Carbon fibres specialist SGL Group (Wiesbaden / Germany; www.sglgroup.com) and Samsung Petrochemical (Seoul / South Korea; www.myspc.co.kr) plan to establish a 50:50 marketing joint venture to develop the market for carbon fibre composites. Closing of the deal is expected in July, with the start of business to follow immediately. Headquarters will be at Ulsan / South Korea, marketing offices at Seoul.

The German company will contribute its expertise in carbon fibre-reinforced materials with Samsung adding its experience in application development. The principal aim of the collaboration is to provide a long-term supply of materials for the Samsung group’s electronics business. Other targeted markets are windmill turbine blades, pressure vessels, automotive and household appliances, applications seen as growing by 20% annually in Korea and China. In Korea currently, the focus of carbon fibres applications is on prepregs and sporting goods. SGL products will be given preference in all future sales.

SGL managing board member Jürgen Köhler said the link-up with Samsung underscores his company’s strategy to enter new markets and develop innovative applications for its high-performance materials. For Samsung, CEO Yoosung Chung said that through leveraging SGL’s “unique expertise” along the entire carbon products chain from fibres to CFRP components the Korean company can position itself as a leading player.