The facility will have both pilot- and full-scale production equipment for developing, testing and evaluating new fabric technologies.
In addition to equipment for weaving, stitching and assembling multiaxial fabrics, the 5500 m2 (about 60 000 ft2) Owens Corning facility will have a laboratory for testing new fabric technologies in infusion moulding and other closed mould processes.
“The new excellence centre is a dedicated facility for partnering and working closely on new fabric developments with our customers using state-of-the-art equipment,” says Mark Neville, vice president and managing director of OCV™ Technical Fabrics. “By centralising our fabric development activities in Zele, we will have more flexibility in scheduling and can continue the work 24/7 if necessary. The expertise at this centre will also further drive standardisation and quality in our manufacturing facilities to better serve our customers.”
