FOR AUTO RTM

Mubea Carbo Tech: High-quality
auto composites go high-volume
Known for its precision
and technical acumen
in CFRP motorsports
structures, MCT draws
from its steel auto
parts parent to push
high-performance and
industrial production
to new plateaus.
By Ginger Gardiner / Senior Editor
» Mubea Carbo Tech (Salzburg, Austria) is one of Europe’s largest automotive
carbon composites producers. Founded in 1993 as Carbo Tech, it pioneered
carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) motorcycle frames in 1996, began serial
production of CFRP car parts in 2003 and by 2008 had gained renown for
race-winning CFRP monocoques in Formula 1, Le Mans and other
motorsports series.
Muhr und Bender (Mubea, Attendorn, Germany), a global Tier 1 supplier of
lightweight automotive springs, body and structural parts, completed its acquisition
of Carbo Tech in 2014, having established a new serial production facility
for the wholly owned subsidiary Mubea Carbo Tech (MCT) in Žebrák, Czech
Republic in 2013. With annual sales doubled to €100 million ($140 million),
MCT expanded Žebrák production in 2015 from 3,500m 2 to 6,600m 2 — with a
view to 10,000m 2 by 2016 — and upped employment from 100 to 350, bringing
total head count to 850, including Salzburg. By the end of this year, MCT will
have produced more than 10,000 CFRP passenger cell monocoques, including
serial production for the McLaren P1 and MP4/650S, the Volkswagen XL1
and the Porsche 918 Spyder. Meanwhile, its list of other production parts —
including seats, structural components, such as subframes, as well as exterior
“visual” parts and carbon composite wheels — continues to grow.
52 SEPTEMBER 2015
CompositesWorld