Ardagh honored for its briquettes

Ardagh has earned another honor.

The company was announced as the inaugural winner in the pre-commercialized innovation category during a virtual unveiling of The Sustainability Awards.

Ardagh, which operates glass manufacturing plants in Dunkirk and Winchester, took first place in the new category for its method of producing re-meltable briquettes. They are made from fine particle glass that is rejected ruing the recycling process, thus allowing 100% of recycling glass to be utilized.

“We’re incredibly proud to win the Sustainability Award, particularly with such strong competition,” said Ardagh’s Brendan O’Meara in a press release. “The potential of the briquettes to recover 100% of collected glass for remelt is a significant achievement. Special thanks go to Stewart Wright at Wright Engineering and Professor Paul Bingham at Sheffield Hallam University for their incredible support and expertise.”

Other finalists in the category were FuturePackLab and Popular Packaging, P&G, BASF and Triple Line Technology.



Motherson purchases

Motherson Sumi Systems Ltd (MSSL) this week signed an agreement to buy the Mexican electrical wiring interconnections systems business of Canadian firm Bombardier Transporation.

The purchase is being conducted by MSSL’s Mexican subsidiary Motherson Rolling Stocks. The purchase price is about $10 million.

“Our focus is always on adding value to our customers’ supply chain and catering to their requirements,” MSSL chairman Vivek Chaand Sehgal told Business Standard. “This is another step forward in that direction.”

The company, which has a facility in Portland, had previously purchased Bombardier’s United Kingdom electrical systems business.

“Our collective strength will position us as a preferred solutions provider to our customers in the rolling stock business,” Sehgal said.



Awards are Monday

Jay County Chamber of Commerce will host the Jay County Community Awards dinner and ceremony at 6 p.m. Monday at Jay County Event Center. The event was originally scheduled for March but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Finalists for awards are:

Lifetime Achievement — Carol Smith, Millie Ellis and Cindy Denney

Citizen of the Year — Vickie Daniels, Drew Houck, Ron Laux and Janet Bantz

Business of the Year — Valentine Feed and Supply, Deer Park Boutique and Fuqua Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM

Industry of the Year — Jay County REMC, FCC (Indiana) and Pennville Custom Cabinetry

Not-for-profit of the Year — Jay County Humane Society, Meridian Health Services, Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition

Young Professional of the Year — Joseph Vormohr, Kyle Love, Tracy Carpenter and Kayla Darby

Innovator of the Year — Donald Cooke II, Sculpt Fitness, Pennville Custom Cabinetry

Dunkirk Community Commitment — Darrin and Eleathia Harding, Logan Nelson and Jack Robbins



Services expanded

CVS Health announced Wednesday that it has expanded programs to help combat opioid abuse.

The company launched a suite of free digital resources for educators to assist with discussing drug abuse. It partnered with Discovery Education.

The curriculum — Dose of Knowledge — features receiver Allen Robinson of the Chicago Bears and goalie Adrianna Franch of the U.S. women’s national soccer team.

“The pandemic has brought new complexities to the way in which prevention and treatment services are provided, but early intervention remains as important as ever,” said CVS Health chief medical officer Troyen Brennan said in a press release. “Our work with Discovery Education accounts for the new definition of a ‘classroom,’ and delivers the same impactful resources to students regardless of their circumstances.”



Walmart commits

Walmart, in a press release Wednesday, announced its goal of becoming a regenerative company.

It set a target of reaching zero emissions by 2040. It also committed to helping “protect, manage or restore” at least 50 million acres of land and 1 million square miles of ocean by 2030.

“We want to play an important role in transforming the world’s supply chains to be regenerative,” said Walmart president and CEO Doug McMillan. “We face a growing crisis of climate change and nature loss, and we all need to take action with urgency. For 15 years, we have been partnering to do the work and continually raising our sustainability ambitions across climate action, nature, waste and people.”



DieHard returns

Carquest, owned and operated by Advance Auto Parts, and the DieHard battery and “Die Hard” movie partnered for a two-minute commercial.

The spot featured Bruce Willis as detective John McClane premiered Sunday during FOX’s broadcast of the NFL game between the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It is part of Carquest and Advance’s #DieHardIsBack marketing campaign.

“I’ve never done any sort of commercial with the John McClane character, but Advance Auto Parts brought an idea to integrate DieHard the battery into the ‘Die Hard’ story through a short film that’s authentic to McClane and both brands,” said Willis in a press release.



NextEra reports

NextEra Energy reported Wednesday that it had a net income of $1.23 billion for the third quarter. That’s up from $879 million during the same quarter last year.

“NextEra Energy delivered strong third-quarter results and remains well-positioned to meet our 2020 and longer-term growth prospects,” said Jim Robo, chairman and CEO of NextEra Energy, which owns operates Bluff Point Wind Energy Center in Jay and Randolph counties. “We grew adjusted earnings per share by more than 11% year-over-year, reflecting strong execution across all of our businesses.

“As a result of the ongoing strength of the renewables development environment and continued execution across all of our businesses, during the quarter we increased and extended our long-term financial expectations.”