Expertise provided for the World Bank Group by Sheffield-based research and development organisation Sino Glass Tech has helped secure a US$100million finance package for the giant Middle East Glass Manufacturing Company (MEG).The funding will allow MEG, one of the largest glass manufacturers in the Middle East and North Africa regions, to ramp up production of its containers, which are used by a variety of companies from beverage makers to pharmaceutical firms. This will help MEG expand its international footprint and continue to grow its annual exports. It will also substantially reduce its energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The package has been provided by the International Finance Corporation, (IFC), a member of the World Bank, following technical consultancy services from Sino Glass Tech. The IFC was looking to invest in MEG and needed to understand the company’s technical capabilities, market potential, and investment requirements, in depth in order to complete their due diligence. The specialists at Sino Glass Tech were asked to provide a full due diligence and technical review of the company’s glass container manufacturing in Egypt. The team also undertook a review of the market, how well the company’s products were selling, and the potential for export, and worked with the IFC team to review wider factors such as energy costs, export and import data, and the company’s strengths and weaknesses. Dr Nick Kirk, Technical Director of Sino Glass Tech, said: “We were delighted to undertake this project which was complex and rewarding – assisting a global enterprise with major expansion in the glass manufacturing industry and ensuring that the proposal was both financially and technically sound. “Our team at Sino Glass Tech has long experience in auditing glass manufacturing companies for their technical standards and their financial probity. This project had an excellent outcome in that, following our report, the International Finance Corporation felt confident providing a major financing package to the Middle East Glass Company. This is good news for the Company and for Egypt’s manufacturing sector, which is a major employer and, through exports, a key source to foreign currency.” Chris Sorsby, Commercial Manager, Sino Glass Tech, added: “This project is a great example of some of the work we are conducting globally. The team at Sino Glass Tech has a wealth of knowledge and experience in corporate due diligence. We are able to assist from both a technical and market analysis perspective across a range of glass sectors.”
Meet the experts in glass at Pharmapack 2020
The experts in glass, Sino Glass Tech, will once again be exhibiting at PharmaPack 2020 event in Paris on 5th and 6thFebruary.Joining over 410 companies and 5,500 attendees at the annual pharmaceutical packaging, drug delivery and innovation event, Sino Glass Tech will showcase their services for the pharmaceutical sector. The leading analytical and consultancy specialists currently provide a number of tests and support for many well-known pharmaceutical brands, including delamination, elemental migration, pharmacopoeial verification, specifications and tolerances, failure analysis and troubleshooting. Representatives from Sino Glass Tech, including Business Development Manager Philip Marsh and Technical Manager Daniel Capon, will be on hand at stand B98 in Hall 7.2 at the Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles. Visitors to the stand will be able to collect a copy of the exclusive pharmaceutical vial anatomy and classification poster as well as sign up for a free pharmaceutical glass workshop held at the Sino Glass Tech laboratories. Customers can attend the event by booking their free ticket to the event here.
New responsive website for the experts in glass
Leading experts in glass, Sino Glass Tech, have unveiled a brand-new responsive website – completing their rebranding process and continuing their programme of strategic investments throughout the growing business.Built with a responsive layout, the new website ensures a consistent cross-device user experience, as well as improved navigation and enquiry processes – making it easier than ever for visitors to access the information they need and contact the experts for technical support.The rebuild includes a refresh of their free ‘glass weight estimator’ and ‘effective U-value’ calculators, which alone receive over 9,500 visitors a month.Head over to www.sinoglasstech.com to learn more and see the changes.The fresh new site showcases Sino Glass Tech’ wide range of analytical and technical support offered throughout the glass supply chain – including specialist support in pharmaceuticals, food and drink and manufacturing sectors.Their technical support, which includes training, product verification, performance testing, technical consultancy and routine analysis, enables the world’s leading brands to verify their products, troubleshoot issues and pave the way with cutting-edge glass research and new product development.Business development manager, Phil Marsh said:“We’re delighted to unveil the final part of our rebranding – the new website reflects our new branding perfectly and provides a seamless experience for our customers to get the information they need, while showcasing the very best of what our expert teams provide.“Over a third of visitors use a portable device to access our content and this number is rapidly growing – so, it was essential that we adopted responsive design to ensure our customers and prospective clients receive a consistent experience however they access our site and can easily access the content they need.”The development of the website was carried out by local design agency Prototype Creative, based in Rotherham, who interpreted the new Sino Glass Tech brand identity to create a fresh, modern and adaptive site for the leading experts in glass.Sino Glass Tech Ltd provides analysis, consultancy, testing and research and development support to all parts of the glass supply chain – from raw materials to the end consumer. The experts in glass pride themselves on their reputation, confidentiality and impartiality and are accredited to ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 17025 standards.For more information please visit www.sinoglasstech.com, email [email protected], telephone +86-13037600603 or subscribe to their newsletter.
