JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #63 - March 2011 - 19

In 2001, CPIC opened up its capital, and Saudi Arabian Amiantit Corp. acquired 21% of CPIC’s shares. For three years, CPIC continued its adaptation process, merging with CGF. In 2006, Carlyle Corvette CoInvestment acquired 26% of CPIC’s shares. On the production side of things, CPIC started up an ECR glass furnace in 2005 with an annual capacity of 40,000 metric tons (the world’s largest at the time). Things went very quickly after that. The market for composites was growing rapidly, and the company kept on increasing its production capacities. By the end of 2006, its total annual capacity had reached 200,000 metric tons (MT); the following year it reached 300,000 MT, and in 2008, 420,000 MT. By then, CPIC had 10 manufacturing plants operating in three locations in China, with its headquarters in Chongqing.
Glass-fibre distribution by application

China glass-fibre application sectors & distribution

Glass-fibre consumption distribution in China

Processor demand distribution in China

unit: %

Construction EEE Transport
33.9% 20.8% 15.7%

Pipe

Industrial Environment Energy Other
9.9% 2.1% 1.1% 4.2%

12.5%

E-glass and ECR glass manufacturers in China. Its current production makes CPIC one of the world’s top three glassfibre producers, with a quality appreciated by customers worldwide. CPIC has also organized its capital structure and has the solid references to meet future challenges. The group employs 5,000 people.

(AFG), a joint venture between Saudi group Saleh & Abdulaziz Abahsain Co. Ltd. and Glass Strand Inc., a leading ECR-technology provider from the USA. S & A Abahsain was founded in Al Khobar in 1947 and is one of the top 50 companies in Saudi Arabia. CPIC and AFG, which produces ECR-glass fibre in Bahrain, have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint venture for the project, and they plan to invest between $200 million and $300 million in the new joint venture. The plan is to set up a glass-fibre unit with a capacity of 200,000 tons per year. The project will cover an area of 45,000 square meters in the Bahrain International Investment Park, BIIP. In August 2009, Abahsain commenced production at its new $65 million glass-fibre manufacturing facility at the BIIP, with an annual production capacity of 60,000 tons. The new Bahrain-based operation will create 1,000 to 1,200 jobs.

Consumption distribution: North America (USA)

Europe

Construction Transport EEE Industrial Consumer Other
30-35 38.5 31 25-30 27.7 25 12-14 11 11.8 12-15 10.6 11.5 4-6 7.8 9.7 7-10 4.4 11

Global

North America (USA) Europe

CPIC launched its boron- and fluorinefree ECT glass in 2008 and its highstrength, high-modulus TM glass in 2009. Both grades are environment friendly. Today, the company is one of the leading

Expanding outside China

Last August, CPIC announced the construction of a glass-fibre unit in Bahrain in partnership with Bahrainbased Abahsain Fiberglass ME

No63 March 2011 / jec composites magazine
unit: %

Remarks
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Total consumption 1,300M-1,400M tons Total consumption around 1,200M tons

The first furnace, with an annual capacity of 30,000 tons, was fully operational in summer 2008. The joint venture built a second 30,000

Companies & Business

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #63 - March 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #63 - March 2011