Spheretex

What Spheretex does

Spheretex GmbH is a German specialty manufacturer of laminatable core materials for fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) composites, headquartered in Neuss, Germany, with a 30-person team and a 35-year development history dating to its 1986 founding patent. Its products combine high-modulus glass fibers with lightweight microspheres to produce core, surface, and combination materials used as the middle layer of sandwich laminates in place of conventional balsa, PVC foam, or honeycomb. The product portfolio comprises core materials (Sphere.tex, Sphere.core S/SP/SBC/PSI, Sphere.tex tape), surface materials (Sphere.skin), and integrated combination materials (Sphere.mat C IP, Sphere.easy, Sphere.easy IP, Flowmat) that consolidate reinforcement, core, and flow medium into a single ply. Materials are produced in widths up to 300 cm on what the company describes as the world's largest adjustable multiaxial machine, and are compatible with hand lay-up, closed-mold processes (RTM, VIP, wet pressing), winding, pultrusion, and spray-up methods.

The company sells to manufacturers in marine, automotive and transportation, wind energy, construction, tanks and vessels, medical equipment, and sport and leisure applications through a global distribution network covering more than 40 countries, supported by wholly-owned subsidiaries in the US (Spheretex America, est. 1992) and China (Spheretex China, est. 2011). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customers contact Spheretex or local distributors directly. Since 2017, Spheretex has been majority-owned by Vosschemie GmbH of Uetersen, Germany, which also acts as its distributor in the domestic German market, with Managing Director Christoph Esser holding a co-investment stake. The company's go-to-market is predominantly indirect (channel partners / distributors) with limited direct sales from the Neuss headquarters, and marketing is conducted through the company website, social media, downloadable technical documentation, and industry trade events such as the K fair in Düsseldorf.

Name

Spheretex

Legal name

Spheretex GmbH

Website

https://spheretex.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Spheretex GmbH is a German manufacturer of proprietary glass-fiber-and-microsphere core materials for lightweight FRP composite sandwich laminates, serving marine, automotive, wind, and industrial customers through distributors in over 40 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Composite Core Materials

NAICS

Nonwoven Fabric Mills (313230)

SIC

Broadwoven Fabric Mills, Man Made Fiber & Silk (2221)

akta.pro primary industry

Coated & Laminated Industrial Fabrics (Tarpaulins/Awnings/Inflatables/Architectural Membranes) (IMAOADAI)

Keywords

• Composite core materials
• Fiber-reinforced plastics
• FRP sandwich laminates
• Glass fiber fabrics
• Lightweight composite materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Hilden

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Composite Core Material Sales: Spheretex develops and manufactures laminatable core materials for composite applications. The company sells its proprietary core materials (Sphere.tex, Sphere.core, Flowmat, and related product lines) directly and through distributors to manufacturers in marine, automotive, construction, wind energy, and other composite industries. Revenue is generated through product sales of standardized and custom-configured core materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Spheretex develops and manufactures laminatable core materials for fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) composite sandwich laminates, combining high-modulus glass fibers with light microspheres to produce lightweight, high-strength cores. Its portfolio covers Sphere.tex glass-fabric cores, Sphere.core variants (S, SP, SBC, SBC IP, PSI), surface veils (Sphere.skin), and pre-assembled combination materials (Sphere.mat C IP, Sphere.easy, Sphere.easy IP, Flowmat). Products support hand lay up, closed mold (RTM, VIP, wet pressing), winding, pultrusion, and spray up processes and are sold to composite part manufacturers in marine, automotive, wind energy, construction, tanks/pipes/vessels, medical, and sport/leisure industries.

