The Wiesbaden-based SGL Group – which likes to call itself “The Carbon Company” – announced on 18 October the completion of its acquisition of the Portuguese company Fisipe – Fibras Sintéticas de Portugal S.A. SGL now holds 100% of the shares in Fisipe, whose activities have been merged with SGL’s Carbon Fibers & Composite Materials Business Unit.
With the Fisipe acquisition SGL Group has expanded its production network for the supply of raw materials for carbon fibre production by including another production facility for precursors, which has scope for expansion, offers ‘state-of-the-art’ R&D facilities and has well-developed logistics resources. Due to its size and own energy supply, SGL says Fisipe also promises outstandingly competitive production efficiency.
SGL says the quality of the precursor – the carbon fibre raw material based on polyacrylonitrile fibres (PAN) – plays a significant role in both the material properties of carbon fibres and their manufacturing cost.
Formed in 1973, Fisipe has production facilities in Lavradio, Portugal and, having started as a manufacturer of standard textile fibres, has come to specialise in specialist acrylic fibres. The company also produces pre-coloured and functional fibres for technical applications. In 2011, the company generated sales of approximately €130m (US$19.2m) and employed around 330 people.
SGL Group products are used predominantly in the steel, aluminium, automotive and chemical industries, as well as in the semiconductor, solar and LED sectors and in lithium-ion batteries. The group has 47 production sites in Europe, North America and Asia, including its new Portuguese facility.
