Chinese firm invests in advanced preforming technology

Compositence GmbH (Leonberg, Germany), specializing in innovative preforming technologies for carbon, glass and other fiber types and supplier of tailored preforms, has partnered with GON Group (Qingdao, China), for its future strategic development. 

Compositence, which started running its core business 2014, has been supported from the beginning by three German investment firms while providing unique preforming technology both by sales of facilities and components. The company’s unique automated fiber placement technology is aimed at high-volume applications like mobility, aerospace and wind energy.

“We feel Asia is currently the strongest emerging market worldwide, with the strongest potential in China. China has the absolute will for change and is strongly driving the utilization of carbon and glass fibers for mobility applications. With our new partner GON Technology, we have gained a top-class partner having an advanced material background and market access as well as the right mindset to provide Compositence unique know-how with a long-term perspective. By melding GON and Compositence competencies together, we are now able to meet the demands of industry customers worldwide. Compositence will be an integral part of GON composites strategy. We are very happy about the future possibilities and challenges the cooperation with this strong partner will bring us,” says Gregor Weber, CEO of Compositence.

“As an advanced material manufacturer working in high volume application branches such as automotive and consumer goods, we need to expand our materials portfolio towards high-performance materials such as carbon fiber reinforced plastics and other composites. We see composites in general as the challenge of the century providing the material properties to grow our target markets. Due to the clear statement of the government of the Peoples Republic of China, composites will become an integral part of tomorrow’s material mix. After screening the technologies available on the market, we understood that preforming is one of the most important parts of the value chain and that Compositence technology provides outstanding economics for our target applications. We are very happy to strengthen our portfolio with this unique technology” says Aiguo Wang, CEO of Qingdao GON Technology Co., Ltd.

“For the last four years, we have supported Compositence in its growth phase and now our engagement has paid off. The company underwent a promising development and is a nice example of how an innovative technology has evolved over the years. With GON Group we found an international player who brings extensive know-how and experience in advanced material manufacturing and helps drive forward Compositence’s future innovations. The sale of Compositence is another successful transaction for us, bringing a global player to the region. We are pleased that our strategy to settle high tech companies in and near Heilbronn is continuing to unfold,” comments Thomas Villinger, CEO of zsn Zukunftsfonds Heilbronn (Heilbronn, Germany), one of Compositence’s original investors.

Qingdao GON Technology Co., Ltd. (www.qdgon.com) is a public company listed in China Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Founded in December 2000, GON is a leader in the modified plastic and advanced polymer composite industry. Its products have been widely used in home appliances, automotive, electronics, machinery and construction industries. With accumulated years of experience in R&D and production, GON has developed long-term strategic partnership with many well-known home appliance and automotive enterprises in China and around the world. In 2017, GON has been appointed as strategic supplier of Faurecia, the 6th largest international automotive parts manufacturer in the world.