JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #50 - July/August 2009 - 12

COMPANIES COMPANIES much larger enterprises. AN INTERVIEW WITH GENELLE COGHLAN, MANAGING DIRECTOR, COLAN AUSTRALIA JEC Composites Magazine: How did you become a professional in composite? GENELLE COGHLAN: In 2004, when my father retired. Previously I have worked as a solicitor and in the hotel industry. I had grown up in and out of the mill, but as a girl was not much interested in the products. Now I am very interested in the products and love the manufacturing of composite products especially the R&D side. JCM: What were the major steps of enterprise development? G. C.: The Colan business, which was started by my father, has evolved over 50 years with the development of composites. We started with manufacturing casing for televisions in the 50s and wove the speaker cloth. This changed to fibreglass for the surfing industry and it has evolved from there. JCM: What are the strengths of Colan Australia today? G. C.: Colan's strengths are that we can work closely in R&D with our customers to have a personalised product, and as we are small we can adapt quickly and do smaller runs to suit our customers' needs. JCM: What about the weaknesses or threats? G. C.: Our weaknesses are that we are small and subject to competition from These fabrics can be made in custom widths from 100 mm to 1,270 for all styles, except biaxial and unidirectional. Biaxial and unidirectional fabrics can be produced in widths from 58 mm to 3,300 mm. Colan offers an extensive range of weight ratios from 260 g/m² to 1,600 g/m², with or without chopped mat or tissue attached. These products are certified with Det Norske Veritas (DNV) approval. The fabrics comprise one or more layers JCM: What is the turnover of the company and how many person works in the R&D department? G. C.: We have an R&D department of 4 people - from QA to manufacturing expertise. As a family private company our figures are confidential. JCM: What are the main sectors of application you provide? G. C.: We provide to all types of transport including aerospace, sporting goods, marine, industrial, mining, pipes and defence. JCM: How to split the business between domestic and international market? G. C.: 60% domestic and 40% international. JCM: What other areas where you are present? G. C.: We are working with insulation and safety and protective technical textiles as well as composites. JCM: What are the main characteristics of the australian composite market and what do you expect? G. C.: The Australian composite market is growing as end users are converting to the benefits of composites. Whilst many old school composite businesses are happy to stay with traditional methods there is a great deal of interest in new methods for composites and new fibres and weaves/stitched fabrics. We work closely with engineers and designers to develop new products to suit the growing needs and new products the market requires. of fibres, chopped strands and fabrics with varying orientation that are stitched together with a lightweight thread to make up a fabric with the required properties for the application. Multi-axial fabric can also be made using hybrid combinations. Chopped fibreglass strands or chopped strand mat can be added to some of the above multi-axial fabrics. Other fabrics can be manufactured using up to seven layers that provide lamination benefits to the final customer. JCM: What are your development priorities for the next 5 years? G. C.: Colan is working closely with customers and suppliers to develop relationships that will not only benefit the company but also our partners, through testing of new fibres and development of new products. The testing of new fibres available particularly Innegra S(TM) is of particular interest to us and to our customers as it is allowing a new flexibility into the market of yarns, and providing exciting new products such as sports cars and surf boards that are lighter and stronger than previously available. Through Composites Australia we are also keen to support training programmes for the industry, and help trainees understand the benefits of various fibres and solutions. JCM: Can you tell us what is the biggest challenge today for the company? G. C.: At the moment the current economic crisis makes planning and operations difficult. As we import all our fibres, getting supply chains effectively and economically is difficult. JCM: Do you imagine development in the natural fibre reinforcement? G. C.: Australia is an abundant country and the development of natural fibres is a great prospect for us. Unfortunately as a small country we do not have an abundance of spinners. Both hemp and flax can be grown here and is being grown here so we look forward to its commercialization for use in composites. The high-performance composite woven fabrics are manufactured in various weave patterns, principally plain, twill, unidirectional, crowsfoot and satin weaves. The weight range is comprehensive, from 25 g/m² to 690 g/m², in widths from 640 mm to 2,000 mm. Custom-designed fabrics including hybrids with different fibres are also available. 12 jec composites magazine / No50 July-August 2009

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #50 - July/August 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #50 - July/August 2009