The latest trends from Glass Technology Services
At Sino Glass Tech, we pride ourselves on being the experts in glass.Over the last few months as we have continued to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, first as a reduced team in the laboratories to ensure we could safely service the critical industries that we support and now back to full service, we have noticed several trends develop across the different areas of the glass supply chain that we work with. In recent weeks and months work has developed from pharmaceutical and food and drink customers as well as further advancements in the research and development side of the business. Operations Director Gareth Jones said: “Like many businesses across the country, the last few months have been a challenging time with the company having to adapt to a new way of working but during this time we’ve seen new opportunities arise and trends form in different markets due to the pandemic. “In particular the pharmaceutical and food and drink sectors have had to change dramatically to fit the circumstances that we’re currently in and by identifying the trends that have developed in these markets, we’ve been able to tailor our services to best suit new and existing customers.” Unsurprisingly during a pandemic, pharmaceutical work has increased with new customers from across the globe, including south east Asia, USA and Europe, as the pharmaceutical sector remains at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19. The team at Sino Glass Tech has been supporting the ongoing effort with recent work covering each type of pharmaceutical glass (I, II and III), delamination studies and failure analysis maintaining efficient turnaround times while adhering to social distancing and hygiene measures to keep colleagues safe. As well as this, the Research and Development team have also adapted to the changing conditions and have been investigating the potential for increasing the proven antimicrobial activity of the controlled dissolution glasses produced by our partner manufacturing company, Vitritech Ltd. Alongside the antimicrobial work, the team are alsoexploring the potential antiviral properties for glass-based materials for use as cleaning agents and as textiles for the use in garments and masks. Progress on the EnviroAsh project has seen a new commercial manufacturing trial scheduled to begin in September following a successful pot furnace trial using waste ashes from biomass power stations. Work also continues to develop the circular economy in glass with the successful completion of the FISSAC European construction industrial symbiosis project and research into alternative fuels for glass manufacture. Away from the pharmaceutical industry, the enforced closure of bars and restaurants has had an effect on many industries, including the glass supply chain, and the subsequent increase in at home consumption has seen a welcome boost for others in the sector with glass still being used for more premium products. This ebb and flow of the food and drinks market, alongside the essential status of glass manufacturers during the pandemic, has been seen in the customers we have served in this time with an increase in fracture and defect analysis for bottles used at home compared to commercial use. Finally the success of our Expert Glass webinar series, which has covered topics including the glass manufacturing process and an overview of glass failure, has been an opportunity for us to pass on our expertise to new audiences and open up conversations with new customers from retail and food and drink sectors. Sino Glass Tech are specialists in the field of analysis, inspection, and performance testing for companies throughout the pharmaceutical supply chain, employing industry leading experts in the latest glass technologies, chemical durability, migration, and pharmaceutical packaging. Contact us to find out how we can help.
