Norplex-Micarta Announces Asia Expansion
“This strategic move is designed to put us closer to our customers. Asia/Pacific is driving growth and innovation in many industries, and we look forward to assisting our customers even more with these efforts”, said Dustin Davis, General Manager.
Changzhou Micarta will focus in its early years on glass based thermoset composites sheet products that are used in a wide variety of industries such as: power generation, electronics assembly, medical, oil and gas, transportation, and various electrical devices. The Company expects initial annual capacity to exceed 2,000 tons. It will offer standard sheet sizes as well as the capability of offering a 1.5 meter square sheet to meet new application requirements. Customers will continue to have full access to Norplex-Micarta’s vast product offering from the Postville, Iowa, USA.
“Certainly we are going to lean upon our success in North America to bring this new operation online. We are committed to providing the best customer service in every geography, and our ongoing investments in the Postville operation are evidence of this commitment”, said Denny Ford, Vice President.
Using the Postville, Iowa factory as a model, Changzhou Micarta’s operation is being designed to provide the ultimate in service to the market, safety, and care for the environment. World class process controls will reduce variation in the end product which customers will notice in shorter lead-times and a more consistent product. These same process controls will monitor process conditions that can affect the safety and health aspects of the operation. Moreover, state of the art environmental control technology will be utilized not only to curb VOC emissions, but also to reduce the energy consumption of the operation.
At this time, initial site preparation work has begun. With the full support of the Changzhou government, the Company expects Changzhou Micarta to be operational during the first quarter of 2013.
“This certainly is an exciting time for our Company. We have many friends in Asia, and we anticipate growing with them and many more customers in the years to come”, said Denny Ford.
About Norplex-Micarta:
Norplex-Micarta is the leading global supplier of high performance thermoset composite laminates to OEMs and fabricators. Building upon the IL Norplex expertise in flat sheet laminated plastics, and the Micarta technology in sheet, round tubing, and molded rods and shapes, Norplex-Micarta manufactures the highest quality specialty sheet products, pre-pregs, rods and molded shapes, and tubes available.
Founded in 1945, Industrial Laminates/Norplex, Inc. developed its offerings from basic plastic items to a line of advanced industrial laminated plastics. Over the decades, Norplex cultivated its plastic laminate technology to service the construction, transportation, and aerospace industries while expanding its presence in North America, Western Europe, and the Pacific Rim. Meanwhile, Micarta began its legacy forty years earlier in 1905 when George Westinghouse trademarked several mica patents under the Micarta name. Over the next century, Micarta pioneered decorative laminate applications for uses as diverse as household furniture to space shuttle components.
In 2003, the merger of IL/Norplex, Inc. and Micarta Insulation Materials Division brought together two giants of the laminate industry, each with a legacy of innovation. Norplex-Micarta's vast product line of sheet, rod, tube, and molded parts services the oil & gas, power generation, military/aerospace, construction, heavy industry, electronics, electrical devices, medical devices, and transportation markets throughout the world.
Formed in 2011, Changzhou Micarta Composite Material Company is a greenfield investment to product high quality thermoset composite materials in China for the domestic and Asia/Pacific region.
