand contained in the 2012 predictions. India is also expected to have above-average growth and substantial strength is anticipated in Eastern Europe where steel-consuming goods such as household appliances and motor vehicles to is creating demand for steel. Opportunities will also exist in Latin America and the Africa/Mideast region.

Iron and steel production is by far the largest market for refractories. Advances in this market have benefited from increased iron and steel production in recent years compared to the late 1990s. However, the rate of refractory usage per ton of steel has continued to decline, holding back gains. This trend is expected to continue, adversely affecting the outlook for refractory suppliers.

WORLD REFRACTORY DEMAND BY REGION (000 metric tons). Copyright: Freedonia Group

UNITED STATES REFRACTORY SUPPLY & DEMAND. Copyright: The Freedonia Group

The full 350-page report on World Refractories is available for $5,700 from The Freedonia Group Inc. To order, contact Corinne Gangloff by phone 440.684.9600, fax 440.646.0484 or e-mail.

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