August/September Business View Magazine

40 41 workforce, with 140 at Moses Lake. That carbon fiber plant, set up from scratch, is now one of the largest, most eco-friendly facilities in the world. It supplied the first carbon fiber to the BMW project just one year after opening in 2010 - record speed for its time. Wuellner clarifies, “The CFM value chain starts with raw materials for carbon fibers, which is called the precursor.We manufacture the precur- sor ourselves in Japan and Portugal. From there, we convert it into carbon fiber in the U.K. and Mo- ses Lake in the United States. The carbon fiber is then converted into materials, and we also make components from those materials. So, we cover the entire value chain in CFM. This is very import- ant because the composites industry is not yet that well developed. It’s a competitive advantage if you have the ability to fine-tune the fibers and the materials which become materials for compo- nents, that then go into aerospace, or automotive, or energy, or industrial applications.” GMS is quite similar. That business unit does manufacture parts and solutions, but also produc- es the raw graphite materials. The main custom- ers are the LED and semi-conductor industries, as well as the lithium-ion-battery industry. The automotive industry is, by far, the biggest custom- er for Composites - Fibers and Materials, which in- cludes supplying carbon brakes materials for the auto-racing market. SGL put itself at the forefront of technology, supporting the Technical University of Munich team, with development of the Hyper- loop. For over eight years, the company has also supported the Carbon Composites endowment SGL CARBON LLC chair (LCC) at the University, which maintains a holistic approach towards development of fi- ber-reinforced composites and their applications. Competition in the automotive industry is intense, but SGL is well positioned, thanks to partnerships with BMW and several other auto- makers, and long-time partnerships with OEMs in the automotive and wind energy sectors. Roller blades for wind turbines are made from carbon fiber reinforced plastics, and SGL supplies that market, as well. According to Wuellner, the biggest challenge is the industrialization of composite components. “Because we’re always competing with other ma- terials, and carbon fibers aren’t cheap,” he opines. “You have to reduce scrap and waste, as much as possible, and you have to use carbon fibers where it is really beneficial - and only there. So, it is important to understand the material very well and develop the appropriate manufacturing tech- nology. That’s what we’re doing, because it’s really about bang for the buck. Otherwise you won’t be competitive with carbon fiber reinforced plastics. That’s something we’ve learned over the years.” Mannon adds, “Many of our Graphite Materials and Systems customers have been with us for a long time, but we also go out seeking new busi- ness at trade shows and industry conventions, whereas CFM has to develop its market, educate customers, and deliver solutions.”“It’s not good enough to throw the material or fiber over the fence,” says Wuellner. “We have to come up with a solution; be good at convincing the customer that a composite solution is advantageous. That