Due Diligence and Selection of Pharmaceutical Glassware
Leading experts in glass, Sino Glass Tech Ltd, are hosting a one-day workshop covering an introduction to glass and appropriate due diligence for those working with glass in the pharmaceutical supply chain. This open workshop will provide guests with an introduction to the use of glass as primary pharmaceutical packaging – including how glass is made and processed, tubular and moulded glassware, quality control, common defects and failures and the importance of appropriate selection in terms of both specification and durability. To be held in Sheffield on Thursday 7 June, this workshop is being held free of charge for organisations working within the pharmaceutical supply chain – suppliers, contract fillers, drug manufacturers and those in packaging, regulatory affairs and quality assurance roles. Click here to view more details or book now Philip Marsh, Business Development Manager at Sino Glass Tech Ltd, said: “Listening to our clients and monitoring changes in the industry we are all-too aware of the pressures they face – including increasing regulatory and supply-chain demands. Recent years have seen requirements for increasingly tight dimensional specifications, comprehensive delamination studies and rapid failure and foreign body analyses grow substantially. \”There is limited independent advice available, so we felt we could help our clients and others operating in this sector with a workshop focusing upon appropriate selection and due diligence for glass pharmaceutical primary packaging. \”The day has been structured based upon the issues and requirements of our clients – starting with an introduction to glass, glass manufacture and processing. Specialists from our teams will then focus on key topics including regulatory requirements, pharmacopoeial verification, defects, quality control and failure of these essential glass products.” Attendees will learn about key regulatory and quality assurance issues such as glass durability, delamination, elemental migration, pharmacopoeial verification and the differences between types I, II and III glasses, an understanding of the manufacture and processing of tubular and moulded pharmaceutical glass packaging, glass performance, defects, types of failure and dimensional specifications and tolerances. The day will include a tour of the laboratory facilities, including demonstrations of key analyses and services provided in this sector. The team will also discuss and demonstrate some of the cutting-edge research and developments underway. These include ‘dissolvable’ glasses designed for controlled release of ions, phosphate fibres for integration within the human body, 3D printing and additive manufacture and anti-bacterial glasses – all currently under development for use in the biomedical sector. Please visit www.sinoglasstech.com/pharmaglass for further details, agenda and to reserve a space at the workshop. Sino Glass Tech Ltd (GTS) provides analysis, consultancy, testing and research and development support to all parts of the glass supply chain – from raw materials to the end consumer. GTS prides itself on its confidentiality and independence and is accredited to ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 17025 standards. For more information please visit www.sinoglasstech.com, email [email protected], telephone +86-13037600603 or subscribe to the GTS newsletter. Image Credit: urfin / shutterstock.com
We’ll be at Glass Focus 2016 – will you? Help shape the future of Glass
Sino Glass Tech Ltd (GTS) is delighted to announce that they are an event partner for Glass Focus 2016, which engages the glass supply chain to shape the future of glass. Prominent speakers across brand, retail, industry and finance will discuss new challenges, technologies, market trends, energy and adaption for the future – enabling the entire value chain to be part of the conversation and shape the future of glass – the material and the industry. Organised by British Glass, Glass Focus 2016 will take place at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh on 12 May 2016. A five-star visitor attraction, Dynamic Earth tells the story of our planet: how it works, how life has evolved in different environments and the future challenges faced by the Earth. This makes it the ideal backdrop for Glass Focus 2016 – which will shape and stimulate the future evolution of glass products and production. …the ideal backdrop for Glass Focus 2016 – which will shape and stimulate the future evolution of glass products and production. As part of their event partnership, independent glass specialists Sino Glass Tech Ltd will facilitate a dedicated packaging workshop discussing the development, processes and relationships required in order to deliver the innovative packaging demanded by today’s brand leaders. Throughout the day Sino Glass Tech Ltd specialists will also provide free one-to-one consultation sessions – providing advice on specific issues, opportunities or challenges that attendees are facing. These sessions are limited, so please remember to pre-book a session when booking tickets for the main conference and awards. Philip Marsh, Business Development Manager at Sino Glass Tech Ltd, says: “Glass Focus gives us all a great opportunity to hear the latest market trends, challenges and innovations throughout the supply chain – both in production and end-use. It’s the ideal place to network and we’re looking forward to meeting both existing and new customers.” “Our experts look forward to facilitating some great discussions on cutting-edge packaging developments and the challenges this presents, while helping individual companies in their one-to-one consultations on a diverse range of different issues.” The Glass Focus 2016 programme brings together speakers and delegates in straight-forward conversations to determine how the industry can evolve to meet tomorrow’s challenges. Leading speakers, including Procter and Gamble, Moorgate Capital, Guardian Industries and Siemens , will share experiences and lead exchanges on topics including: anticipating tomorrow’s demands from designers, manufacturers and customers; applying cutting edge glass technology to solve global problems; decoupling growth, energy use and emissions; working across supply and value chains to adapt successfully. You can get the latest programme information from British Glass at the following address: www.britglass.org.uk/glassfocu… Key elements of Sino Glass Tech Ltd’s event partnership include: Facilitation of the packaging workshop – exploring the products, processes and relationships that innovative brand packaging demands; Free One-to-One Consultation Sessions – have a private chat with our expert staff if you’ve got a particular challenge you think we can help with. If you\’ve bought a ticket for the daytime Glass Focus Conference you can book a one-to-one surgery for FREE. Places are limited so book soon. Raising awareness of our specialist glass services – come and visit our stand to find out how our comprehensive range of services can help your business. A quick chat with one of our team often helps even existing clients discover additional ways that we can help them better meet customers’ requirements and save both time and money. Book your ticket today at www.britglass.org.uk/glassfocus2016 and invite your contacts to join you there.
