Owens Corning Expands Technical Fabrics Capacity in Asia to Support Customers in Region's Wind Energy Market
July 07 2009 - 5:15PM
PR Newswire (US)
Includes Knitting Equipment to Produce both Biaxial and Multiaxial
Fabrics BEIJING, July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Owens Corning
(NYSE:OC), a world leader in glass fiber reinforcements and
residential and commercial building materials, announced today that
the company is supporting its wind blade fabrication customers in
Asia by expanding capacity to produce technical fabrics at its
manufacturing facilities in Chanzhou and Doudian, China and Taloja,
India. The investment adds about one-third more knitting capacity
to the three plants' existing fabrics operations, to supply
technical fabrics for the region's growing wind energy market,
which includes the fast-growing China market. The expansion is
already underway and will be completed during the third quarter
this year. "During the past 20 years, Owens Corning has been
leading the way with roving and fabrics preferred by the world's
largest wind blade manufacturers," says Sunil Saxena, general
manager and managing director for OCV(TM) Technical Fabrics, Asia
Pacific region. "The expansions of fabric capacity in China and
India will enable us to supply more of our customers' growing
requirements locally." Composites Group President Chuck Dana said
the expansion is another demonstration of the company's commitment
to wind energy. "Renewable wind energy is needed to assure a
sustainable future," explained Dana. "Composites have many benefits
in wind energy applications and Owens Corning has developed a
number of products specifically customized and designed for
increased productivity and improved laminate performance in a
blade. This work is continuing to help make wind energy more
competitive with traditional sources of electrical power." Capacity
for wind energy in Asia is expected to grow nearly 45 percent this
year, from a total installed capacity of about 22,000 megawatts
(MW) at the end of 2008 to nearly 32,000 MW at the end of this
year, according to BTM Consult ApS, Denmark, an independent
consulting company specializing in renewable energy. BTM says
growth in Asia will be led by China, which is expected to increase
installed capacity by 60 percent in 2009. According to the Global
Wind Energy Council, China will be the biggest growth market for
wind power generating capacity this year, ahead of the United
States. Wind power has become a main force in China's new energy
development. China Daily reports in June quoted a National Energy
Administration official saying China will have 100 GW of wind power
capacity by 2020, which is more than three times the 30 GW the
government set as a target only 18 months ago, accounting for
around 10 percent of the country's total power generation capacity.
About Owens Corning Owens Corning is a leading global producer of
glass fiber reinforcements and engineered materials for composite
systems and residential and commercial building materials. A
Fortune 500 company for 55 consecutive years, Owens Corning is
committed to driving sustainability through delivering solutions,
transforming markets and enhancing lives. Founded in 1938, Owens
Corning had sales of $6 billion in 2008 and about 16,500 employees.
OCV(TM) Reinforcements, OCV(TM) Technical Fabrics and OCV(TM)
Non-Woven Technologies are the three main business units that
comprise the Owens Corning's Composites Group. The business
delivers a broad range of reinforcement products that provide
lightweight alternatives to steel, wood and aluminum, thereby
reducing weight and improving energy efficiency. Additional
information is available at http://www.owenscorning.com/.
DATASOURCE: Owens Corning CONTACT: Scott Deitz, +1-419-248-8935, ,
or Kerry Desberg, +1-419-248-5939, , both of Owens Corning Web
Site: http://www.owenscorning.com/
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