Owens Corning boosts CFM production

Owens Corning boosts CFM production

BUSINESS Umeco targets China’s wind energy market UMECO plc’s Process Materials business, part of Umeco Composites, is establishing a joint venture c...

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BUSINESS

Umeco targets China’s wind energy market UMECO plc’s Process Materials business, part of Umeco Composites, is establishing a joint venture company in Shanghai with its distributor Shanghai Leadgo Technology Co Ltd to manufacture vacuum bagging films for the wind energy market in China. The joint venture company, Shanghai Umeco Composites Co Ltd, will be 51% owned by Umeco Composites Ltd, with Leadgo having a 49% stake. The facility in Shanghai is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2011. Umeco estimates its investment in the Chinese joint

venture will total RMB28 million (approximately US$4.1 million). Leadgo will make a similar investment. Umeco currently manufactures the vacuum bagging films supplied to Leadgo for China at its facility in Italy (IPM). Umeco expects that the global growth in the wind energy market will allow IPM to back-fill its production capacity once production for the Chinese market moves to the joint venture. IPM will receive a technology royalty from the joint venture once production starts. UMECO; www.umeco.com

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Toho Tenax Europe GmbH has begun full operation of the fourth carbon fibre production line at its Oberbruch plant in Germany. The 1700 ton capacity line was completed in August 2009, but its start-up was postponed as a result of falling demand for carbon fibre. Toho Tenax expects global carbon fibre sales to increase about 15% annually from this year.



Bombardier Aerospace has inaugurated the facility at its site in the Querétaro Aerospace Park, Mexico, which will be responsible for the fabrication of the major composite structures of the Learjet 85 business jet. The 8-10 passenger Learjet 85 will be the first Bombardier Aerospace aircraft to feature fuselage and wing built primarily from carbon composites. The construction of the 185 000 ft2 manufacturing centre in Mexico was completed in July and fabrication of parts for the first aircraft is now underway.

Gurit invests in China SWISS composite materials company GURIT has officially inaugurated the new production site of its Red Maple tooling business in China. The facility allows for the development and manufacture of large blade moulds for wind turbines of up to 7 MW.

Gurit has also announced that it will double the manufacturing capacity for its PVCell™ G-Foam polyvinyl chloride (PVC) core materials in China. These products are designed for use in the manufacture of wind turbine blades for the Chinese market.

The new production site in Taicang, China, more than doubles the shop floor space of Red Maple. The total investment cost is about CHF15 million.

The expansion of production capacity for Gurit’s newly PVC-based core material range at China Techno Foam in Qingdao, China, will result in an investment of some CHF5 million. The new capacity is scheduled to become operational in 2011. Gurit acquired a majority stake in China Techno Foam Co Ltd in October 2009.

Gurit acquired Suzhou Red Maple Wind Blade Mould Co Ltd, a producer of wind turbine blade moulds based in Taicang, at the end of 2009 for around CHF30 million in 2009. With the new Red Maple site, Gurit can address growing international demand and the growing trend to longer moulds. 

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Gurit says that the PVCell G-Foam family has met with positive customer response since its market launch in August. Gurit; www.gurit.com

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

agreement with GRPMS covering its portfolio of high-performance composites and structural adhesives products in France. From 1 December, GRPMS will take over Ashland’s distribution and agency accounts from Azelis France (Arnaud SA) and will distribute Ashland’s polyester, acrylic, phenolic and vinyl ester resins (including the Derakane™ brand), Pliogrip™ structural adhesives, gel-coats and low-profile additives.



Wind Energy Services Company (WES), a US provider of maintenance and repair services for wind turbine blades, nacelles and spinners, is relocating its base of operations to Gainesville, Texas. WES is part of Molded Fiber Glass Companies (MFG), a US manufacturer of composite components for various industries. The MFG Gainesville facility currently produces wind turbine blades and other large products.



3A Composites Core Materials now offers a Chinese version of its website under www.corematerials. 3acomposites.com/asia-australia to enhance its online service and support in the region.





The Alpha Corporation, parent company of AOC LLC, is celebrating 50 years as a global enterprise with the opening of its new world headquarters in Piperton, Tennessee, USA. AOC is a global supplier of resins, gel-coats, colorants and additives for the composites and cast polymer industries.



Ashland Performance Materials has signed a distribution

The State of California has awarded Lotus Engineering a US$2 million study into efficient, lightweight cars of the future. It will consider vehicle design using a mixture of materials, including aluminium, magnesium, composites, steel and plastics. The first part of the study, completed in April, recognised that a reduction in vehicle mass of 38% can be achieved for medium volume vehicles (around 50 000 units a year) with just an increase in 3% in vehicle cost and giving a 23% reduction in fuel consumption.

Owens Corning boosts CFM production OWENS CORNING has re-started a second production line for continuous filament mat (CFM) glass reinforcements at its facility in Besana, Italy, in response to growing market demand. The second CFM line at Besana was shut down in 2008 as a result of the global economic downturn.

“As demand for specific glass fibre products regains strength, we will respond quickly and adjust our reinforcement production to provide the materials our customers need,” explains Chuck Dana, group president, Composite Solutions at Owens Corning. Owens Corning; www.owenscorning.com

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