Commitment to Innovative Treatments
Orano Group subsidiary Orano Med has announced plans for the world’s first dedicated Advanced Thorium Extraction Facility (ATEF) catered toward thorium-228 production in Bessines-sur-Gartempe, located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. Thorium-228 is a precursor of lead-212, which is used for cancer radiotherapy applications. This $265.4 million ATEF project comes after 10 years of industrial manufacturing development by the Maurice Tubiana Laboratory (LTM) and will supply numerous Alpha Therapy Laboratory sites that produce lead-212 drugs. The over 75,000-sq.-ft. plant will boost the LTM’s current production capacity by 10-fold as operations begin in 2027. Combined production capacities of the ATEF and LTM will provide a short-term supply for Orano Med’s clinical trials and commercial launches of the first treatments, within a decade producing 100,000 drug doses annually. The project will create 70 direct jobs in the region.
Dangjin Mayor Oh Seong-hwan, South Chungcheong Province Governor Kim Tae-heum, Hoban Group Chairman Kim Seon-gyu and Taihan Cable Vice Chairman Song Jong-min signed a new project agreement in November 2024.
Photo courtesy of Taihan Cable
Undersea Connections
Korea-based fiber-optic cable manufacturing company Taihan Cable & Solution has announced plans to construct its second submarine cable plant in the Dangjin district of South Korea’s South Chungcheong Province. This location was selected due to its proximity to the company’s current cable factory and its initial submarine cable factory in the region. The $716 million project will be located in the Godae District of the Asan National Industrial Complex in order to meet growing global demand for submarine cables. Facilities will produce 620-kilovolt High-Voltage Direct Current cables and submarine cables for external networks and will also include a vertical continuous extrusion system tower. “Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, is where the domestic production infrastructure of Taihan Cable is concentrated, and as a logistics and transportation hub, it is the optimal location to supply submarine cables to domestic and international markets,” said Taihan Cable Vice Chairman Song Jong-min. “We will quickly build a second submarine cable factory and contribute to Dangjin City emerging as a key region for the domestic submarine cable industry.” The site is anticipated to become operational in 2027.
The $7.8 billion Singapore semiconductor project will be the first facility introduced by the joint venture.
Photo courtesy of NXP Semiconductors
New Vision for Chips Manufacturing
VisionPower Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, a recently formed joint venture pursued by Taiwan-based Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation and Netherlands-based NXP Semiconductors, has officially broken ground on a new $7.8 billion 300-mm. wafer manufacturing plant in Singapore. Initial production at the facility, located in the country’s eastern regional center of Tampines, is set to begin in 2027 and create 1,500 new jobs. The plant anticipates a production capacity of 660,000 wafers annually by 2029. The JV will then analyze the success of this initial phase before considering a second-phase expansion. “Singapore is renowned not only as Asia’s economic hub but also as a beacon of technological innovation,” said VSMC and VIS Chairman Leuh Fang. “We are proud to announce the groundbreaking of our first 12-inch fab in Singapore, which will uphold the company’s core business philosophy, provide specialty IC foundry services, and lay the foundation for our future development. This fab will advance the semiconductor industry and bolster the local high-tech sector.”
Cushman & Wakefield’s Top 10 Most Expensive Main Streets
Source: “Main Streets Across the World 2024,” Cushman & Wakefield
OX Delivers’ new franchise partner, OX East Africa, aims to increase sales and productivity for businesses in the country by moving away from traditional delivery methods.
Photo courtesy of OX Delivers
All-Electric Fleet Heads to Africa
A $163 million contract secured by UK-based e-mobility company OX Delivers will soon drive a new era of trade in East Africa. Announced in December 2024, a multi-year deal will allow the company to meet growing demand and decrease trade barriers for OX Delivers’ services in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi. “This year has been record-breaking for OX Delivers and this deal enables us to significantly accelerate our business model and enhance our ability to deliver affordable, reliable transport-as-a-service to allow our customers’ businesses to prosper,” said OX Delivers CEO and Co-Founder Simon Davis. “In addition, this deal will allow us to explore new markets and introduce new technologies, such as payment apps, to improve our overall customer experience.” Building upon the success of the company’s 2021 pilot program in Rwanda, a new fleet of all-electric trucks will enable goods to travel faster, safer and more efficiently.
