#Composites

2022-02-03

SABIC purchases Clariant’s 50% share in scientific design

SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, has signed an agreement to purchase Clariant’s 50 percent stake in specialties company Scientific Design, currently a 50/50 joint-venture with SABIC.

Subject to regulatory approval, expected in mid-2022, the transaction will give SABIC full ownership of Scientific Design, which is a leading licensor of high-performance process technologies and catalysts producer.

The move is aimed at securing a greater share of the Specialties market. Last year, SABIC repositioned its Specialties division as a stand-alone strategic business unit to unlock organic and inorganic growth opportunities that are independent of feedstock dynamics.

SABIC Vice Chairman and CEO, Yousef Al-Benyan said: “Catalysts are the foundation of our business. The acquisition of Scientific Design will strengthen our non-cyclical technology-oriented specialty business and move us closer to our long-term goal of becoming a global Specialties leader. This is a growing global market and the Middle East region alone sources nearly $1.5 billion worth of catalysts per year. We recognize the opportunity to help meet increasing catalyst demands, increase security of supply and the level of innovation with the sector.”

With its key manufacturing plant and business headquartered in New Jersey, U.S.A., Scientific Design has operated as a joint venture for almost 20 years following SABIC’s 50 percent acquisition of the business in 2003. Employing more than 170 people globally, it is a leading licensor of high-performance process technologies and a developer of catalysts that are used in over 100 plants across more than 30 countries.

Scientific Design is a recognized leader and a strategic fit for SABIC that can strengthen and complement the high-performance capabilities of SABIC’s Specialties business. For almost 20 years, it has thrived as a SABIC joint venture securing a position at the forefront of innovation and sustainability in the chemical industry. By fully aligning mutual strengths SABIC can realize new growth potential.

SABIC’s Specialties business produces highly differentiated products which include specialty engineering thermoplastic resins and compounds, composites, thermosets & additives, and additive manufacturing solutions as well as catalyst and process technologies.

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.

Georg Stausberg, a veteran of the textile machinery industry, takes over as Rieter Group CEO

Georg Stausberg, one of the most experienced executives in the international textile machinery industry, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Rieter Group with immediate effect from 4 November 2026. With more than three decades of industry experience and a long-standing leadership career at Barmag, Stausberg brings extensive technological expertise, international market knowledge and an established network across the global textile industry to his new position.

Jeanologia and BCome connect factory data with Life Cycle Assessment and Digital Product Passports

A new white paper by EIM by Jeanologia and BCome demonstrates how primary environmental data from denim finishing processes can be integrated into a garment's Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and prepared for use in a Digital Product Passport (DPP). A comparative case study highlights significant improvements at the production stage while also showing how these translate into the environmental performance of the finished garment.

Inside the Making connects denim and sportswear supply chains at Ecomondo 2026

Six European companies are joining forces at Ecomondo 2026 in Rimini to demonstrate how different stages of denim and sportswear production are interconnected. The new initiative, Inside the Making, highlights the importance of cooperation across the textile supply chain in addressing sustainability challenges, from reducing resource consumption to improving transparency and the reliability of environmental claims.

EDANA welcomes definitive EU anti-dumping measures on Chinese PET spunbond

EDANA, the international association serving the nonwovens and related industries, has welcomed the European Commission's decision to impose definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of PET spunbond originating in China. The association considers the measures an important step towards restoring fair competition and safeguarding European industrial capacity.