In July 2024, Kordsa, a subsidiary of Sabancı Holding, embarked on a three-year partnership with the Sustainable Composite Materials and Manufacturing (SCMM) Innovation Centre at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST). The collaboration aims to meet Kordsa’s sustainability goals by providing innovative solutions for composite end users, particularly in the automotive and aerospace industries.
“SCMM’s groundbreaking research in sustainable composites aligns perfectly with our vision, and its reputation for driving innovation in these areas made it an ideal partner.
The company is a global leader in tire and construction reinforcement, composite technologies, and compounding. Headquartered in Türkiye, it operates across 7 countries and has over 4,500 employees. This newly signed international partnership highlights SCMM’s openness to global collaboration.
“SCMM’s groundbreaking research in sustainable composites aligns perfectly with our vision, and its reputation for driving innovation in these areas made it an ideal partner. Our decision to collaborate with SCMM reflects our commitment to advancing material technologies, especially in the realm of sustainable composites. By collaborating with SCMM, we aim to combine our expertise in reinforcement with their innovative approach to sustainability, positioning ourselves as leaders in developing the next generation of composite materials,” explains Müge Yenmez, Kordsa Chief Technology Officer & Regional General Manager, Composite EMEA.
A vision to reinforce life
Innovation and sustainability are already at the heart of Kordsa’s mission. “We have a strong track record of developing high-performance solutions for sectors such as automotive and aerospace. Our vision of ‘Reinforcing Life’ drives everything we do,” points out Ms Yenmez.
Its composite business unit specialises in producing semi-finished products such as prepregs, towpregs, slitpreps, and honeycomb structures. These materials are processed through moulding techniques like autoclave, oven curing, or pressing to create composite parts. Kordsa integrates various polymers with fibre reinforcements such as carbon, glass, aramid, and natural fibres, playing a key role in the composite value chain.
We believe Kordsa can contribute significantly through our experience in developing and manufacturing high-performance intermediate products.
The company is now in the early stages of exploring how its expertise can be integrated into several of SCMM’s ongoing projects. “These projects are focused on composite materials, and we believe Kordsa can contribute significantly through our experience in developing and manufacturing high-performance intermediate products using a variety of fibre reinforcements. Our technical expertise in combining diverse polymer systems with sustainable solutions gives us a unique edge in enhancing the performance of composite materials,” she asserts.
Both partners are in close communication with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to better understand their needs and identify solutions to address key industry challenges. “While we are still in the planning phase, we are excited about the potential synergy between our capabilities and SCMM’s innovative foundation,” states Ms Yenmez.
Shared goal of sustainability
Ms Yenmez notes that the partnership with SCMM is built on a solid foundation, and they are confident that by aligning their capabilities with the innovation centre’s research expertise, they can co-create groundbreaking solutions for the future of composite technologies.
We’ll work closely with SCMM to ensure that our technical contributions not only meet industry needs but also support our shared goal of sustainability.
The current priority for Kordsa is to gain a deeper understanding of ongoing projects by continuing to engage with OEMs and other key stakeholders. “These discussions will help us pinpoint where Kordsa’s material solutions can have the most significant impact,” she underlines. “We will concentrate on leveraging our expertise in developing lightweight, durable, and sustainable composite materials to enhance the existing project work. As we further define our role in this collaboration, we’ll work closely with SCMM to ensure that our technical contributions not only meet industry needs but also support our shared goal of sustainability,” she concludes.
Photo credits: Kordsa