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Composites

METYX invests in LIBA MAX 5 multiaxial machine

Istanbul headquartered METYX Composites has invested in a state-of-the-art Liba MAX 5 multiaxial stitch bonding machine for the production of carbon fibre reinforcements. The Turkish company, which will offer a new range of stitch bonded composite materials to complement its existing product range, is also planning other significant investments in 2012. Citing strong global demand for its products and services along with a strategic decision to create a new business un

19th January 2012

Innovation in Textiles
 |  Istanbul

Transport/​Aerospace, Civil Engineering, Industrial, Protective

METYX Composites stitch bonded carbon fibre fabricIstanbul headquartered METYX Composites has invested in a state-of-the-art Liba MAX 5 multiaxial stitch bonding machine for the production of carbon fibre reinforcements.

The Turkish company, which will offer a new range of stitch bonded composite materials to complement its existing product range, is also planning other significant investments in 2012.

Citing strong global demand for its products and services along with a strategic decision to create a new business unit, the company announced last month it is building a new 12,500 square meter (134,550 square foot) factory in Manisa, Turkey.  

METYX said the MAX 5 platform would enable it to manufacture even lighter weight carbon fibre reinforcements and other types of reinforcements by spreading high K carbon tow with great precision.

Additional investments

METYX has also invested in a new unidirectional (UD) carbon tape production line and a MAX 3 multiaxial stitch bonded fabric production line. The investments were primarily made to support the requirements of customers in the wind energy and automotive sectors.

METYX multiaxial fabrics are stitch-bonded (a technology based on warp knitting) non-crimp reinforcements made from high-tenacity fibres such as E-glass, S-glass, aramid, and carbon. The company's multiaxial fabrics consist of one or more layers of unidirectional fibres available in several forms: Unidirectional, Biaxial, Traxial, Qudraxial, Combi and Hybrid Reinforcements. The layers are held in place by a non-structural stitching thread, which is generally a polyester yarn.

The new production lines will be operational in February 2012 and will significantly increase the company's production capacity for carbon fibre reinforcements.  

Future growth

Although the METYX group's headquarters remains in Istanbul, the new Manisa facility will drive the company's aggressive plans for growth over the next five years. The site will also allow for future expansion, as part of a long-term plan. The new manufacturing centre is located 20 kilometres from the city of Izmir in the Manisa Organized Industrial Zone, which METYX says is considered to be one of the top ten industrial zones for investment in the world.

METYX Composites, a division of Telateks A.S., has invested 4.5 million euro in facilities and infrastructure at the new plant. The Manisa facility will also be at the core of a progressive, five-year investment of 8.5 million euro in high-end machinery.

Ugur Ustunel, VP New Business, METYX Composites noted that: "The new factory will be one of the largest industrial investments in Manisa in the past five years."

"We are investing in the region with the most potential for growth," explained Ustunel.  

"Manisa is located in the Aegean region, which accounts for about 80%t of the country's wind energy potential. We believe that this investment creates a greater logistical advantage for our wind energy customers. The location has an extraordinary geographical position between Europe and Asia and is in close proximity to the Middle East, the Balkans, and North Africa. Moreover, the zone provides access to major ports, proximity to our suppliers, and has a generally favourable business climate, which will benefit all our customers across industries."

Construction of the new factory began in mid-2011 and is expected to be completed in January 2012, with auxiliary buildings to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2012. The facility will begin operations in January 2012 with the launch of METYX Composites Tooling Business Unit. METYX Composites new, state-of-the-art Tooling Center, which the company announced in September 2011, will be one part of this forward-thinking business unit.    

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