FRIMO and Huntsman Polyurethanes have signed a cooperation agreement to work closely on the development of fiber composite solutions for the automotive industry.
Lotte, Germany / Everberg, Belgium – FRIMO and Huntsman Polyurethanes have signed a cooperation agreement to work closely on the development of fiber composite solutions for the automotive industry. Joining their expertise and experience, both companies aim to exploit synergies and develop cost effective solutions for high volume composite manufacturing. Both companies have made investments into new technology, and have set up composite development centers at their respective sites in Germany and Belgium.
FRIMO specializes in process technology and offers a complete portfolio of tooling and equipment for polyurethane processing, as well as experience in Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) processing technology. Huntsman Polyurethanes is a leading innovator and manufacturer of polyurethanes systems with many years of experience of working in the automotive industry and understands the industry needs very well.
Huntsman has purchased a FRIMO pilot production unit at their technical center in Everberg, Belgium. This equipment, specifically designed for PU systems allows Huntsman to expand its tailor-made testing and validation capabilities for a new range of matrix resins for automotive fiber composites, under the tradename VITROX.
Andy Walton, Huntsman – Automotive Business Manager and Karl-Heinz Stelzl FRIMO Director Advanced Technology said: this cooperation agreement is an important step forward in our development of advanced composite technology for the automotive industry. The industry needs innovative solutions that enable high volume scalability, whilst optimizing and driving down fiber composite part costs, in order to deliver sustainable lightweight solutions. We believe that this can only be achieved by making optimal use of resin materials in combination with the right process equipment. We look forward to investigating this further with FRIMO.“
Nick Webster, Vice President Europe for Huntsman Polyurethanes, said: „the cooperation agreement enabling us to work more closely with FRIMO is an exciting development for both of our companies, but also for the wider automotive market. Our expertise in polyurethane chemistry combined with FRIMO“s technical capabilities and advanced processing equipment is a powerful proposition that we hope will bring significant value to the automotive industry and facilitate faster introduction of new lightweight materials to the industry.“
Hans-Günter Bayer, CEO of FRIMO adds: „We can also simulate customer-specific situations in our Technical Center in Lotte, where similar RTM equipment is set up. I am confident that our mutual customers will continuously benefit from the synergies of this collaboration.“
About FRIMO (www.frimo.com)
The FRIMO Group includes global production and sales locations with more than 1,200 employees in Europe, Asia and America, and numerous representatives around the world. FRIMO is one of the worldwide leading developers and providers of system solutions for the manufacture of high quality fiber-reinforced plastics (composite technologies) and supplies tooling and machinery as well as the respective automation and finishing, e.g. with flexible trimming, joining and assembling. FRIMO“s portfolio for the plastics processing industries also covers an extremely wide range of technologies PU processing along with flexible trimming, punching, pressing and forming, as well as thermoforming, laminating, edgefolding, joining and gluing. FRIMO offers its customers tailor-made tools, machinery and systems as separate or turnkey solutions from a single source.
About Huntsman (www.huntsman.com):
Huntsman is a global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated chemicals. Our operating companies manufacture products for a variety of global industries, including chemicals, plastics, automotive, aviation, textiles, footwear, paints and coatings, construction, technology, agriculture, health care, detergent, personal care, furniture, appliances and packaging. Originally known for pioneering innovations in packaging and, later, for rapid and integrated growth in petrochemicals, Huntsman has approximately 12,000 employees and operates from multiple locations worldwide. The Company had 2010 revenues of approximately $9 billion. (VITROX is a registered trademark of Huntsman Corporation or an affiliate thereof in one or more, but not all, countries.)
Kontakt:
FRIMO Group GmbH
Martina Schierholt
Hansaring 1
49504 Lotte
+49 (05404) 886-157
schierholt.m@frimo.com
http://www.frimo.com