JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #65 - May/June 2011 - 5

Building Materials businesses in Europe.
JEC Composites Magazine: At the JEC Show in Paris, you launched a large number of new products. If we were to identify a trend, what would it be?

A.G. : Developing countries including China, Russia, Brazil, Mexico and India continue to have a significant impact on the demand for composites. Today, these countries represent a full third of total demand for composite materials worldwide, and analysts expect growth rates to continue to be strong. We are working with end-use customers in these countries to develop composite solutions to meet their JCM: Do all your plants needs. Owens Corning has produce only boron-free fibres operations in all five countries and now? If so, how do you is especially strong in Asia with Other upcoming challenges should also promote the use of composites. For example, by 2020, all new buildings must have a positive energy yield. With this in mind, we have participated in the development of the Twinea range of window frames which won a JEC Award in 2010. Twinea increases energy savings and is used instead of metal reinforcements. Another example is reducing the weight of automobiles for which we also offer solutions.
Owens Corning also launched: - the SE1550 multi-compatible single-end Type 30® roving for fabrics and prepregs designed for all resin systems and optimized for weavers;

A.G. : Today, nearly all of our plants are producing boron-free Advantex glass. Owens Corning’s patented Advantex technology platform yields a 40% reduction in ARNAUD GENIS : One of our CO2/SO2 and a 75% reduction in main objectives is to reduce the NOx over traditional E-glass gap between carbon fibres and technology. Our melting glass fibres by developing new technology allows us to not only fibreglass products. We are already offset, but improve our overall well advanced in this process. energy consumption after the These new products are aimed at removal of boron. Our melters are markets such as large-capacity higher in energy efficiency and wind turbines, aircraft interior parts lower in total emissions than ever and the automotive industry with before. new means for supplying energy.

flooded lead-acid batteries for stop-start engine systems; - two grades of short glass fibre reinforcements for polypropylene (PP) to provide alternatives to short glass fibre reinforced polyamide (PA) and long glass fibre reinforced PP; -Hydrostrand™ high-performance chopped strand glass fibre for PPS composites in high-temperature fluid applications.

JCM: What are the sectors targeted by your recent and future expansion in China, Russia and other countries?

overcome the higher cost generated by their higher melting point?

2,600 employees at 14 facilities, including both its Building Materials and Composite Solutions businesses. As financial resources increase in these economies, there are greater opportunities to supply composite materials to build durable infrastructures and avoid the high cost of early replacement. Demand for corrosion resistance is evident throughout the manufacturing, construction, infrastructure, and transportation sectors to replace steel and concrete.
- a high-performance reinforcement for long-span pultrusion applications; - OC HiLight™ multi-end roving, which features a proprietary sizing that delivers unmatched clarity, dedicated to applications including skylights, cladding, greenhouses and other architectural applications. The glass fibre specialist released two reference guides to optimize the selection and use of high-performance composite solutions: "Composite Solutions Reinforcement Guide" and "Glass Fiber Reinforcement Chemical Resistance Guide", which are both available online. n

JCM: As Group President of Owens Corning's Composite Solutions Business, what is your vision for your company?

No65 May –June 2011 / jec composites magazine

A.G. : In 1935, Owens Corning invented the glass fiberization process, and over the last eight decades we have continued to transform the industry through our invention of E-glass, Advantex, Silentex, Twintex, and other market-leading innovations. We will continue to leverage our materials science knowledge combined with our global footprint and local presence to grow our business, deliver solutions for our customers and add value for our shareholders. n
More information: www.owenscorning.com

http://www.owenscorning.com

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #65 - May/June 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #65 - May/June 2011