German firm ELG acquires U.K.'s Recycled Carbon Fibre

ELG Haniel GmbH (Duisburg, Germany) announced on Sept. 21 that it has acquired 100 percent of the shares in Recycled Carbon Fibre Ltd. (RCF, Coseley, West Midlands, U.K.). RCF is the first company worldwide commercially operating in the field of recycling carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) and the reclamation and processing of carbon fiber.

The commercial reclamation of carbon fiber was initiated by the former shareholder Roy Price, who has over the period of 10 years steadily developed the project to marketability. In 2009 RCF set up its U.K. facility for the reclamation of carbon fiber on a commercial scale and, thus, became the pioneer in this market segment.

The acquisition of this young recycling company provides ELG with new growth potential in the rising market for composite materials. It enables ELG to implement a sustainable and ecological concept for the reclamation of carbon-fibre by means of its patent protected technology. The feedstock material is to a large extent waste from the manufacturing processes of CFRP, which previously had to be either incinerated or sent to land-fill.

The infrastructure that ELG has established in the market segments of stainless steel, titanium and superalloys as well as ELG’s business relations within the aviation industry will be the benchmark and the spearhead for the global development of this innovative business model.

The company will be supervised by the present managing director Stephen Line and will operate under the name of ELG Carbon Fibre Ltd. In close co-operation with the RCF management team, ELG will further explore the new business segment of carbon fiber and is confident to expand it to a global group in this future-oriented industry.

ELG trades and processes raw materials for the stainless steel industry. The range comprises primarily stainless steel, titanium and superalloys. The company has more than 40 locations in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia