$1 billion composites contract for Alliant

Environmental pressure won’t stunt composites growth (R&D) and improved GROWING environcustomer service, he mental pressures, insays. Many companies cluding the need to are also using mergers reduce styrene emisto develop their sales sions during processinternationally, particing, will affect the comularly in high growth posites industry but areas such as Asiawill not stunt growth, Pacific, Eastern Europe according to a newly and Latin America. released market report. The advantage of this, ‘The European Purewal, is says Market for Fibre-Based reduced cost and risk Composites’, from for each individual Frost and Sullivan, says partner. that while demand in R&D will also the fibre-based comforce the pace of posites market is change in the industry expected to increase The European market for fibre-based composites with large well estabsignificantly up to and % of reuenues by product type -forecast for the year lished manufacturers beyond the end of the 2004 (source Frost & Sullivan). strengthening their millennium, one of the position on the key issues affecting this grounds of quality. High industry is the increase in resenting an average growth R&D costs will make it difenvironmental pressure to rate of 2.4%. ficult for small companies to reduce styrene emissions. According to the study, enter or compete in the This has significantly affectthe drive to improve envimaterials supply side of the ed the way processing and ronmental responsibility by market, particularly in reinfabrication systems are the use of low styrene resins forcements. and enhanced ventilation employed, it adds. The make up of the marOther driving forces in systems is leading to a moveket will also change slightly the industry are identified as ment towards closed mould over the period covered by mergers and acquisitions, systems such as resin transfer the report. Purewal says that research and development, moulding (RTM) where 90% of the current and expansion into new styrene emission is greatly European composites marmarkets. reduced. ket is glass reinforced, but Analyst Jagroop Purewal Purewal also focuses on by 2004 this will fall to forecasts that each applicathe strategic importance of 88.4%, possibly as costs of tion area for fibre-based mergers and acquisitions. carbon fibre continue to fall composites will increase, The companies involved in leading to increased use. although growth rates will these have been able to vary. He adds that the value of the European composites industry is likely to rise from $4. IO billion in 1997 to $4.82 billion by 2004, rep-

increase their customer base and retain their market share, while increasing the resources available for research and development

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$1 billion composites contract for Alliant A CONTRACT potentially worth up to $1 billion over several years to supply composite parts for Boeing Delta 4 launch vehicles has been won by Alliant Techsystems’ Space and Strategic Systems Group. Delta 4 hardware to be manufactured at a new

29 250 m2 plant at Mississippi, includes stages - cone-shaped that shroud the base rocket’s first stage -

Iuka, interskirts of the and

fuel tank support structures. The plant could one day

composite manufacture rocket fairings as well. It is reported that composite

parts for military and commercial aircraft may also be produced there. Alliant intends to scale up its aerospace composites production to compensate for a decline in defence work. Composites currently account for about a fifth of group sales.

OC and Percher complete JV GLASS fibre makers Owens Corning and Glass Holdings Corp, the US subsidiary of Groupe Percher Industries of France, have completed the establishment of a joint venture to own and operate Owens Corning’s former glass fibre yarns and speciality materials business (Reinforced Plastics, September 1998). The new enterprise, Advanced Glassfiber Yarns LLC, which will operate independently of both Owens Corning and Porcher, has annual sales of about $300 million and employs 1500 people globally. Glass Holdings owns 5 I % of the new enterprise. “As Advanced Glassfiber Yarns, we will build upon the industry leadership position that we established as a wholly owned business of Owens Corning with a renewed focus on customer satisfaction and continued market leadership,” says Robert Fisher, president of Advanced Glassfiber Yarns. Based in Aiken, South Carolina, USA, the new venture has three manufacturing facilities: Aiken, manufacturing glass fibre yarns for industrial, construction and electrical markets; Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, manufacturing fine glass fibre yarns and specialty materials for electrical, industrial and construction markets; and South Hill, Virginia, manufacturing fine glass fibre yarns for electrical markets. Owens Corning will continue to represent Advanced Glassfiber Yarns in Asia Pacific and Europe until the joint venture establishes its own organization in those regions. Reinforced Plastics November 1998