Teijin Ltd has agreed to acquire Renegade Materials Corporation (Renegade), a leading North American supplier of highly heat-resistant thermoset prepreg for the aerospace industry. The acquisition is anticipated to be completed this spring after receipt of regulatory approvals. Later Renegade will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Teijin.

Teijin is increasingly emphasising on strong, lightweight, high-performance materials that offer environmentally sensitive solutions for improved fuel efficiency. It is focusing its carbon fiber business on the aircraft field, where it is rapidly developing midstream and downstream applications, said the company in a press release.

Teijin will benefit from Renegade’s well-established proprietary technologies and solution capabilities in heat-resistant thermoset prepregs to expand its next-generation aircrafts’ engine parts business. Renegade’s products will reach wider markets thanks to Teijin’s expertise in carbon fibres and intermediate materials as well as its large product lineup and global sales network. Global marketing initiatives will be supported by Teijin’s carbon fibre business, including Teijin Carbon Fibers, which plans to launch a new carbon fibre production facility in South Carolina by the end of FY 2020, Teijin Carbon America, a carbon fibre sales base in Tennessee, and Teijin Carbon Europe GmbH, a core company of the carbon fibre business in Europe.

Renegade’s heat-resistant thermoset prepregs are well trusted by US and European aircraft manufacturers and aircraft engine suppliers. The company provides unique thermal-cycle resistant prepregs incorporating highly heat-resistant polyimide resin made from low-toxicity raw materials.

“Demands for highly heat-resistant thermoset prepregs are increasing in the global aerospace industry,” said Shukei Inui, general manager of Teijin’s Carbon Fibers Business Unit. “Renegade offers well-established technologies and sales channels in this field, so we expect this acquisition to help us expand our related applications development and global business.”

Teijin, a top supplier to world-leading aircraft makers for over 30 years, is noted for its Tenax carbon-fibre-filament yarn, which is used in primary and secondary structural parts for aircraft. It is targeting annual sales in its carbon fibre and intermediate materials businesses to be in excess of $900 million by around 2030. (PC)