New packaging and homeware workshop launched
Sino Glass Tech have launched a new packaging and homeware workshop for customers and colleagues working across the food, drink and retail sectors.This exclusive, free to attend course will give delegates the tools and knowledge to allow their business to work with glass packaging and homeware more effectively. Taking place at the Sino Glass Tech laboratories and offices in Sheffield, the morning session will focus on the manufacturing process and the sustainable and environmental qualities of glass while the afternoon will cover new technology and research in glass packaging as well as glass performance. The day will also include a tour of the Sino Glass Tech laboratory facilities and demonstrations of key analyses and services carried out by the experts in glass. Graham Morris, Product Performance Manager, said:“This workshop is ideal for anyone working in packaging design, quality assurance, procurement or marketing within the food, drink and retail sectors or for anyone looking to gain expert knowledge on glass packaging.“The sessions will give delegates the opportunity to learn from leading industry experts and will provide all the knowledge they need to feel confident when working with glass.” A second free to attend workshop is also set to be scheduled for later in the year. For more information on all the training and events provided by Sino Glass Tech, sign up to our mailing list. Please visit the glass packaging and homeware pagefor further details, agenda and to register your interest for the workshop. Sino Glass Tech Ltd (GTS) is a leading specialist for glass analysis, testing, troubleshooting and consultancy support. As experts in glass, the laboratory is actively involved in a range of international technical committees covering key developments in glass delamination, durability and analytical methods. The laboratory is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 9001 quality standards and is registered with the US FDA under GDUFA for API/FDF testing. For more information, glass analysis, testing or technical support, please visit www.sinoglasstech.com, email [email protected] or telephone +86-13037600603. To receive the latest news and events from Sino Glass Tech Ltd, please subscribe to the newsletter or follow GTS on social media (@GlassTesting).
Innovations at Glass Focus 2015
Independent specialists, Sino Glass Tech Ltd (GTS) are proud to be supporting the forthcoming Glass Focus 2015 conference and are encouraging those interested in glass research, development and innovation, or simply operating within the supply chain, to join them at the event. This unique supply-chain conference is to be held on Friday, 12 June 2015, at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel in Manchester. For full details of the conference, please see the conference website . The conference theme, \’ Innovation in glass and the glass industry supply chain \’, reflects GTS’ key focus upon innovation, research and development – with a portfolio of projects in the UK, Europe and wider global partners. In the last two years alone GTS has achieved an astounding £3.6 million in grant funding, with applications achieving a 100% success rate. As part of this drive, GTS has supported a number of academic secondments, knowledge transfer partnerships and other projects with universities and institutions. Dr Billy Richards, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Leeds and on secondment with GTS, will present at Glass Focus 2015 on the topic “ Non-silica based glasses and their applications ”. This session will discuss the various families of non-silica glasses – such as phosphorous pentoxide (P2O5) and tellurium dioxide (TeO2). Exhibiting a range of interesting properties, these glasses lend themselves to specific applications, which are often dominated by the generation, manipulation and transportation of light – a field referred to as photonics. Dr Richards will explore a number of these interesting glass families and their current and potential applications. GTS is sponsoring and exhibiting at the conference and key staff across their testing, analytical and research departments will be in attendance throughout the event and the evening dinner and awards ceremony – presenting an ideal opportunity to answer questions, meet with clients and network with those across the supply chain. Sino Glass Tech Ltd provides analysis, consultancy, testing and research and development support to all parts of the glass supply chain – from raw materials to the end consumer. GTS prides itself on its confidentiality and independence and is accredited to ISO:9001, 14001 and 17025 standards. For more information please visit www.sinoglasstech.com , email [email protected] , telephone +86-13037600603 or receive our free newsletter .
