JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #73 - June 2012 - 49

interview

aerospace market in Europe.
JCM: How are you positioned with respect to global competition? What are your strong and weak points?

goal is to make our products available to customers quickly and efficiently.
JCM: What motivated your agreement with CTG/Taishan with respect to your own development strategy?

richard JenKins interim ceo

R. J. : Our strongest asset is our product technology and our ability to work with customers to supply unique products that meet their application requirements. because of our unique product mix, Agy has elected to focus on specialty materials.
JCM: Since your arrival, the company has announced the appointment of Drew Walker as president and a licensing agreement with CTG/Taishan Fiberglass. Are these announcements the sign of a new strategic orientation?

JEC Composites Magazine: What is your company’s situation in terms of breakdown of activities, e.g. application sectors, geographic areas and types of products?

R. J. : The wind energy market is a very competitive growing market. We selected CTg/Taishan Fiberglass because of their experience in the wind energy market as well as their technical skills to produce Agy’s S-Series® glass fibre in the volumes and formats required by this market.
JCM: Do you still plan to invest over the medium term? If so, what kind of investment?

Richard Jenkins: Agy is focused
on supplying specialty materials such as S-2 glass® to the growing aerospace, industrial and oilfield markets in the US, the electronics and wind power markets in Asia-Pacific and the

lize on our superior product technology to meet customer demands directly or through licensing agreements. Our promote our unique products in new market applications. I want to capitalize on the following market trends/needs: lightweight materials in aerospace; composite materials for next generation vehicle armouring in the defence industry and supplying materials for mobile communication devices in the electronics industry.
JCM: Can you tell us about your priorities in terms of sectors and geographical areas?

R. J. : Absolutely. We want to capita-

R. J. : We plan to reinvest in our manufacturing plants, by increasing production capacity, and in r&d, by developing new products to meet application and market needs.
Asia the electronics and wind power markets, and in Europe the aerospace market.
JCM: Are you planning to explore new application sectors in future?

interview

dreW WalKer President

D. W. : Agy has a unique range of products with its flagship product being S-2 glass®. We will continue to focus on specialty product opportunities as opposed to commodities.
JCM: Are you going to focus on the AsiaPacific region?

JEC Composites Magazine: In view of your recent appointment, what will your objectives and initial decisions be?

D. W. : Currently, 60% of Agy’s

will be to create a corporate strategy to advantage of also being cost-effective, since it significantly increases transmission capacity. AmpStar, a specialist in composite-reinforced aluminium conductors for highvoltage transmission lines, chose S-1 HM™ glass fibres for the high-strength composite core of its new composite-reinforced aluminium conductor (CRAC*). The innovative design is a

Drew Walker: My first objective

business is in North America, 20% in Asia-Pacific and 20% in Europe. In North America, the company will be focusing on the oilfield and aerospace markets, in

D. W. : In Asia-Pacific, Agy will be

focusing on the next generation of mobile devices and also the emergence of aerospace production in this region.

cost-effective solution for improving transmission capacity, lowering line losses, limiting sag, and reducing the need for more transmission line infrastructure. The high-strength composite core allows for higher aluminium compaction and the use of higher conductive annealed aluminium, which increases ampacity by up to 100%. When compared to other composite core/conductors,

including those using a hybrid carbon and glass composite, the AmpStar CRAC offers equal or better mechanical properties, a higher Tg and a much reduced cost over the competition. AmpStar developed this latest version of CRAC in response to challenges from utilities – and stranders – to increase properties, particularly tensile properties, but keep the same beneficial pricing.

No73 June 2012 /

jec composites magazine 49

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #73 - June 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #73 - June 2012