Following the technology change from the use of pre-impregnated fibres (prepregs) to infusion technology for the production of wind blades in the global wind energy industry over the past 10 years, Gurit faced non-utilisation in China and Canada and underutilisation of its prepreg production capacity in Europe in recent years.
In this context, the prepreg plants in China and Canada were closed in earlier years. In Europe, the decline of the wind energy prepreg market combined with the overall demand for marine, industrial and automotive prepreg has now reached a level which suggests consolidation in one well-utilised site. Gurit estimates that the restructuring and transfer cost will result in one-off costs of approximately CHF 3.9 million of which CHF 3.1 million will be effective in the 2017 fiscal year and the remainder in 2018.
