The drivers of climate change and sustainability create a need across industries for lightweight, truly sustainable structural products that are cost competitive with existing, heavier, and less sustainable ones. In Composite Braiding Ltd’s (CBL) target markets of transport, infrastructure, logistics, and sports, products need to be lighter to reduce emissions or increase payload-range; more sustainable; and cost competitive, so customers do not have to pay a large premium for these benefits.
CBL’s award winning processes use inherently sustainable thermoplastic composite materials in place of the more common thermoset composites, such as carbon fibre. This allows for much easier reuse, repair, remanufacture, and recycling. Their high-volume, highly automated, low energy production processes reduce material wastage by about 97% and energy usage by about 98%. The combination of materials, processing techniques and expertise allow us to produce components as stiff and strong as steel (which they often replace) while reducing weight by 60–70% and remaining cost competitive.
Sam Donegani is CBL’s Operations Manager, responsible for all production, project, quality, purchasing, logistics, and health and safety activities within the business. He is set to take over as Managing Director of the business, when Steve Barbour, the founder and current MD, retires.
Sam explains: “with a background in operations, I specifically wish to develop in the financial and commercial areas of business, which I have had less exposure to.” He recognises that the Shott Scale Up Accelerator offers the tools to support this transition in role. He also recognises that because of the networking opportunities he can also “contribute to the development of the businesses of my colleagues on the course.”
CBL is currently in a growth phase from R&D and small volume production to volume manufacturing of numerous products. During the 12 months of the programme, Sam is aiming for CBL to enter full-scale, high-volume production, expand the team, and potentially seek additional premises.
