Bayer MaterialScience buys composite materials specialist
Through a business acquisition in southern Germany, Bayer MaterialScience has expanded its position on the future-oriented market for composite materials. The company on Monday concluded the takeover of Thermoplast Composite GmbH (TCG) in Langenfeld, near Nuremberg, a technology leader specializing in the production of thermoplastic fiber composites. Bayer MaterialScience will use the acquisition to expand its range of products for important industries and thereby strengthen its leading position.
The company intends to market composites made from continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (composites). This is a new class of particularly thin and lightweight materials, whose properties offer superior performance in existing solutions based on aluminum, for example.
Production expansion planned
The takeover of TCG gives Bayer MaterialScience access to innovative technology know-how as well as key patents and facilities. All employees are to be retained. Bayer MaterialScience plans to expand TCG’s production capacity, the first step being to expand production in the Nuremberg metropolitan region. Capacities in other regions will be added subsequently to optimally supply customers.
Bayer MaterialScience is already active in the development and marketing of composite solutions based on polyurethane systems. “We are seeing significant demand and growth opportunities for composites made from thermoplastic materials such as polycarbonate,” said Dr. Markus Steilemann, member of the company’s Executive Committee and Head of the Polycarbonates Business Unit. “By getting into the development and production of the corresponding composites, we want to become one of the driving forces in this industry. We expect promising opportunities above all in the IT, automotive and transportation industries, as well as in consumer goods, which would further strengthen our position.”
Bayer MaterialScience has long been supplying numerous industries with products and application solutions based on polycarbonate and its associated blends. This material is extremely lightweight, strong, freely formable, easy to process and can be recycled multiple times. The company has also been working for some time now on the development of polycarbonate composites. “By acquiring TCG, we have now filled the last gaps in our processing technology know-how,” said Dr. Olaf Zöllner, Head of Polycarbonate Applications Development for Europe.
Thermoplast Composite GmbH was established in 2007 and currently has twelve employees. In addition to performance fiber composites with a thermoplastic matrix, the company also specializes in ultra-lightweight foams and engineering services.
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