JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #43 - September 2008 - 8

COMPANIES COMPANIES SGL receives grant to develop carbon-fibre precursor European Precursor GmbH (EPG) in Kelheim, Bavaria, Germany, is a joint venture between SGL Group and Lenzing Group which was founded at the end of 2006. As announced on July 17, 2008, EPG will receive a grant totalling €6 million for the development of a high-tech carbonfibre precursor under the "Bavaria FIT" programme for the promotion of research, innovation and technology. The funds will be used to operate a pilot plant and new research facilities at the site that the company will build in Kelheim. EPG intends to develop and supply carbon-fibre precursor exclusively for SGL Group from its European production units. Since the joint venture was created, both parties have jointly invested around €20 million in an initial production facility for a standard-grade precursor based on polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibres for industrial applications, and particularly the wind energy sector. There are medium-term plans to invest up to €50 million in further capacity expansions. SGL Group is planning to invest a total of around €300 million in the fast-growing carbon fibre market in order to increase its own capacity up to 12,000 tonnes p.a. by 2012. This includes the construction of a new production site in Germany. At the beginning of 2009, SGL Group will have reached a capacity of approx. 6,000 tonnes p.a. at its sites in Evanston (Wyoming/USA) and Inverness (Scotland). www.sglcarbon.com Teijin to acquire GH Craft and open R&D centre Teijin Limited announced on June 12, 2008 that it will acquire a majority stake in GH Craft Ltd., a proven manufacturer with outstanding technologies in advanced composite materials. The tentatively named Teijin Composites Innovation Centre will be set up on the premises of GH Craft in Gotemba in the Shizuoka Prefecture. The centre will integrate key R&D and marketing functions for advanced composites within the Teijin Group. The Group is actively involved in the development of carbon fibre reinforced plastics for cars, aircrafts, marine vessels, industrial robots and wind power generators. The new centre will enable Teijin to work in close collaboration with automotive manufacturers. www.teijin.co.jp Italy’s first composite recycling plant The Boeing Company and Alenia Aeronautica will establish Italy's first composite recycling facility, which will be located in Southern Italy, as announced on July 15, 2008. Together with partners Milled Carbon (based in Birmingham, U.K.), Karborek (based in Puglia, Italy), and ENEA (Italian National Agency for new Technologies Energy and the Environment), the two companies have signed a letter of intent to apply their expertise and work with academia to advance industry knowledge on how to recycle composite airplane parts into reusable materials for manufacturing. The composite recycling facility, which is expected to be operational in mid- to late 2009, will be located in Italy's Puglia region, near the Alenia Aeronautica manufacturing centre and its supply chain production centres. When fully operational, the centre is expected to process an average of 1,000 metric tonnes of composite scrap annually and boost the regional economy with approximately 75 new jobs. www.boeing.com Owens Corning more than doubles composite capacity in Russia On July 29, 2008, Owens Corning announced that the production capacity of its glass fibre composite facility in GousKhrustalny, Russia, will be more than doubled to meet growing global demand. The expanded facility in Russia will produce a complete range of composite products. It will incorporate the company's patented Advantex® and advanced glassmelting technology platforms. Owens Corning acquired the Gous-Khrustalny production facility as part of its 2007 acquisition of Saint-Gobain's composite businesses. The growth rate of glass fibre composite demand in Russia is estimated to be greater than 10% per year, and growing at nearly twice the rate of the gross domestic product (GDP) around the world. Construction is planned to begin in 2008, with start-up anticipated by the end of 2009. The facility will continue full production during the expansion process. www.owenscorning.com begin production in the second half of 2009. Hexcel is already expanding its wind energy prepreg operations to meet growing worldwide demand and will open a new facility in Tianjin, China, later this year. www.hexcel.com DSM plans large investment to increase capacity DSM Composite Resins has embarked upon an extensive engineering study aiming for a large-scale expansion of its manufacturing facilities in Compiègne, France. If the plant expansion gets the go-ahead, the capacity will be increased by up to 20,000 tonnes per year, particularly for specialty products. The goal is to produce specialty resins that will accommodate market growth, both in Hexcel strengthens prepreg production for the US wind energy sector Hexcel announced in its 2nd quarter earnings release that it will be setting up a new glass prepreg plant in Colorado to support the emerging North American wind turbine blade industry. The new plant will JEC Composites Magazine / No43 September 2008

http://www.sglcarbon.com http://www.teijin.co.jp http://www.boeing.com http://www.hexcel.com http://www.owenscorning.com

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #43 - September 2008

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