Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1197147
January 2020 / 21 technology and business coopera- tion agreement with Mitsuishi High Ceram Co. Ltd. for an initial 3-year term. The cooperation is in the field of refractory materials applied in the foundry industry, and it will improve the production technol- ogy and quality of CRE's products. China Rare Earth Holdings, Mitsuishi High Ceram sign technology and business cooperation agreement China Rare Earth Holdings Ltd. (CRE), Hong Kong, a manufacturer of rare earth and refractory prod- ucts, announced it has signed a manufacturing processes for effect pigments. In late September, the company celebrated the placement of the new structure's last beam at the Gernsheim site, which has the company's largest pigment produc- tion facility and employs around 750 people. The facility is a €28 million investment (about US$31 million) that will help the company better serve customers. Operations on the new production line are planned to begin in the second half of 2021. Merck is a global science and technology company specializing in performance, healthcare, and life science materials. Greenbrier announces new covered hopper railcar for grains Greenbrier Co. Inc., Lake Oswego, OR, has announced a newly designed, covered hopper railcar to transport grains, which was shown at the Railway Interchange 2019 event in September 2019. The covered hopper railcar integrates the Tsunami Gate, a state-of-the-art door-and-hatch system that permits shippers to customize the grain discharge speed. The railcar has a capacity of 5,185 cubic feet, and the car's 50-foot, 6-inch length means that it's shorter than traditional models to allow more railcars per fixed amount of track. The rail- car's shape provides aerodynamic performance with reduced drag for less fuel consumption during shipping and lower operating costs for the customers. The railcar is designed with align-to-close tabs on the material gate to ensure the Tsunami Gate is closed, locked, and sealed for transport; it also comes with automated unloading for worker safety. The company is an international supplier of equipment and services to global freight trans- portation markets.