Supporting innovation in glass
Leading independent specialists in glass, Sino Glass Tech Ltd (GTS), are proud to support research and development across the glass industry and its supply chain and were honoured to sponsor the ‘Innovative Solution’ category of the glass industry’s Glass Focus 2018 awards. Congratulations to Pilkington UK, who were announced as the winners of the ‘Innovative Solution’ award at the Glass Focus 2018 dinner and awards ceremony organised by British Glass on 22 November 2018. Pilkington UK received the award for their Pilkington AviSafe™ development – an innovative coated glass which aims to prevent occurrence of bird/window strikes. Developed by Pilkington’s UK-based research and development technology centre, Pilkington AviSafe™ utilises a patterned UV-enhanced coating to make the glass visible to birds while maintaining the optical transmission of the glass. Simon Slade, a keen ornithologist based at the R&D Technical Centre, was a key driving force behind the project and described the issue: “Millions of birds die each year when they fly into glass in homes, offices, and bus shelters. This is a growing challenge for the glass industry, architects and specifiers. Reflection strikes, when birds fly toward something reflected by the glass such as the sky or vegetation, are the main cause of the problem: some existing products are effective, but reduce the transmission of the glass and the view from inside the building.” Although Pilkington AviSafe™ has not yet been commercially released, it has been tested on jumbo plates of glass and Pilkington expects the coating to be applied in other applications including solar control, safety and security, and noise control. Philip Marsh, Business Development Manager at Sino Glass Tech Ltd, presented the award on the night and said: “As a partner across a wide range of glass R&D, we were delighted to sponsor this award and recognise the importance that continual innovation in glass plays in the modern world – from architecture, eco-design and packaging to medical devices, technology and energy. Congratulations to Pilkington UK on this innovation, which through research comparing human and avian vision in the visible and ultraviolet spectrum enabled a patterned coating to be developed and applied to the glass that is visible to birds without any significant detriment to the aesthetic properties of facades and glazing.” Sino Glass Tech Ltd (GTS) is a leading provider of analysis, mechanical and performance testing, quality assessment, failure analysis, glass research and development and a range of consultancy services – specialising in glass, raw materials and glass products. Accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 9001 quality standards, Sino Glass Tech has an established reputation for specialist knowledge in glass and technical support. Please see www.sinoglasstech.com. The experts in glass provide regular updates and research news through its website, social media and newsletter – to receive updates or interact through social media, please see www.sinoglasstech.com/newsletter.
Exclusive poster released for pharmaceutical vial anatomy and classification
Following the success of their unique glassmakers’ periodic table, the experts in glass, Sino Glass Tech, are unveiling another free resource – this time focusing on pharmaceutical vial anatomy, classification and their applications.Developed for their pharmaceutical clients, the poster clearly defines the terminology, anatomy and features of the moulded and tubular glass primary packaging formats commonly used across the pharmaceutical supply chain.Request a copy of the vial anatomy and classification posterThe resource includes a table summarising the applicability of glass container types based upon the general recommendations of the European (Ph. Eur) and United States Pharmacopoeia (USP), together with a summary of properties of Types I, II, III and new glass types that have recently entered the marketplace.To request a copy of this unique new resource, please visit the Sino Glass Tech website.Operations Director at Sino Glass Tech Gareth Jones said:“We often support clients by verifying pharmacopoeial durability and dimensional specifications, investigating product failures and carrying out delamination propensity studies, so often aid clients in understanding the terminology used across different glass formats – so the poster fits perfectly with many of the requests we receive.“The pharmaceutical sector represents a large percentage of our customer base and, as with the Glassmakers’ Periodic Table for the manufacturing sector; we wanted to thank them with a specifically designed resource to celebrate our rebranding process.“We hope that this will be a useful tool for packaging technologists and QA professionals throughout the supply chain.”The ‘vial anatomy and classification’ poster has been designed by the experts in glass to provide beginners and experts alike with a detailed resource that they can refer to during their work with pharmaceutical packaging.Request a copy of the vial anatomy and classification posterSino Glass Tech Ltd provides analysis, consultancy, testing and research and development support to all parts of the glass supply chain – from raw materials to the end consumer. The experts in glass pride themselves on their reputation, confidentiality and impartiality and are accredited to ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 17025 standards.For more information please visit www.sinoglasstech.com, email [email protected], telephone +86-13037600603 or subscribe to their newsletter.