SGL Group
Andersen Ross - Fotolia 
Handshake
The carbon fiber producer SGL Group SE, Wiesbaden/Germany, is acquiring the 49 % equity investment of the BMW Group, Munich/German, in the joint ventures SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers GmbH & Co. KG (Germany) and SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers LLC (US) – together referred to as SGL ACF. Once the deal has been completed, SGL Group will be the sole owner of SGL ACF.
Carbon fibers and carbon fiber materials are at the core of SGL Group's corporate strategy. By acquiring SGL ACF now, SGL Group is forging ahead with its strategy to consolidate all key activities in the value chain – from carbon fibers and materials to components. BMW has entered into an agreement with SGL Group to continue to work together on future projects involving the use of carbon.
SGL ACF's production activities take place in Moses Lake, WA/USA and Wackersdorf/Germany. Moses Lake is knows as world's most modern carbon fiber plant and produces specific carbon fibers for serial production applications. The acquisition gives SGL Group the opportunity to expand its activities at the site relating to fibers and composites for the North American market. At the Wackersdorf plant, carbon fibers are processed to create fabrics and nonwovens. BMW uses these to produce components, for e.g. the passenger cell of the i3 and i8, as well as individual parts for the 7 series.