Product overview

Spheretex is a German manufacturer of laminatable core materials for composite applications, offering a comprehensive portfolio of products for lightweight FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastic) solutions. The product lineup includes: (1) Core materials (Sphere.core S, Sphere.core SP, Sphere.core SBC, Sphere.tex, Sphere.tex tape, Sphere.core PSI) - base materials for sandwich laminates combining glass fibers with microspheres; (2) Surface materials (Sphere.skin) for improving laminate surface quality; (3) Combination materials (Sphere.mat C IP, Sphere.core SBC IP, Flowmat, Sphere.easy, Sphere.easy IP) that integrate reinforcement layers, core material, and flow medium in single-layer solutions. Products support multiple manufacturing processes including hand lay up, closed mold processes (RTM, VIP, wet pressing), winding, pultrusion, and spray up. The company develops and produces at its Neuss, Germany facility with distribution in over 40 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sphere.tex Volumized glass fabric core material combining glass fibers with microspheres. Compatible with all resin systems, often used in high-tech applications combined with carbon and aramid. Provides excellent moldability, low resin consumption, high shear and tensile strength, and low weight.
• Sphere.core S Core material based on glass veil for the open mold process. Features fast resin absorption, low resin consumption, and excellent surface quality; mainly used for flat FRP components. Gets soft and shapeable when impregnated with resin, allowing jointless overlapping and excellent bonding with covering glass layers.
• Sphere.core SP Volumized polyester nonwoven core material that is stretchable and drapable both lengthwise and crosswise in dry and wet conditions, well suited for complex three-dimensional FRP component geometries. Used in hand lay up, surface infusion, and wet pressing processes.
• Sphere.core SBC Pre-compressed, stitch-bonded core material based on fiberglass for light FRP parts with high impact and pressure resistance. Very low resin consumption, fast resin absorption, excellent shape stability, fast build-up of thick walls, and reduced shrinkage. Available in strips from 5 cm width.
• Sphere.tex tape Narrow tape made of Sphere.strand (warp) and glass roving (weft) with high tensile strength. Designed for winding processes and pultrusion; can reduce working time and increase output by up to 20%.
• Sphere.skin Surface improvement material based on glass veil for closed mold processes, mainly vacuum infusion. Eliminates print-through of underlying fabrics or core layers on the laminate surface.
• Sphere.mat C IP One-layer all-in-one solution for closed mold process consisting of four plies: outer layers of chopped strand mat, a layer of chopped Sphere.strand (volumized strands), and a layer of polypropylene flow medium. Suitable for FRP parts up to 9 mm thickness with excellent drapability and reduced resin consumption.
• Sphere.core SBC IP Core material based on glass veil, pre-compressed and stitch-bonded, with integrated polypropylene flow medium. Features excellent water resistance and low shrinkage for closed mold applications.
• Flowmat CSM / PP / CSM combination material with excellent drapability and stretchability, fast and even resin impregnation. Can be combined with PAN surface veil and is mainly used for thin laminates.
• Sphere.easy Combination of two layers of chopped strand mat with a center layer of core material for hand lay up process. Helps save up to 50% working time and up to 50% laminate weight compared to single layers.
• Sphere.easy IP All-in-one solution with four plies for closed mold process: outer reinforcing layers of chopped strand mat, an internal layer of core material, and a polypropylene flow medium. Provides 15-20% weight savings depending on layer configuration and excellent drapability for complex geometries.
• Sphere.core PSI Core material with internal flow medium developed for highest demands in RTM and VIP processes. Excellent resin flow properties save vacuum consumables and waste; suitable for all resin systems and vacuums up to 0.9 bar.
• Gun.core Core material made of assembled Sphere.strand fibers developed for the spray up process.
• Sphere.strand (volumized strand intermediate) Volumized fiber strand intermediate produced by Spheretex, used as a building block in Sphere.tex products, Sphere.tex tape, Gun.core, Sphere.mat C IP and other combination materials.
• Multiaxial fabrics based on Sphere.strand Multiaxial fabrics produced from Sphere.strand on the world's largest adjustable multiaxial machine (4 layers, 200-330 cm adjustable width), enabling very large-width composite reinforcements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 50% working time savings compared to use of single layers of mat and core material
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Superior (Indianapolis, IN, USA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 11 February 2021Spheretex appointed Superior as new distributor for the United States in February 2021. The distribution agreement includes all Spheretex core solutions. Superior provides technical service, guides applicators, and stocks the full range of Spheretex products.
• Vosschemie GmbH (Surface Workshop)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2019A successful surface workshop was conducted with the German sales team from Vosschemie, which is now promoting Sphere.skin products in the German market.
• Spheretex America, Inc.coreOthersSpheretex America, Inc. was founded in 1992 in Ponte Vedra, Florida, USA. It operates as the company's subsidiary for the North American market.
• Spheretex China Co., Ltd.coreOthersSpheretex China Co., Ltd. was founded in 2011 in Shanghai, P.R. China. It operates as the company's subsidiary for the Chinese market.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Armacell (ArmaFORM): Armacell produces ArmaFORM PET foam cores used as sandwich core materials in wind, marine, automotive and rail FRP structures. It competes head-to-head with Spheretex's Sphere.core SBC and Sphere.core PSI in the closed-mold core segment.
• Gurit: Gurit supplies composite core materials (Kerdyn PET structural foam, PVC foam, balsa) plus prepreg and kitting services to wind, marine and aerospace customers. It directly competes with Spheretex's core portfolio in wind blade and boat-building applications.
• Lantor: Lantor manufactures nonwoven and core materials (including Soric, Coremat and Lantor NL) for closed-mold FRP processes used in marine, automotive and construction. It directly overlaps with Spheretex's nonwoven Sphere.core and closed-mold combination products.
• Evonik (ROHACELL): Evonik's ROHACELL is a high-performance PMI rigid foam used as a core material in aerospace, automotive, marine and wind composite sandwich structures. It is a direct technical peer to Spheretex in high-end FRP core applications.
• Diab Group: Diab is a leading manufacturer of sandwich composite core materials (Divinycell PVC foam, ProBalsa end-grain balsa) serving wind, marine, transportation and aerospace customers. Spheretex competes directly with Diab's structural cores and overlaps in wind blade and marine hull applications.
• CoreLite International: CoreLite is a manufacturer of end-grain balsa core materials and engineered foam cores for FRP sandwich laminates in marine, wind, transportation and industrial applications. It is a direct peer competing for the same sandwich-core specifications Spheretex addresses.
• 3A Composites (Core Materials): 3A Composites' Core Materials division produces AIREX foam cores and BALTEK balsa cores for FRP sandwich laminates in marine, wind, transportation and construction. It is a direct peer to Spheretex, offering competing core solutions for the same end-applications.

Broad incumbents

• Saertex: Saertex produces multiaxial non-crimp fabrics and core materials for FRP composites used in wind, marine, automotive and construction. It overlaps with Spheretex on multiaxial fabric production and serves the same closed-mold and wind customers at larger scale.
• Hexcel: Hexcel is a global leader in advanced composites, producing carbon fiber, reinforcements, prepregs and honeycomb cores for aerospace, wind and industrial markets. It is a broad incumbent whose core materials and reinforcements overlap Spheretex's served applications.

Emerging players

• Bcomp: Bcomp is a Swiss manufacturer of natural fiber composite reinforcement materials (flax-based) used as sustainable alternatives to glass/carbon fiber in automotive, sports and marine applications. It is an emerging player addressing similar FRP lightweighting use cases that Spheretex serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.spheretex.com%2Fen%2F&t=Home
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.spheretex.com%2Fen%2F&title=Home

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Spheretex