Quadrant Plastic Composites


About Quadrant Plastic Composites

Quadrant Plastic Composites is the world’s leading manufacturer of glass mat thermoplastic (GMT) composites. The semi-finished sheet form is processed into sophisticated components, primarily for the automotive industry, using large-volume pressing processes; these components satisfy the highest safety standards, as well as featuring low weight compared to materials such as metal.

Learn more about Quadrant Plastic Composites at www.quadrantcomposites.com

About the Quadrant group

Quadrant, a global leader in high-performance polymer materials in the form of semi-finished and finished products with locations in 18 countries, generates annual sales of over CHF 800 million. The specialty engineering thermoplastics and composites manufactured and marketed by more than 2’400 employees worldwide are superior in performance to metals and other materials and are used in a growing number of applications, primarily in the capital goods industry. Together with leaders in a wide range of customer markets, Quadrant is continuously developing new areas of application. Thanks to its clear strategic orientation and focus, Quadrant has generated substantial added value for customers and shareholders since it was established in 1996 and is well prepared to continue expanding its market leadership in future.

Learn more about Quadrant at http://www.quadrantplastics.com

Quadrant Plastic Composites
Hardstrasse 5
CH-5600 Lenzburg
Switzerland
+41 62 885 81 50
www.quadrantcomposites.com

QUADRANT PLASTIC COMPOSITES EXPANDS ITS GMT/GMTex PORTFOLIO

The AVK Award Ceremony (from left to right): Jürgen H. Aurer, AVK Chairman, Karl-Heinz Kalmbach, Business Line Leader Exterior & Structures Quadrant Plastic Composites, Kees van Koert, Manager Product Development Voestalpine Polynorm, Paul Knaapen, Managing Director Voestalpine Polynorm und Dr. Rudolf Kleinholz, Chairman of the Innovation Award Jury. LENZBURG, SWITZERLAND – October, 2008 – Quadrant Plastic Composites, voestalpine Polynorm and Bekaert are recipients of the AVK (German Federation of Reinforced Plastics) Innovation Award 2008 in the Industrial Category, for their development of steel cord-reinforced EASI GMT* material. The winners of the AVK Innovation Awards, which recognise excellence in the development of reinforced plastics, were announced on the opening evening (22nd September) of the 11th AVK International Conference in Essen, Germany. The jury was particularly impressed by the ability of the new EASI material to meet crash impact requirements for speeds up to 80km/h (50mph).

QUADRANT METAL PLASTIC SOLUTIONS GmbH SPECIALISES IN HYBRID MATERIAL, LIGHT WEIGHT AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS

Dr. Hartwig Müller has been appointed as the Managing Director of QMPS GmbH.LENZBURG, SWITZERLAND – October, 2008 – Quadrant Metal Plastic Solutions GmbH (QMPS GmbH) is a new joint venture company between Quadrant Plastic Composites and Blechformwerke Bernsbach AG (Germany). Founded in April 2008 and with its seat in Hainichen, near Chemnitz, Germany, the company focuses on the development of light weight components, primarily for the automotive industry, on the basis of long fibre-reinforced plastic composites and other metal-plastic hybrid technologies.

IMPROVED AERODYNAMICS AND WEIGHT-SAVING FOR BMW M3 WITH SymaLITE® UNDERBODY SHIELDS FROM QUADRANT PLASTIC COMPOSITES

Recently upgraded to deliver improved mechanical and acoustical properties, SymaLITE® from Quadrant Plastic Composites has been specified by Tier One supplier Takeo GmbH Automotive Systems, Dietfurt, Germany, for underbody shields for the new BMW. LENZBURG, SWITZERLAND – February, 2008 – Recently upgraded to deliver improved mechanical and acoustical properties, SymaLITE® from Quadrant Plastic Composites has been specified by Tier One supplier Takeo GmbH Automotive Systems, Dietfurt, Germany, for underbody shields for the new BMW. These lightweight panels cover almost the entire underside of the car, offering optimised aerodynamics for improved vehicle handling and fuel efficiency.

