In response to rising customer demand, new product launches and the opening up of new markets, core materials producer 3A Composites (Sins / Switzerland; www.3acomposites.com) has announced a 40% capacity increase of its “Airex” PET core materials. The company invested a single-digit million euro sum in the upgrade, a company spokesman told Plasteurope.com, although he did not clarify where capacity would be lifted.

Output will go towards rising demand from the wind energy, automotive, construction and marine sectors. The company said it expects its recent launch of “Airex GEN2” to further accelerate growth, and allow PET to make additional inroads in the core material market.

The Swiss group recently broadened its portfolio by acquiring PNGBalsa (Kokopo / Papua New-Guinea; www.pngbalsa.com), a producer of balsa wood, which is also used as a core material in composite applications.