The week’s business headlines

Production begins at Saint-Gobain’s Romania float facility
Saint-Gobain of France opened its Calarasi, Romania, float glass plant, according to a Jan. 22 article from Bursa On Line. The $130 million facility will produce 600 tons of float glass a day, with 50 percent of production going to the Romanian market, according to the article.

Emirates Glass starts $27 million expansion
Emirates Glass LLC of the United Arab Emirates will invest more than $27 million in an expansion project to increase the company’s coating capacity, according to a Jan. 13 article from AME Info.

The expansion will increase the company’s annual production from 700,000 square meters to 3.7 million square meters, according to the article … read more

Photowatt Technologies to partner with Clean Venture 21
Officials from Photowatt Technologies Inc., part of Automated Tooling Systems Inc. of Cambridge, Ontario, signed a non-binding letter of intent to work with Japan’s Clean Venture 21 Corp. to develop its Spheral Solar Technology, according to a Jan. 11 Photowatt release.

The partnership would allow the companies to share technology and expertise in photovoltaics, according to the release.

Photowatt produces building integrated photovoltaic products based on a sphere solar cell design, according to the release… read more

Welsh insulating glass company thrives under new ownership
Capital Glass, a Cardiff, Wales-based manufacturer of insulating glass units has almost doubled its turnover since Richard Williams took over as owner last year, according to a Jan. 15 article from IC Wales.

Williams, a former manager of Capital Glass, used his personal funds to buy the struggling company in November 2005. Since then, the company’s turnover has grown from about $176,600 a month to $333,500 a month, according to the article ... read more