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'Major tyre maker' hires Versarien for graphene testing
Engineering solutions firm Versarien announced on Monday that it has secured a purchase order from a leading European tyre producer for the company's graphene variant nanene for testing purposes.
The purchase order will see Versarien supply 500g of its nanene nano-platelets, allowing the tyre producer to explore the benefits of adding graphene to tyres intended for the automotive sector, with further orders expected to follow the successful trial.
Nanene, a few-layer graphene produced using patented manufacturing methods after being initially developed by the University of Manchester, has independently proven, "real world" applications according to Versarien. "Huge" improvements in polymers reinforced with graphene and nanene have been reported, including improving strength, thermal properties and wear resistance.
Neill Ricketts, chief executive of Versarien, said: "We are delighted to have secured this initial contract to supply nanene to a leading producer of tyres. We look forward to working with them to explore the benefits that graphene can bring to their products."
The agreement was formed through Versarien's relationship with its distributor OQEMA PLC, formerly known as Lansdowne Chemicals Limited, with whom Versarien signed a distribution agreement in February.
Robert Moss, group managing director of OQEMA UK, said: "Graphene's numerous benefits have almost limitless potential. New and exciting applications are being discovered on a daily basis which can only yield an exciting future for companies such as OQEMA and Versarien who are willing to put themselves at the forefront of technical advancement."
As of 0822 BST, Versarien's shares were up 2.84% at 72.50p.