DowAksa Advanced Composites (Istanbul / Turkey; www.dowaksa.com) in December acquired a 50% stake in German prepreg producer c-m-p (Heinsberg; www.c-m-p-gmbh.de/home-en). Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. The Turkish carbon fibre and derivatives producer – itself a 50:50 joint venture between Dow Chemical (Midland, Michigan / USA; www.dow.com) and Turkish acrylic fibres producer Aksa Akrilik Kimya (Istanbul; www.aksa.com/en) – said the purchase will expand its capacity for high-value, carbon fibre-based products for automotive and industrial applications (for previous coverage, see Plasteurope.com of 06.07.2012).

For privately-owned c-m-p, the new constellation ensures a long-term and large-scale security of supply for its customers, while DowAksa will add prepreg capacity to its portfolio, thereby expanding its activities in the transportation, energy, construction and sporting goods markets. DowAksa said that following the purchase, it plans to build an entirely new prepreg line modelled on that of c-m-p at its own site in Yalova / Turkey.

At its plant in Heinsberg, c-m-p’s 20 employees produce carbon fibre prepregs and fabrics, group co-founder and future CEO Rolf Dothagen confirmed to Plasteurope.com. He added that the company purchases its carbon fibres from an external source.