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Mar-Bal unites AltraSet with Lattice Composites

18 Nov '20

4 min read

Pic: Mar-Bal

Mar-Bal has united its AltraSet Composite Technologies company with Lattice Composites (Riverside, CA). The integrated merger will lead to addition in Mar-Bal’s composite technologies to include Lattice’s customised epoxy chemistry systems. That mean there will be a unique materials portfolio of polyester and epoxy resin compounds that is world class.

Mar-Bal, an industry leader, is known as ‘The One-Source Solutions Provider’. It is one of America’s fastest growing privately held companies and leading composite manufacturers in North America.

The ISO 9001: 2015 registered Mar-Bal provides customers with comprehensive thermoset composite solutions, including part design, specialised material formulations, decorating, assembly, and customised automation. As a historical player in polyester and vinyl ester resin-based BMC materials, the merger with Lattice will create new opportunities for epoxy based products and material solutions for the composites industry – which are not available with any other material suppliers.

This next-level of essential advanced epoxy technologies and products will include (but is not limited to) SMC/BMC composite materials (carbon fibre and fibreglass reinforced), filament winding resins, prepreg resin, bulk and film adhesives, and custom materials and process solutions.

Pulling its full scope of resources together, Lattice will be moving its advanced manufacturing equipment and experienced technical staff to Mar-Bal’s state-of-the-art AltraSet Materials Division compounding facility in Chagrin Falls, OH. Joining Mar-Bal’s VP of Materials Engineering, Larry Landis, will be Lattice founder and CEO, Ruchir Shanbhag, director of Operations, Zach Melrose, and process engineer, Steve Stine.

According to Scott Balogh, president and CEO of Mar-Bal, “This merger has created the world’s leading provider of composite materials solutions. We have the ability to custom design, formulate, and manufacture a wide variety of composite materials to fit most any product application or manufacturing process. Our cultural alignment, common vision, values, and customer-centric approach makes us a valued partner in the epoxy resin-based materials world.”

Lattice Composites was created with the goal of changing the traditional paradigms of epoxy use when compared to other epoxy manufacturers, molecularly via Lattice’s highly qualified and experienced formulators. With a focus on basic resin packages that provide superior material properties when compared to other resin systems in the market, Lattice’s epoxy resin systems are also highly customisable to provide engineered solutions to fit the specific needs of each company.

According to Shanbhag, who is also a joint owner of the merged entity, “This is a `no brainer’ merger, as the companies have been working collaboratively for many years. We needed to grow, and Mar-Bal’s cutting-edge manufacturing and composite material capabilities were aligned perfectly with our high-end epoxy performance expertise. We are now positioned as the only company in the industry that has both the materials and technology to bring unparalleled epoxy advantages to the equation for end-users including; lower cost structure, higher performance, and ease-of-processing.”

Mar-Bal’s Landis concurred on the merger synergy in stating, “This ‘joint-formulation’ merger opens up a flood gate of application possibilities that no one else on the market can do by making our own resins and selling epoxies. Chemical products for adhesives, filament winding resins, and epoxy for specialised composites for SMC and BMC compounds are now vertically integrated into the epoxy world.”

Landis concluded, “Our groups can now work together on integrating projects and equipment across three SMC chemistries – polyesters, vinyl esters, and epoxies.”

Balogh concluded, “The Lattice merger’s value proposition is more than just an epoxy value proposition. It’s about the people and the culture that we embody collectively via our `Total Value Commitment’ philosophy. Ultimately, the ability to custom formulate to give the customer `speed-to-market’ is what this team brings, as we are a highly competent and motivated group that thrives on solving problems for customers with the most economic solutions possible.”

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SV)