SGL Carbon

SGL Carbon SE is a European company based in Germany. It is one of the world's leading manufacturers of products from carbon.

With 29 production sites around the globe (17 in Europe, 8 in North America and 4 in Asia), and a service network in more than 80 countries, SGL Carbon is a globally operating company.[2] The company headquarters is Wiesbaden, Germany.

The SGL share had been included in the German MDAX since 1995, and fell in the smaller SDAX in September 2014. Between March 2020 and March 2021, SGL Carbon has not been a constituent of the SDAX due to the low free float market capitalization.[3] In 2024, the company generated sales revenue of €1.026 billion and employed 4,400 staff worldwide.[4]

History

SGL Carbon AG originated in 1992 from a merger between SIGRI GmbH (Germany) and Great Lakes Carbon (USA) to share a company according to German law.

Products/applications and markets

As of 2021, the mobility market segments (automotive and transport as well as aerospace) represent SGL Carbon's largest market. Industrial applications, which include growing segments such as semiconductors, make up the second-largest market, followed by the energy industry (including batteries as well as wind and solar energy). Further key customers are located in the chemical and textile fibers segments.[12]

The individual business units' products, applications and customer segments are as follows:

Graphite Solutions

The business unit Graphite Solutions (GS) operates primarily in the areas of graphite specialties. These include synthetic fine grain graphite blocks and expanded natural graphite as well as graphite anode material and materials for fuel cells. The main customer industries of the business unit's varied products and applications are the semiconductor, LED and solar industries, the battery and fuel cell industry, the automotive and transport segment as well as various other industries.[12]

Process Technology

The focus of the Process Technology (PT) business unit is on the construction, maintenance and repair of large systems for industrial applications. These can range from individual components and equipment to complete systems for the synthesis of hydrochloric acid as well as the concentration or dilution and absorption or desorption of a variety of acids. Technologies designed and manufactured by PT to that end include graphite heat exchangers, syntheses and columns as well as pumps and systems with a high resistance against corrosive media. The business unit's most important customer group is, consequently, the chemical industry.[12]

Carbon Fibers

The Carbon Fibers (CF) business unit bundles together SGL Carbon's material business based on carbon fibers, covering the entire integrated value chain from raw materials to carbon fibers to composite materials. The CF business unit controls the entire value chain, starting with the polymerization of the main raw material, acrylonitrile, through the production of carbon fibers and ending with the manufacture of fabrics. Apart from carbon fibers, the business unit's product portfolio includes precursor and acrylic fibers, non-crimp and woven fabrices as well as pre-impregnated materials.

Carbon fiber based materials enjoy increasingly high demand due to their unique properties such as low weight combined with high strength. Industries focusing on these properties, such as the automotive industry and wind energy segment, are key customers.[12]

Composite Solutions

Low weight combined with high rigidity and strength are the key benefits of the products provided by the Composite Solutions (CS) business unit. The unit focuses on the production of customer-specific components and tailor-made solutions made of composite materials based on glass and carbon fibers. Battery housing applications and GRP leaf springs as well as various types of carbon-based friction materials for the automotive industry are CS's main focus.[12]

type	Public (Societas Europaea)
traded as	fwb: SGL SDAX
isin	isin: DE0007235301
foundation	1992
location	Wiesbaden, Germany
key people	Andreas Klein (CEO) Thomas Dippold (CFO) Stephan Bühler (Member of the Board) Frank Richter (Chairman of the Supervisory Board)
industry	Chemicals
revenue	€1.026 billion (2024)‡R1R‡
num employees	4,400 (end 2024)‡R1R‡
products	Graphite specialties, carbon fibres and composites
homepage	www.sglcarbon.com

History

Group structure

Products/applications and markets

Graphite Solutions

Process Technology

Carbon Fibers

Composite Solutions

Locations

Electrode cartel and antitrust litigation

Sponsorship

References