Solvay and deBotech announced USA Bobsled and Skeleton technology partners

Alpharetta, GA, January 10^th 2018 —Solvay and deBotech are proud to announce a partnership with USA Bobsled and Skeleton. Solvay is one of the team’s technology partners and suppliers of advanced carbon fiber composite materials. deBotech, Solvay’s long-standing customer and USA Bobsled and Skeleton’s preferred carbon fiber manufacturer, has been a team partner for 15 years.

Solvay’s prepregs are developed to offer maximum strength while remaining lightweight and offers the ability to create distinctive complex shapes, giving performance equipment high aerodynamic efficiency.

“Solvay has always supported sports and athletes, aiming to break records and leverage the strengths of our composite materials technology to their advantage, whether it is on the water, in the air, in the velodrome, on the track or on the snow,”said Carmelo Lo Faro, President of Solvay’s Composite Materials Global Business Unit.  “USA Bobsled and Skeleton is a perfect illustration of that desire for speed and competitive excellence and we wish them a lot of success in their upcoming international competitions”

“At deBotech we have worked with Solvay’s materials for years across a wide range of high-performance applications,” said Hans deBot, deBotech President and Founder.“It is that experience coupled with our deep understanding of carbon fiber composite properties that enabled us to partner with USA Bobsled and Skeleton since 2002.”

Richard Laubenstein, Crew Chief at USA Bobsled and Skeleton added: “We thank our technology partner Solvay and our manufacturing partner deBotech for providing our team with custom designed high-quality carbon fiber composite equipment. This, in addition to our incredible athletes, will put us in contention for medals in 2018”.

A skeleton competitor prepares to load his sled at the start of the Lake Placid, N.Y. World Cup race in November 2017.

A four-man bobsled team powers the USA sled off the block at the start before loading for a race run in the Igls, Austria World Cup in December 2017.

                    

Solvay is a multi-specialty chemical company, committed to developing chemistry that addresses key societal challenges. Solvay innovates and partners with customers in diverse global end markets. Its products and solutions are used in planes, cars, smart and medical devices, batteries, in mineral and oil extraction, among many other applications promoting sustainability. Its lightweight materials enhance cleaner mobility, its formulations optimize the use of resources and its performance chemicals improve air and water quality. Solvay is headquartered in Brussels with around 27,000 employees in 58 countries. Net sales were € 10.9 billion in 2016, with 90% from activities where Solvay ranks among the world’s top 3 leaders. Solvay SA (SOLB.BE) is listed on Euronext Brussels and Paris (Bloomberg: SOLB.BB – Reuters: SOLB.BR) and in the United States its shares (SOLVY) are traded through a level-1 ADR program.