Business and industry

Danish manufacturer Fibertex Nonwovens is expanding its production capacity in Brazil by 20% in order to accommodate growing demand for its products from the automotive and other industries.

Scania Growth Capital of Södertälje, Sweden, is investing SEK35 million in its compatriot Arlöv-based Corebon AB, the developer of an induction heating method for curing composite parts.

In Germany, Kroenert GmbH & Co KG owner ATH Altonaer-Technologie-Holding GmbH of Hamburg has agreed to purchase Coatema Coating Machinery GmbH of Dormagen.

Jacob Holm of Basel, Switzerland, is simplifying its supply chain for hydroentangled aramid (Kevlar and Nomex from DuPont of Wilmington, Delaware, USA) protective fabrics.

Teijin Ltd  of Tokyo, Japan, is positioning itself as one of the largest suppliers of composites to the automotive industry with its acquisition of component manufacturer Inapal Plasticos SA of Por

Teijin Group subsidiary Continental Structural Plastics (CSP) is to invest approximately €5.1-million to install a sheet moulding compound (SMC) line at its facility in Pouance, France.

July was a busy month for Solvay of Brussels, Belgium, with the company signing extensions to contracts for the supply of its composites with Airbus, Spirit AeroSystems and Safran.

After working together for more than 20 years, composites supplier Hexcel Corp of Stamford, Connecticut, USA,  and distribution company Groupe Gazechim Composites are to establish a joint venture t

Fibre-based products manufacturer Domtar of Fort Mill, South Carolina, has bought a majority interest in lignin composites specialist Prisma Renewable Composites of Knoxville, Tennessee, both in th

Glen Raven Technical Fabrics (GRTF)’s automotive headliner and speciality industrial fabrics business is to be merged into the business of composites manufacturer Shawmut Corp.

Andritz AG of Graz, Austria, has bought a 70% stake in manufacturer of converting machines for the hygiene and food packaging industries Diatec Srl of Collecorvino, Italy.

A €40-million production facility for the manufacture of finishing machinery has been opened in Abtenham, Germany, by Brückner Textile Technologies GmbH & Co KG.

Archroma of Reinach has acquired all of the shares of M. Dohmen of San Vittore (both in Switzerland), a producer of textile dyes and chemicals for the automotive, carpet and apparel sectors.

A facility for the manufacture of high-modulus glass fibre products is to be established in China by Chongqing Polycomp International Corp of Chongqing following the signing of a strategic cooperat

Two partners are considering building a plant in São Paulo, Brazil, that will have the capacity to produce 450 kt a a year of dissolving wood pulp (DWP).

Americhem Inc of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA, is expanding its capabilities for solution dyeing through the acquisition of Prescient Color Ltd of Pune, India.

Norafin Americas has completed the construction of a hydroentanglement line at its new production site in Mills River, North Carolina, USA.

PolyOne Corp of Avon Lake, Ohio, has bought long fibre-reinforced thermoplastics (LFT) specialist PlastiComp of Winona, Minnesota, both in the USA.

DuPont Safety & Construction is to invest more than US$400 million to increase its capacity for the manufacture of Tyvek nonwovens at its facility in Contern, Luxembourg.

Prague, Czechia-based investment firm R2G, which owns a majority interest in Pegas Nonwovens, is to acquire First Quality Enterprises’ nonwovens operations in the USA and China.

Teijin Ltd of Tokyo, Japan,  has broken ground on a carbon fibre production facility in Greenwood, South Carolina, USA, to be operated by its subsidiary Teijin Carbon Fibers (TCF) Inc. 

Prompted by strong demand, Royal DSM of Heerlen, The Netherlands, is to increase its production capacity for ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibre (Dyneema).

Teijin Ltd is looking to boost its carbon fibre business in East Asia with the establishment of Teijin Carbon Shanghai Co Ltd in China and Teijin Carbon Taiwan Inc in Taipei.

Oerlikon has bought long-term partner AC-Automation GmbH & Co KG, an engineering company specializing in large-scale plant automation technology for the textile and packaging industries.

Zoltek is to increase production capacity by 50% at its carbon fibre plant in Nyergesújfalu, Hungary.

Composite reinforcements specialist Metyx Group is to establish a technical textiles division in the USA through the acquisition of a manufacturing facility in Ranlo, North Carolina.

Xeros Technology Group has bought US provider of cleaning, inspection and repair services for firefighter personal protection equipment (PPE) Gloves Inc.

Toray Industries is to buy TenCate Advanced Composites (TCAC) from Koninklijke Ten Cate for €930 million.

As part of its plan to produce cheap, high-quality carbon fibre using a plasma oxidation process, Woodland Holdings of Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, is to change its name to 4M Carbon Fiber.

Andritz is to supply a needlepunch line (neXline) for the manufacture of geotextiles to Manifattura Fontana.

Sandler AG has reported that its turnover of €319 million in 2017 was up by 10% in comparison with 2016.

Freudenberg Performance Materials' Chief Technology Officer (CTO) will take over as the company's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from 1 April 2018.

LyondellBasell, one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world, is to buy A. Schulman Inc for US$2.25 billion.

Thin-ply prepreg specialist North Thin Ply Technology (NTPT) and watchmaker Richard Mille have signed a long-term collaboration and exclusive supply agreement, part of which will see NTPT expand it

Teijin is launching a range of polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) compounds made with resin technologies developed by Initz Co Ltd and is building a new resin plant in Thailand.

Kaneka Corp, via its wholly owned subsidiary, Kaneka Aerospace (KAE), has acquired the commercial rights, technologies and patents of Henkel's benzoxazine-based high performance composites business

Automotive textiles and seat components manufacturer Trèves TSC Group of Paris, France, has changed its name to Tesca.

Thermoplastics compounder RTP Co is to open a 7990-m² manufacturing facility in Wroclaw, Poland. 

Sweden’s Trelleborg Group has, through its Italy-based Trelleborg Coated Systems business area, acquired privately owned British company Dartex, which manufactures coated fabrics primarily for the

Two contracts with a total value of €460 million for polyester (PES) yarn spinning technology have been awarded to Oerlikon Barmag by a pair of leading Chinese manmade fibres manufacturers.

There will be a change in leadership for Ahlstrom-Munksjö of Stockholm, Sweden, when its current President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jan Åström retires in 2018.

Karl Mayer of Obertshausen, Germany, has set-up a company to develop digital technologies for the machinery builder. 

Ahlsell is cementing its position as a supplier of workwear and personal protective equipment (PPE), snapping-up two companies operating in this market in the space of a week. 

Pegas Nonwovens is to relocate its headquarters.

Thread manufacturer Coats is adding high-performance yarn producer Patrick Yarn Mill to its growing list of acquisitions. 

Reifenhäuser Reicofil GmbH & Co KG is to supply Pegas Nonwovens with a semi-commercial RF5 production line for its plant in Znojmo-Přímětice, Czech Republic.

Teijin Frontier is to build a research and development (R&D) centre in Thailand to support its comprehensive production network for polyester (PES) fibres in the country.  

Hexcel Corp of Stamford has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Aerospace & Defense (A&D) business of Oxford Performance Materials (OPM) of South Windsor, both in Connecticut

Multiaxials producer Saertex USA has reorganized its processes at its facility in Huntersville, North Carolina, to assist in its growth in North American markets. 

Leigh Delaware Holdings is further targetting recycling with its plan to buy J.E. Herndon Co, which sources and reprocesses cotton by-products, and sells the resulting fibres.