I was talking to someone who is quite new to the industry the other day. During the course of our conversation, she said, “Ceramics are really kind of everywhere, aren’t they?” 

The Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorated Products’ (SGCDpro) Deco ’15 kicks off March 21 at the Hilton Easton in Columbus, Ohio.

Over the past two decades, single-stream recycling collection (all recyclables in one bin) has taken root in many communities.

It’s a cruel irony that we’re putting together this thermal processes-focused issue while outdoor temperatures are well below average in many areas of the country.

In my March 2014 column (“Compact Prosecution,” pp. 9-10), I discussed how U.S. patent applicants resorted to filing requests for continued examination (RCE) applications as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) stayed the course on compact prosecution.

Early on in one of my first jobs out of college, my manager and I had spent months prepping a project. I was wringing my hands, worried about the outcome and peppering her with “what-if” scenarios.

 The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) September 7, 2010, Director’s Form: A Blog from USPTO’s Leadership addressed the then current backlog of more than 700,000 applications, efforts to reduce pendency and factors that contribute to examination delays.  

For many companies in the ceramic, glass, brick, refractories and related industries, 2014 has been a year of renewed optimism.

If you’re anything like me, the concept of “taking things easy” is totally foreign. We’ve always got so much to do!

Recognizing the need to protect the environment and conserve valuable energy resources, the Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) announced in December 2008 that its member companies were committed to using at least 50% recycled glass in the manufacture of new glass bottles and jars by 2013.