#Composites

2018-01-10

SGL Carbon has sold its shareholding in SGL Kümpers to the joint venture partner Kümpers

SGL Carbon SE has sold its 51% shareholding in the SGL Kümpers GmbH & Co. KG joint venture to Kümpers GmbH and Franz-Jürgen Kümpers. SGL Group will continue to supply carbon fibers, thereby maintaining its existing business relationship with Kümpers. The parties to the contract have agreed to keep the financial details confidential. The joint venture was founded in early 2007 for the production of high-performance materials like fabrics and braids based on carbon and glass fibers.

Kümpers GmbH, Rheine, and Franz-Jürgen Kümpers acquired SGL Group’s shareholding in the SGL Kümpers joint venture
SGL Group’s production of composites and composite components will now be concentrated at five sites in Germany and Austria
The existing business relationship with Kümpers for the supply of carbon fibers will be continued cooperatively
SGL Kümpers continues its present success story for customers in the wind and automotive industries

With the sale of the shares, SGL Group is optimizing its carbon fiber value chain in Germany and Austria by concentrating its expertise in the processing of carbon and glass fibers for composites and composite components within its Composites – Fibers & Materials (CFM) business unit at five sites.

These are the three German sites in Meitingen, Wackersdorf (both Bavaria), and Willich (North Rhine-Westphalia), plus Ried and Ort in Austria’s Innkreis region.

The transaction is part of the strategy to consolidate all key activities in the value chain – from carbon fibers and materials to components – under the roof and thus under the overall responsibility of SGL Group. The company recently announced its complete takeover of the former joint ventures SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers (SGL ACF) and BENTELER-SGL with the aim of expanding its capabilities to include solutions for carbon fiber manufacturing and processing as well as processes for serial production.

SGL Carbon decides to restructure its Carbon Fibers business unit

The Board of Management of SGL Carbon SE today decided, with the approval of the Supervisory Board, to restructure the loss-making Carbon Fibers business unit. SGL Carbon will significantly reduce the business activities of Carbon Fibers and focus on a profitable core. Individual solutions are being developed for all Carbon Fibers sites, including the closure of unprofitable sites.

Novel flame-retardant and recyclable fiber-reinforced composite

Airplanes and passenger trains must meet strict safety requirements, including fire safety standards. This calls for materials that are flame-retardant, lightweight, robust, and scalable. Empa researchers, in collaboration with their industry partner Elantas, have now succeeded for the first time in making such a material – a composite – fully recyclable.

WHILL selects Teijin’s tough, lightweight Carbon Fiber Composite for new last-mile mobility

Teijin Limited announced today that WHILL Inc., a global leader in inclusive mobility technology, has selected Sereebo® P CFP series, a carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) material, for key structural components of the upcoming WHILL Model C Lite. Sereebo® P CFP series provides high strength, light weight, design flexibility and system cost advantages to the Model C Lite, which is a battery powered, single-seat, last-mile device. This new model combines maneuverability with light weight and one-handed folding to ensure ease of handling and operation.

Fewer pores, greater impact tolerance: Peter Dornier Foundation Prize 2026 honours material research on fibre-reinforced composite components for aerospace industry

Microscopically small pores that form during manufacture, or barely visible impact damage, can severely impair the load-bearing capacity and service life of fibre-reinforced composite components. Two young researchers have presented groundbreaking work in this field and will both be awarded the 2026 Peter Dornier Foundation Prize: Dr.-Ing. Benedikt Neitzel from the Technical University of Ilmenau for his doctoral thesis on pore minimisation in the RTM process, and Johanna Buschmann, M.Sc., for her master’s thesis, completed at the German Aerospace Centre, on the improved impact tolerance of 3D fabrics compared to 2D laminates.

Stäubli to introduce new S3292 dobby for high-speed weaving at ITME India 2026

Stäubli will introduce its new S3292 dobby at ITME India 2026, taking place from December 4 to 9 at the India Expo Centre & Mart in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Designed for high-speed air-jet weaving, the new machine will be among the highlights of the company's presentation, which also includes warp preparation systems, cam motions, Jacquard technologies and digital services.

DITF develops bio-based binding fibers for wood-fiber insulation materials

As part of the CelluWoodFlex project, the German Institutes of Textile- and Fiber-Research in Denkendorf (DITF) are developing bio-based cellulose ester fibers as alternative binding fibers for flexible wood fiber insulation materials. In addition to the spinning process and the production of suitable staple fibers, the institute is also investigating how wood and cellulose fibers can be separated and recycled at the end of their useful life.

Reju expands textile-to-textile recycling network with six international fabric manufacturers

Reju, a textile-to-textile regeneration company, is expanding its industrial network through collaborations with six fabric manufacturers in Europe and the Americas. The initiative aims to accelerate the integration of regenerated polyester into textile manufacturing and support the development of finished fabrics for commercial applications.

Magnera highlights HighPleat™ filtration media technology at FiltXPO 2026

At FiltXPO 2026, held on October 28–29 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Magnera highlighted advances in air filtration media architecture, with a particular focus on its HighPleat™ platform for MERV 8–10 applications. The technology combines a lofted fiber structure with optimized pore architecture to address the challenge of balancing filtration efficiency, airflow resistance and contaminant-holding capacity.