Bayer MaterialScience acquires composite materials specialist

Bayer MaterialScience (Leverkusen) has expanded its position in the composite materials field through an acquisition in southern Germany. The company has taken over Thermoplast Composite GmbH (TCG), basded in Langenfeld, near Nuremberg, which specializes in the production of continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites.

According to the companies, this is a new class of particularly thin and lightweight materials, whose properties offer superior performance compared with existing solutions based on aluminum, for example. Bayer MaterialScience joins Lanxess (Cologne) in the field. The latter acquired The Bond Laminates GmbH (Brilon, Germany) in 2012.

The takeover of TCG reportedly gives Bayer MaterialScience access to innovative technology know-how as well as key patents and facilities. All employees are to be retained. Bayer MaterialScience plans to expand TCG's production capacity, the first step being to expand production in the Nuremberg metropolitan region. Capacities in other regions will be added subsequently to optimally supply customers.

Bayer MaterialScience is already active in the development and marketing of composite solutions based on polyurethane systems. "We are seeing significant demand and growth opportunities for composites made from thermoplastic materials such as polycarbonate," said Dr. Markus Steilemann, member of the company's Executive Committee and Head of the Polycarbonates Business Unit. "By getting into the development and production of these composites, we want to become one of the driving forces in this industry. We expect promising opportunities above all in the IT, automotive and transportation industries, as well as in consumer goods, which would further strengthen our position."

Bayer MaterialScience has long been supplying numerous industries with products and application solutions based on polycarbonate and its associated blends. This material is extremely lightweight, strong, easily processable, and can be recycled multiple times. The company has also been working for some time now on the development of polycarbonate composites. "By acquiring TCG, we have now filled the last gaps in our processing technology know-how," said Dr. Olaf Zöllner, Head of Polycarbonate Applications Development for Europe.

Bayer MaterialScience believes that polycarbonate composites are highly suited to such things as fabricating premium housings for the IT industry. These composites are an answer to the trend towards smaller dimensions and an impression of quality. And there is a number of additional advantages. "Hardware made of polycarbonate composites feels like metal, but is significantly lighter," said Zöllner. He further points out the good "shapeability" of the material and its quality look and feel. What is more, the material reportedly offers cost advantages in processing.

In the automotive industry, for example, such composites help to make motor vehicles lighter and more efficient. "In this segment, we think polycarbonate composites are capable of significantly reducing weight over solutions made of aluminum," Zöllner added.

Dr. Herbert Börger and Ingolf Knaup, managing partners of TCG, see great benefits for their company in the partnership with Bayer MaterialScience. TCG may now more quickly and comprehensively realize industrial manufacturing and broad-based market introduction of unidirectional thermoplastic advanced composites.

TCG was established in 2007 and currently has twelve employees. In addition to performance fiber composites with a thermoplastic matrix, the company also specializes in ultra-lightweight foams and engineering services.