LIGHTER, STRONGER COMPOSITE FROM QUADRANT PLASTIC COMPOSITES FINDS ALL-ROUND USE IN CAR INTERIORS

Ford Galaxy seat backLENZBURG, SWITZERLAND – October, 2007 – Car makers around the world are looking for new ways to make vehicle interiors more flexible and to reduce overall vehicle weight. Ford’s new Galaxy and S-Max MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) are prime examples of this trend. On the one hand, these models can provide very large storage volumes, on the other there is the possibility, when required, to fold out a third row of seats from the load floor. A row of seats is revealed by folding up the floor panel, with the panel itself forming the back. This seating concept, called the FoldFlatSystem (FFS), must fulfill the following requirements:

HIGH-PERFORMANCE GMTex™ FROM QUADRANT PLASTIC COMPOSITES PROTECTS MERCEDES M-CLASS OFF-ROAD PACKAGE

Under-body shields made in High-Performance GMTex™ from Quadrant Plastic Composites protects Mercedes off-road special editions.LENZBURG, SWITZERLAND – October, 2007 – As is only fitting for a luxury space utility vehicle, the latest version of the Mercedes-Benz M-Class comes with an optional high-performance under-body shield that not only protects it from stones thrown up during travel over the roughest of terrains, but also helps the vehicle achieve the lowest wind resistance of any off-roader. Further adding to fuel efficiency, the assembly weighs just 7.7 kg; a steel version would weigh around 25 kg. The three-part shield, extending from the engine compartment to the rear axle, also helps reduce interior noise levels and improve corrosion resistance.

MERCEDES FRONT END IN FABRIC-REINFORCED GMTex™ FROM QUADRANT PLASTIC COMPOSITES IS AN ALL-ROUND FIRST

Mercedes-Benz chooses Quadrant Plastic Composites GMTex™ fabric-reinforced thermoplastic composite for front-end module elements in its S-Class luxury coupé. LENZBURG, SWITZERLAND – October, 2007 – Important weight savings, crash performance, high thermal stability and functional integration were key factors in Mercedes-Benz’s decision to choose Quadrant Plastic Composites’ GMTex™ fabric-reinforced thermoplastic composite for front-end module elements in its S-Class luxury coupé.

COMPOSITE SANDWICH PANELS PROVE IDEAL FOR BUILDING FORMWORK SYSTEMS

Hünnebeck soffit formwork panels made by Quadrant Plastic Composites can be used up to 200 times, they come away easily from the concrete after it has set to leave a near-perfect surface, they can be nailed just like wood, they are easy to maintain, humidity does not cause them to either swell or rot, they are highly damage resistant but also easy to repair and recycle. LENZBURG, SWITZERLAND – June, 2007 – Replacing plywood with high-performance composites may appear at first sight to be a prime case of over-engineering. But there is good reason to believe that a new formwork product from German company Hünnebeck, one of the world's top suppliers of formwork and scaffolding, will signal a paradigm shift in the industry.

GMT AND GMTexTM FROM QUADRANT PLASTIC COMPOSITES FORGE NEW AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS, INCREASING MARKET POTENTIAL

A novel concept for manufacturing instrument panel mountings using GMT is being implemented in a number of Ford Group models: the Volvo S40 and V50, the Mazda 3 and the Ford C-Max. A high degree of functional integration, including the vehicle cross member which is pressed in at the same time in the form of a thin-walled steel tube - also enabled considerable weight savings to be achieved in this case compared with conventional approaches, at no additional cost. LENZBURG, SWITZERLAND – K 2004 – Glass mat thermoplastics (GMT) are used in the automotive industry for manufacturing semi-structural and structural components which have to satisfy the highest crash safety standards for the protection of passengers and pedestrians. GMT’s high impact resistance, good fatigue and low creep characteristics have forged new applications where manufacturers need to meet cost targets and add function integration to their products. As the world’s leading GMT manufacturer, Quadrant Plastic Composites cooperates closely with the automotive industry and system suppliers in developing new component concepts for future generations of vehicles.

QUADRANT PLASTIC COMPOSITES RECEIVES AVK-TV INNOVATION AWARD FOR 2004

For the QPC team, Volker Fritz (front row, second from the right), CEO of Quadrant Plastic Composites, received the coveted innovation award presented by the AVK-TV for «The Best Application of the Year». Quadrant won this prestigious European engineering award for the underfloor modules of the BMW 1 and 3 models, which are manufactured using the new SymaLITE technology. LENZBURG, SWITZERLAND – September 29, 2004 – Quadrant Plastic Composites (QPC), the world market leader in GMT and lightweight composites, was yesterday presented with the innovation award of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Verstärkter Kunststoffe – Technische Vereinigung (AVK-TV: Reinforced Plastics Association – Technical Federation) in the «Best Application of the Year» category. QPC won this award for the underbody shields of the BMW 1 and 3 models, which are manufactured using the new SymaLITE technology. The AVK-TV Innovation Award is one of the most prestigious engineering awards in Europe in the reinforced plastics field.