Lanxess Expands Tepex Production Capacity with Two New Lines

Bond‑Laminates GmbH, a wholly‑owned subsidiary of Lanxess, has added two new production lines for its flagship Tepex continuous‑fiber‑reinforced thermoplastic composites. “We have increased our Tepex manufacturing capacity by roughly 50 %,” said Christian Obermann, Managing Director of Bond‑Laminates. “This expansion meets the growing demand for lightweight, high‑strength components in mass production for vehicles and consumer electronics.”

The addition of two lines brings the total from six to eight. A newly constructed hall covering about 1,500 m² houses the upgrades, and the mid single‑digit‑million investment also covers three cutting machines—including a new four‑head waterjet system for pre‑fabricating component cuts.

Tepex is gaining traction in the automotive sector for large‑scale production of lightweight structural parts such as front‑end and bumper brackets, brake pedals, and underbody paneling. A recent application featured two electrically adjustable rear seats for a variant of the Audi A8, where seat shells made with the nylon‑6‑based Tepex Dynalite are approximately 45 % lighter than comparable metal versions.

Lanxess sees further opportunities for Tepex in backrests, armrests, and seat shells for advanced seating concepts in autonomous vehicles, as well as comfort seats for shuttles, VIP coaches, and family buses. In electric vehicles, the material can be used for front‑end brackets, doors, bumpers, luggage‑compartment recesses, battery housings, and structural trims that protect battery modules.

Consumer‑electronics manufacturers also turn to Tepex for thin‑walled, yet exceptionally strong and rigid components in smartphones, tablets, laptops, and TVs—products that must meet stringent aesthetic and haptic requirements. In the sports arena, Tepex is applied to shoe soles, bicycle parts, ski boots, body protectors, and helmets.