SGL & Mitsubishi Rayon to start production of carbon fibre raw materials
April 22, 2011 - Germany
RC SGL Precursor Co. Ltd. (MSP) – the joint venture between Mitsubishi Rayon Co. Ltd. (MRC) and SGL Group – has successfully and on schedule started its production of precursor, the raw material for carbon fibers. The joint venture plant in Otake was not affected by the earthquake in Japan.
Dr. Jürgen Köhler, Chairman of SGL Group’s Business Unit Carbon Fibers & Composite Materials: “The objective of our joint venture with Mitsubishi Rayon is to ensure the exclusive 50k precursor supply for SGL Group and consequently also for SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers, our joint venture with the BMW Group. Thanks to the close cooperation with our partner Mitsubishi Rayon, we were able to set up the new precursor production within the challenging time schedule as announced one year ago. We are now ready to provide precursor, which is a key success factor for the carbon fibers and fabrics used in the new BMW i3.”
Takahiro Ono, Representative Director of MSP: “We are proud to be a partner of SGL Group and the BMW Group in this milestone project for the automotive industry. We did everything possible to fulfill the high expectations of SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers and meet the tight schedule during these difficult times.”
The joint venture has successfully completed the commissioning phase and has assumed commercial production of precursor. MSP is based at the MRC production site in Otake/Japan and will deliver first commercial quantities of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) based precursor to SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers (SGL ACF) in the second quarter of this year.
About Mitsubishi Rayon
Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd. was established in 1933 as Japan’s first manufacturer of rayon staple fibers. In the 1940s Mitsubishi launched a methyl methacrylate (MMA) business, which today is the core operation. In the years since, the company has expanded the business into the field of synthetic resin, synthetic fibers, carbon fibers, hollow-fiber membranes, and optical fibers, based on Mitsubishi’s proprietary polymer technologies.
About SGL Group – The Carbon Company
SGL Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carbon-based products. It has a comprehensive portfolio ranging from carbon and graphite products to carbon fibers and composites. SGL Group’s core competencies are its expertise in high-temperature technology as well as its applications and engineering know-how gained over many years. These competencies enable the Company to make full use of its broad material base. SGL Group’s carbon-based materials combine several unique properties such as electrical and thermal conductivity, heat and corrosion resistance as well as high mechanical strength combined with low weight. Due to the paradigm shift in the use of materials as a result of the worldwide shortage of energy and raw materials, there is a growing demand for SGL Group’s high-performance materials and products from an increasing number of industries. Carbon and graphite products are used whenever other materials such as steel, aluminum, copper, plastics, wood etc. fail due to their limited properties. Products from SGL Group are used predominantly in the steel, aluminum, automotive, chemical and glass/ceramics industries. However, manufacturers in the semiconductor, battery, solar/wind energy, environmental protection, aerospace and defense industries as well as in the nuclear energy industry also figure among the Company’s customers.
Dr. Jürgen Köhler, Chairman of SGL Group’s Business Unit Carbon Fibers & Composite Materials: “The objective of our joint venture with Mitsubishi Rayon is to ensure the exclusive 50k precursor supply for SGL Group and consequently also for SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers, our joint venture with the BMW Group. Thanks to the close cooperation with our partner Mitsubishi Rayon, we were able to set up the new precursor production within the challenging time schedule as announced one year ago. We are now ready to provide precursor, which is a key success factor for the carbon fibers and fabrics used in the new BMW i3.”
Takahiro Ono, Representative Director of MSP: “We are proud to be a partner of SGL Group and the BMW Group in this milestone project for the automotive industry. We did everything possible to fulfill the high expectations of SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers and meet the tight schedule during these difficult times.”
The joint venture has successfully completed the commissioning phase and has assumed commercial production of precursor. MSP is based at the MRC production site in Otake/Japan and will deliver first commercial quantities of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) based precursor to SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers (SGL ACF) in the second quarter of this year.
About Mitsubishi Rayon
Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd. was established in 1933 as Japan’s first manufacturer of rayon staple fibers. In the 1940s Mitsubishi launched a methyl methacrylate (MMA) business, which today is the core operation. In the years since, the company has expanded the business into the field of synthetic resin, synthetic fibers, carbon fibers, hollow-fiber membranes, and optical fibers, based on Mitsubishi’s proprietary polymer technologies.
About SGL Group – The Carbon Company
SGL Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carbon-based products. It has a comprehensive portfolio ranging from carbon and graphite products to carbon fibers and composites. SGL Group’s core competencies are its expertise in high-temperature technology as well as its applications and engineering know-how gained over many years. These competencies enable the Company to make full use of its broad material base. SGL Group’s carbon-based materials combine several unique properties such as electrical and thermal conductivity, heat and corrosion resistance as well as high mechanical strength combined with low weight. Due to the paradigm shift in the use of materials as a result of the worldwide shortage of energy and raw materials, there is a growing demand for SGL Group’s high-performance materials and products from an increasing number of industries. Carbon and graphite products are used whenever other materials such as steel, aluminum, copper, plastics, wood etc. fail due to their limited properties. Products from SGL Group are used predominantly in the steel, aluminum, automotive, chemical and glass/ceramics industries. However, manufacturers in the semiconductor, battery, solar/wind energy, environmental protection, aerospace and defense industries as well as in the nuclear energy industry also figure among the Company’s customers.