Business and industry

A UK-based specialist in technical textiles has invested £1 million to upgrade one of its coating plants.

Reichhold Group of Durham, North Carolina, USA and Polynt of Scanzorosciate, Italy, have agreed a merger that will create a global manufacturer of composite resins, coatings and other speciality ch

London, UK-based distribution and outsourcing group Bunzl is to acquire two German incontinence product businesses, Mohage and Inkozell.

Vestagen Technical Textiles, which produces high-performance textiles for healthcare and other demanding applications, has changed its name to Vestagen Protective Technologies.

As part of a significant growth programme, North Thin Ply Technology (NTPT) is expanding its offering of conventional-weight prepreg following the installation of equipment at its facility in Zory,

SCA has appointed Georg Schmundt-Thomas as the new President of the group’s Global Hygiene Category.

Mogul Nonwovens of Gaziantep, Turkey, has invested in three hydroentanglement lines, two for its new plant in Luleburgaz, Turkey, and one for its new North American facility in Gray Court, South Ca

Solvay Engineering Plastics is establishing a dedicated part testing laboratory in Shanghai, China, to support its customers in the Asia region. 

BASF of Ludwigshafen, Germany, has signed an agreement to sell its global Polyolefin Catalysts business to W.R. Grace & Co of Columbia, Maryland, USA. 

Tricol International Group, a Marshall Islands-based producer of microfibres, together with its 100% wholly owned Oregon, USA-based subsidiary Tricol Biomedical, has acquired HemCon Medical Technol

Faurecia has sold its Automotive Exteriors Business to Plastic Omnium, following the completion of the information and consultation procedures with the relevant employee representatives.

Santex, a specialist in machinery for textile finishing, has entered the business of weaving machinery after completing its acquisition of one of the world’s leading loom builders, SMIT.

Machine builder Trützschler Nonwovens & Man-Made Fibers GmbH has agreed to sell its entire staple fibre business to the Manmade Fibers Segment of the Oerlikon Group.

Aerospace composites manufacturer Albany International Corp of Rochester, New Hampshire, USA, has completed the acquisition of Harris Corp’s composite aerostructures division in Salt Lake City, Uta

Aliancys has installed a sheet moulding compound (SMC) line at its research and development (R&D) facilities in Zwolle, The Netherlands, which the company will use for joint development project

Aerospace composites manufacturer Albany International Corp of Rochester, New Hampshire, USA, has completed the acquisition of Harris Corp’s composite aerostructures division in Salt Lake City, Uta

Quickstep Holdings is entering the South Korean automotive market through a sales contract it has signed with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).

Teijin Frontier Co Ltd has established a subsidiary in Mexico City, Mexico, to serve the automotive industry.

US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter today announced that the Advanced Functional Fibers of America (AFFOA) Institute, a non-profit organization, has won the right to run the latest US National Ne

Custom compression moulder and compounder of sheet-moulding compound (SMC) R3 Composites of Grabill, Indiana, USA, has set up a subsidiary that will supply multi-material nonwoven products to both

Continental Structural Plastics (CSP) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mitsubishi Rayon Co Ltd (MRC) to develop carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) structural components for t

Uniquetex, a manufacturer of nonwoven fabrics for medical and healthcare providers, is to open its first US production facility in Cleveland County, North Carolina, USA.

Ontex of Zele, Belgium, a producer of personal hygiene products for babies and adults, has completed the acquisition of Grupo P.I. Mabe of Puebla, Mexico.

Glatfelter has chosen Fort Smith, Arkansas, as the location for its first airlaid manufacturing facility in the USA.

Johns Manville (JM) is to expand its glass fibre plant in Etowah, Tennessee, USA, to meet the increasing needs of the thermoplastics industry. 

SABIC has purchased a majority stake in fibre-reinforced thermoplastic unidirectional (UD) tapes producer Fibre Reinforced Thermoplastics (FRT) BV.

Albany International Corp has agreed to acquire Harris Corp’s composite aerostructures division for US$210 million, including the assumption of a $23 million capital lease. 

Duvaltex, a Québec, Canada-based textile holding company that owns North American textile manufacturer Victor Textiles, has acquired all of the True Textiles business units, including True, Guilfor

Evonik Industries is to build a production line for polyamide (PA) 12 powder in Marl, Germany—increasing the company’s annual capacity for PA 12 powders by 50%

Nonwovens producer Fibertex Personal Care has established another production line in Malaysia to service the growing Asian hygiene market.

Ahlstrom is to sell its glass nonwovens and fabrics business to Owens Corning for €73 million (about US$79.5 million).

SCA’s divestment of its business in South East Asia, Taiwan and South Korea for integration with Vinda International Holdings has been approved by the independent shareholders of Vinda. 

The Abraaj Group has acquired a “significant minority stake” in Cellulose Processing (Cepro), a manufacturer and distributor of baby diapers and feminine sanitary pads in Algeria. 

Lanxess has started up a second production line for high-performance plastics compounding at its facility in Gastonia, North Carolina, USA. 

Ahlstrom has further simplified its business structure. 

Hexcel Corp of Stamford, Connecticut, USA, has acquired full ownership of Formax UK Ltd of Narborough. 

Glatfelter has announced it will invest approximately US$80 million to build a new production facility in the USA for its Advanced Airlaid Materials Business Unit. 

Solvay has completed its acquisition of Cytec and will begin the integration of Cytec’s businesses into its own immediately. 

Two years after its launch, BMW’s carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP)-intensive i3 is the best-selling electric car in Germany and the third best-selling globally.

Toray Industries Inc of Tokyo, Japan, has signed a comprehensive long-term agreement with Boeing Co of Chicago, Illinois, USA, to supply its Torayca carbon fibre prepreg for the production of the 7

Fibertex Nonwovens, one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of nonwoven textiles and owned by Danish industrial conglomerate Schouw & Co, has acquired the nonwoven activities of Ribatek based in

Hygiene and forest products group SCA is integrating its business in South East Asia, Taiwan and South Korea into Chinese hygiene company Vinda, in which SCA is the majority shareholder.

Berry Plastics Group, a supplier of consumer packaging and engineered materials, has completed the previously announced acquisition of Avintiv from private equity funds managed by Blackstone for a

High-performance nonwovens producer Technical Fibre Products (TFP) has installed a third manufacturing line at its facility in Kendal, UK. 

Christoph Michalski, President of SCA Global Hygiene Category, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vinda International Holdings.

Hollingsworth & Vose has started production of air filter media (NanoWave) at a plant in Hatzfield, Germany.

Formax of Narborough, UK, has opened its innovation centre, which comprises three divisions: polymer composites; automation; ceramic composites.

Edgewell Personal Care has begun operating as a standalone business following the completion of the previously announced separation of Energizer’s Household Products and Personal Care businesses.

Freudenberg Performance Materials has invested €3 million to install a spunlaid pilot line at its plant in Kaiserslautern, Germany, where it aims to develop innovative products and create new marke

Facilities for the test production and evaluation of high-strength lightweight structural materials, and the design and evaluation of smart wearables, are being installed at Teijin’s new Technology