US reinforced glass fibre products manufacturer Johns Manville (JM, Denver, Colorado; www.jm.com) is to expand its fibre production capacities in its Trnava / Slovakia facility. A spokesman for JM told Plasteurope.com the company forecasts that general growth rates for fibres will be aligned with overall composites growth of below double digits annually. “Our announced expansion aligns our production capability with our growth expectations and prepares JM for growth in key emerging applications in transportation and infrastructure. The [plant’s] output is today used mainly for the European market. The added output will serve mainly the customers’ projects in the whole European region,” he added.

The company said trends in light weight materials to improve fuel efficiency will support composites growth and require investments in both thermoplastic and thermoset materials. The expanded furnace, due to start up in the fourth quarter of 2012, will enable added production flexibility and expand the production of selected products by as much as 40%.