LIBEREC, Czech Republic – The co-operation of a leading automotive equipment supplier and the leading international polycarbonate glazing specialist heralds a new era in automotive design. The Czech Republic based Peguform Bohemia and Exatec, the PC glazing technology joint venture of Bayer MaterialScience and GE Advanced Materials, announced on 8 March, their co-operation in a major effort to bring advanced Exatec PC glazing technology to the automotive market. Peguform Bohemia will build a new polycarbonate glazing facility based on Exatec’s comprehensive glazing system technology. This will make Peguform Bohemia the first company to use Exatec’s advanced glazing technology including plasma technology to manufacture clear, light weight and impact-resistant polycarbonate side and rear car windows as well as panoram ic roofs for car manufacturers worldwide.
Exatec’s advanced polycarbonate glazing solutions offer car manufacturers clear advantages with respect to design flexibility, functionality and weight, combined with extensive weathering and glass-like abrasion performance. “The market opportunity for PC glazing is huge,” says Pavel Neuman , Peguform Bohemia ’s CEO. “Over the past 10 years, Peguform Bohemia has expanded aggressively as a highly specialised automotive supplier with a proven record of successfully adopting new technologies. We see the use of Exatec technology in our new cleverGlass business as a natural extension of this strategy. It is a strategic target of Peguform Bohemia for the years 2005 – 2010 to increase the turnover by 50 per cent. Besides the acquisition of new customers for the standard production this target can be reached by developing new applications. The pre-development department of Peguform Bohemia is currently involved in many programmes utilising PC glazing which due to its properties is able to replace glass. This offers great potential for future growth. The production of the PC glazing systems with Exatec technology in the new cleverGlass business has become one of the most important steps in Peguform Bohemia ’s growth strategy,” adds Pavel Neuman.
“Polycarbonate is about to become a major alternative to glass in future cars,” predicts Exatec CEO Clemens Kaiser . “The introduction of Exatec 900 glazing technology will open up entirely new construction and design options for automotive manufacturers which will help to transform the market.”
With Peguform Bohemia , Exatec has found the forward thinking and technologically advanced partner needed for such an ambitious and significant development. Kaiser added: “With its automotive expertise, skills and economically competitive location, we are confident that Peguform Bohemia is ideally positioned to help establish polycarbonate as the material of choice in automotive windows.”
Exatec’s products combine an enhanced 10-year weathering layer with a glass-like Plasma topcoat that exhibits superior abrasion properties . In addition, Exatec provides materials and processes for defroster and antenna functionalities. Polycarbonate can be moulded into almost any shape, accommodating today’s most sophisticated automotive design trends and opening opportunities for future developments.
Peguform Bohemia , headquartered in Liberec, Czech Republic , will begin construction of its glazing facility this year. The new business named cleverGlass will be designed specifically to meet polycarbonate glazing demands, utilising the latest advanced optical moulding technology as well as Exatec’s high-performance glazing systems. This highly competitive cleverGlass operation will feature a purpose-built state-of-the-art clean room environment ensuring that automotive manufacturers around the world are supplied with PC glazing which meets the highest quality standards.
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