ATP to sell

industry news

DIAB embarks on expansion TO MEET increased demand for rigid polyvinyl

chloride

foam core materials wich

composites,

Group

(formerly

Polimex

Group)

US$14 million ment

plan.

(PVC)

for sandthe

DIAB

Divinycell is starting

capital

a

invest-

This is aimed

The

investment

will

be

for

wider

applications.

spread across DIAB’s three man-

Ljundberg

ufacturing

intends

to

organic

growth

Sweden,

plants at Laholm in Longarone

in

Italy,

says the

company

concentrate rather

finishing

not rule out the possibility

operation

in Sydney,

Australia.

although

selected acquisitions,

DIAB president

Bo Ljund-

the core business,

he does

and if they

provide

duction capacity during the next

one of objectives of the compa-

accessing new technology.

12 months. The company claims

ny’s ambitious

to be world’s number one suppli-

is to double the size of the busi-

include

er of rigid PVC foams with its

ness in the next five years. This

produce

Divinycell and Klegecell product

he

Klegecell

ranges.

through expansion

says

expansion

will

be

plan

achieved in key mar-

kets such as transportation

and

recent buy-out by Swedish investment group Atle of the

wind energy, by strengthening

shares of the other owner of the

southern

company,

and the reintroduc-

the

company’s

in

regions, and by

its product

opportunities for the

range

for

future

increased

also

capacity

Divinycell kits with

to and

the

foam

already cut to shape and ready for use. The company option is becoming

Europe, Asia Pacific

and developing developing

presence

Plans

of

if they fit

berg told Reinforced Plastics that

tion of the DIAB name.

than

acquisitions,

at

follows the

on

DeSoto in Texas, USA, and its

achieving a 30% increase in pro-

This investment

ATP to sell

plan

says this

more popu-

lar with customers

because

it

offers them faster production, higher waste.

quality

and

reduced

SP Systems opens new HQ SP SYSTEMS has officially opened its new corporate headquarters

and

manufacturing

facility on the outskirts of Newport, Isle of Wight, UK. The new building is designed to accommodate the company’s continued growth; turnover for this year is expected to be around $40 million, double last year’s figure. According to SP’s head SF’ Systems’ new HQ houses production and logistics,research and development laboratories and a technical service centre.

of technology management, David Cripps, growth has come from the manufacturing

side as

the company keeps up with increased demand for its products. The new facility houses a multi-million new pound prepreg manufacturing line, which was designed and built to SP’s requirements. The line quadruples current capacity to over 8 million m2 per year. Measuring over 27 m long and 6 m high it is capable of pro-

14

RElNFDRCEDplastics

ducing heavyweight materials in widths up to 2 m. These products are required by wind turbine blade makers, which now account for around 75% of SP’s business, as well as the marine and transportation industries. Running parallel to the prepreg line is the company’s main formulated products

October

1999

manufacturing facility produces laminating

which resins,

adhesives and coating systems. The company says that its existing prepreg facility in Newport will continue to operate for the foreseeable future. The company is already planning to extend the new facility so that the existing production space will be doubled.

ADVANCED Technical Products Inc (ATP), Roswell, Georgia, USA, has entered into a merger agreement with a subsidiary of The Veritas Capital Fund LP to sell the company for $135 million, including debt. ATP develops and manufactures composite materials and products and is the parent company of five divisions that include Lincoln Composites, Lunn Marion Composites, Industries, Alcore Inc, and Intellitec. The company had 1998 sales of $165 million. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 1999.

Wood industry calls on FRP A NEW generation of composite materials that combine wood and fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) is the aim of a research agreement between four US organisations. FRP/wood technologies are expected to allow wood proemploy lower ducers to strength grades of wood by contributing increased tensile strength to their products. Researchers at the University of Maine have shown that adding only 1% by volume of FRP to selected areas of engineered wood structures can increase product strength by up to 46%. The agreement was signed by the University of Maine Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Centre (AEWC), the USDA Forest Products Laboratory, APA-The Engineered Wood Association, and Market the Development Alliance (MDA) of the FRP Composites Industry. Key objectives include coordinated R&D and evaluation of materials that meet the needs of the wood industry for new products.