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Since the beginning of this year, the composites business of SGL Group (Wiesbaden, Germany) and the activities of SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers, the joint venture between SGL Group and BMW Group, have been bundled in a single business unit. The new business unit, named “Composites – Fibers and Materials” (CFM), is headed by Andreas Wüllner, who also continues as managing director of SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers. CFM is headquartered at the SGL site in Meitingen, where the company is also investing in a new Lightweight and Application Center. 


“SGL Group is a global innovation leader in composites for lightweight construction. With our broad expertise in fibers, materials and components, we help our customers to sustainably improve their products. By bundling our activities in the CFM business unit, we offer our services as a one-stop shop,” says Andreas Wüllner. 


Since the beginning of 2016, single points of contact are available to its customers in the automotive, aerospace, wind energy, and acrylic fibers segments. Other industry segments are being handled worldwide by regional sales teams. The business unit will additionally support its customers through a new Lightweight and Applications Center (LAC) to enable them to optimize the use of fibers and materials for composites. The LAC will, for example, facilitate the development of processes, products, prototypes, as well as small-lot production. 


In addition, SGL Group will offer materials and solutions that SGL ACF once produced exclusively for BMW in future to other customer industries too. Building on the experience gained in using heavy-tow fibers for the automotive sector, the company will also leverage its expertise in other industrial sectors such as the aerospace industry. Bundling the CFM business activities is part of the general strategic realignment of SGL Group. In future, the company plans to focus on supporting and accelerating developments linked to the megatrends of mobility, energy, and digitalization.

SGL Group will introduce its latest product innovations at the upcoming JEC World 2016 show. Apart from new material developments such as thermoplastic composites solutions and pre-impregnated rovings, the company will also show carbon fiber-based product solutions. For example, SGL Group will present the “Carbon Core” architecture of the new BMW 7 series for the first time, for which SGL Group supplies specific carbon fiber-based pre-products.