JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #44 - October 2008 - Special Asia - 28

FEATURE “Reinforcement” JB Martin: top name in engineering fabrics JB Martin has been manufacturing engineering fabrics for over 20 years. An offshoot of the JB Martin Group, world leader in velvet production since 1832, the company produces reinforcements for composite materials using mainly glass, carbon, aramid, polyester, basalt and polypropylene fibres. velvet manufacturer since 1832, this corporation of French origin has been present in North America since 1899. In 1934, the Group invested in its first velvet factory. Fifty years later, in 1985, the company started producing engineering fabrics in its plant at St-Jean-sur-Richelieu in Quebec. In 2004, the decision was made to stop velvet production and dedicate the site to the production of engineering fabrics. Velvet production continues in the United States and Mexico. The Group discontinued all its European operations in 1976. fabrics for ballistic armour, bullet-resistant vests and protection against mines and explosives. Martintek caters to the military, law enforcement, fire-fighters, loggers, foundry workers, electricity workers and other environments that require high-performance protection. Martintek products are certified by numerous bodies throughout America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. In the field of “functional” fabrics, JB Martin generally caters to complex specifications for applications that are as specialized as they are varied: ice hockey skates, powder bags, fireproofing walls, 3D structures, self-fastening tapes, etc. As well as the quality of its products, JB Martin also sets great store by its quality of service, this being one of the company’s overriding concerns. The standard product lines account for only 1/3 of the activity, with the remaining 2/3 deriving from specifically developed products. This underlines the company’s capacity for innovation. JB Martin, in addition to its composites activity, is also present on the markets for protective fabrics and what it calls “functional” fabrics. JB Martin’s revenues at St-Jean-sur-Richelieu amount to $US 20-30 million and it exports around 70% of its production. The company has 65 full-time employees. Complementary activities Specialty fabrics are characterized by optimized physical properties and processing technologies. High-tech products for high-tech applications. Working closely with its customers, JB Martin is constantly looking to push the envelope for its products, developing new architectures and forever seeking the best fibre combinations and orientations. In the composites sector, the company has a foothold on a variety of markets: marine, transportation, wind energy, aerospace, civil engineering, construction, sport & leisure and industry. Its fabrics can be found in a wide range of products, from canoe paddles through aircraft parts to wind turbine blades. JB Martin is also active in the protective fabrics sector and has a subsidiary, Martintek, that specializes in this field. Created in 1996, Martintek has made its name on this market and has built a solid reputation for both quality and innovation, supplying High-tech products In the composites sector, JB Martin’s reputation is secure, and is born of the company’s capacity to innovate and A wide range of reinforcements. uphold its commitments to its customers. The fibres used for reinforcement production are Eglass, S2-glass, aramid, carbon, basalt, polyester and polypropylene. The wide range of reinforcements for the composites sector is available in grades of between 130 and 3,250 g/m². In addition to conventional architectures (taffeta, twill, satin, etc.), JB Martin has specialized over the last twenty years in optimized proprietary architectures (3D NCS, interlock weaves, UD, etc.). All fabrics are designed to be easy to process. In the protection sector, the company produces a range of reinforcements that push back the boundaries in impact protection. In this field, the services that the Martintek division JEC Composites Magazine / No44 October 2008

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #44 - October 2008 - Special Asia

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #44 - October 2008 - Special Asia