FrisianBAR, a new company from the owner of Autonational Composite Machinery in IJlst, wants to conquer the European market with a sustainable alternative to rebar. With a new, fully automated production line in IJlst, FrisianBAR wants to produce composite rebar, also known as composite rebar, for the European construction industry. In doing so, the Frisian company also wants to make an important contribution to making the sector more sustainable. The joint funding for the new production line will come from NOM and FOM.
For the reinforcement and reinforcement of many concrete structures, steel is still the standard. However, a common problem is that steel will eventually rust, causing concrete rot. 'Composite is not only stronger than steel, but also not subject to rust, so the guaranteed life of this type of reinforced concrete is at least 100 years. In addition, composite is also more durable and chemically resistant, so it has many advantages over steel.'
Rapidly growing market
Precisely because of these advantages, there is a growing demand for composite rebar worldwide. 'India, the USA and China, for example, are already very large markets. But in Europe it is actually still in its infancy, so there are many opportunities for us there,' says Fietje. 'From Autonational Composite Machinery, our other company, we have therefore developed a production line for composite rebar together with a Hungarian customer. Normally we develop and sell this kind of production line to different European customers, but because we applied a lot of innovation and development, we decided to set up this production line ourselves from a new company.'
We are pleased with the support and confidence of FOM and NOM as partners. With this funding we are setting up a fully automated production line in IJlst, enabling us to supply high-quality certified composite rebar of consistent quality. It also enables us to hire new personnel and obtain the necessary product certificates.
Harry Fietje FrisianBAR
Funding
The machines for this are produced by Autonational Composite Machinery, but for the production line itself, Fietje founded the new company FrisianBAR. For funding, the company was able to turn to NOM and FOM. 'With the fully automated production line to be realized, FrisianBAR has a strong competitive position for the production of composite rebar,' says NOM investment manager Betty Postma. 'They serve a fast-growing market in the Netherlands and Europe and also provide a more sustainable alternative to steel. That makes FrisianBAR a valuable addition to both the region and the Frisian manufacturing industry. As NOM we are happy to contribute to that.'
'We certainly see FrisianBAR's advanced production line as a valuable addition to the region and the Frisian economy,' also said Jonathan Tol, investment manager of the FOM. 'In addition, their product contributes in several ways to making the construction sector more sustainable. After all, composite rebar as a product is not only more sustainable, it also lasts much longer than steel, for example, and is also easier and more efficient to transport.'
'We are delighted with the support and confidence of FOM and NOM as partners. With this funding we are setting up a fully automated production line in IJlst, enabling us to supply high-quality certified composite rebar of consistent quality. It also enables us to hire new staff and obtain the necessary product certificates,' said Fietje. 'Right now we are busy engineering the 2.0 version of our production line and we expect to be able to start production for the European market sometime after the summer.'
Making the construction sector more sustainable
European construction companies are often bound by strict CO2 emission laws and regulations for new projects. 'In large government tenders, for example, these companies have to calculate their total footprint, including transportation, before it can be approved,' says Fietje. 'Composite production is more sustainable than steel, and the material is also lighter, which means less heavy transportation is needed to transport it.'
'So construction companies can use our product to reduce their overall carbon footprint and also factor this into their Environmental Cost Indicator, making it easier to get projects approved. Our ultimate goal is to make our entire product 100% recyclable and also use recycled materials in the production process,' Fietje continues. 'In doing so, we want to make an important contribution from Friesland to making the European construction sector more sustainable.'