Airex AG

What Airex AG does

Airex AG is the Swiss-domiciled operating entity within the 3A Composites Core Materials division of Schweiter Technologies (SIX Swiss Exchange: SWTQ). Founded in 1956 in Sins, Switzerland, the company develops and manufactures structural core materials for sandwich composite applications, serving the renewable energy, marine, rail, aerospace, automotive, building and construction, and industrial sectors across more than 50 countries. It operates through wholly-owned production facilities in Switzerland, Poland, the United States (North Carolina and Kentucky), China (Shanghai and Changzhou), Ecuador, and Papua New Guinea, supported by a global distributor network.

The company's technology centers on sandwich composite construction, combining thin, strong face skins with low-density core materials to produce lightweight, high-stiffness structural panels. Its product portfolio spans four primary brands: AIREX closed-cell rigid foams (PET-based foams 50-96% air, plus PVC and specialty variants including TegraCore); BALTEK structural balsa wood grown on company-owned FSC-certified plantations in Ecuador and Papua New Guinea (including the SBC carbon-neutral product line); LANTOR nonwoven composites (Coremat, Soric, Finishmat); and ENGICORE custom-shaped, ready-to-use core kits. Proprietary innovations include the SealX coating technology delivering 36% resin uptake savings in sandwich production, a Hybrid Core Concept combining balsa and PET foams, and an active balsa genetic research program.

Airex AG generates revenue through direct sales of core materials and engineering services (product selection consulting, design feasibility assessment, prototype manufacturing, process optimization, and on-site technical support) to enterprise OEMs, complemented by a multi-tier distributor network. The sales motion is enterprise field sales with technical engineering support. The company is a fully private subsidiary of Schweiter Technologies, holds 2,258 employees globally, and reports no publicly disclosed revenue, but demonstrates scale through 85+ years of operating history, multi-continent owned production, and large global distribution.

Name

Airex AG

Legal name

Airex AG

Website

https://3accorematerials.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Airex AG (3A Composites Core Materials) is a Swiss manufacturer of structural core materials—closed-cell PET foams, FSC-certified balsa wood from owned plantations, nonwoven composites, and custom kits—for sandwich composite applications serving renewable energy, marine, rail, aerospace, automotive, and construction OEMs globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Composite Core Materials

NAICS

Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641), Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336413)

SIC

Aircraft & Parts (3720), Plastics Products, Nec (3089)

akta.pro primary industry

Sandwich Panels & Core Materials (Foam, Balsa, Honeycomb) (IMAJAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Composite Structures & Layup Manufacturing (IMABAEAB), Interior Structural Components (Floor Beams, Seat Tracks, Frames) (IMABAEAJ)

Keywords

• Sandwich composite materials
• Structural core materials
• PET foam cores
• FSC balsa wood cores
• Lightweight composite manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Steinhausen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Core Materials Sales: Sale of high-performing and sustainable core materials including AIREX® rigid foams (PET-based), BALTEK® balsa wood, LANTOR® nonwoven solutions, and ENGICORE® custom kits. Products sold directly and through global distributor network.
2. Engineering and Technical Services: Product selection consulting, design feasibility assessment, prototype manufacturing, process optimization, on-site technical service, and certification support.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Airex AG, operating through its 3A Composites Core Materials division, develops and manufactures high-performance structural core materials used as the inner layer of sandwich composite panels. Its product portfolio spans AIREX® closed-cell PET and PVC rigid foams, BALTEK® FSC-certified structural balsa wood from company-owned plantations, LANTOR® nonwoven composite reinforcements, and ENGICORE® custom-engineered core kits, supplied to global industrial customers in wind energy, marine, rail, aerospace, automotive, and construction applications together with engineering and technical services.

Product overview

Airex AG (3A Composites Core Materials) offers a broad portfolio of high-performing and sustainable core materials for sandwich technology. The product portfolio consists of four main brands: AIREX® rigid foams (closed-cell PET and structural foams including T10, T90, T92, R82, C70, TegraCore™, PXc, PXw variants), BALTEK® balsa wood (FSC-certified structural balsa from own plantations in Ecuador and Papua New Guinea, including SBC and VBC variants), LANTOR® nonwoven solutions (Coremat®, Soric®, Finishmat® for composites), and ENGICORE® custom engineered core material kits. Additional offerings include AIREX® Sport & Health flexible foams and FOREX®/SMART-X® display products. The company also offers engineering services including product-process development, material testing, certification, and on-site support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AIREX: Rigid closed-cell foams for sandwich structures, offering outstanding strength, stiffness, and minimal weight; includes PET foams (T10, T90, T92, TK90, TK92), PVC foams (C70), specialty foams (R82, PXc, PXw, TegraCore)
• BALTEK
• LANTOR
• ENGICORE
• AIREX Sport & Health
• FOREX / SMART-X

Products and services

• AIREX® Rigid Foams Closed-cell rigid foams containing 50-96% air, providing outstanding strength, stiffness, and minimal weight for sandwich composite structures. The product family includes AIREX® T10 (sustainable PET foam), T90 (economic, fire-resistant structural foam for rail and aerospace), T92 (PET foam with SealX technology for resin savings), R82 (radar-transparent dielectric foam for aerospace interiors and radomes), C70/C71 (high-specific-properties PVC foam), TK90/TK92, TegraCore™ (acquired from Solvay), PXc, and PXw variants.
• BALTEK® Balsa Wood Cores Structural core material made from natural, renewable balsa wood grown on FSC-certified company-owned plantations in Ecuador and Papua New Guinea. Includes the SBC family (FSC plantation-controlled, including SBC.80 wind grade), VBC veneered balsa core, and is marketed as the world's first carbon-neutral core material, available with FSC™ MIX certification from May 2025.
• LANTOR® Nonwoven Solutions Comprehensive range of innovative nonwoven solutions for the composites (fibre reinforced plastics) industry distributed in North America through 3A Composites Core Materials. Includes Coremat® (bulker mats), Soric® (flow and drainage media), and Finishmat® (surface finish media).
• ENGICORE® Custom Core Kits Pre-shaped, ready-to-use customized core material solutions tailored to specific customer manufacturing processes and standards for wind energy, transportation, marine, automotive, and aerospace applications, including kits produced by the JMB Wind Engineering operations acquired in June 2023.
• AIREX® Sport & Health (Flexible Foams) Swiss-made flexible foam products for fitness, rehabilitation, and balance training, including yoga mats, balance pads, and fitness equipment, made of up to 96% air.
• FOREX® and SMART-X® Display Boards Lightweight PVC foam boards for visual communication, advertising, exhibition construction, and signage applications.
• Engineering and Technical Services Product selection consulting, design feasibility assessment, prototype manufacturing, process optimization, on-site technical support, and certification support provided to industrial customers adopting AIREX, BALTEK, LANTOR, and ENGICORE core materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• 36% resin uptake saving thanks to PET SealX products
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OSAPIENScoreTechnology or Integration · 20 November 2025Platform partner enabling EUDR compliance through GeoJSON geolocation data access and documentation for BALTEK® material imports to EU. Importers can access required data to complete Due Diligence Statement (DDS) in EU TRACES system.
• WINDnovationcoreTechnology or IntegrationWINDnovation is a global market leader in wind turbine technology and rotor blade design. Since 2007, they have successfully completed more than 100 projects across the entire spectrum of modern wind turbine technology. They designed China's most powerful wind turbine and extremely long, light rotor blades for low wind speed regions.
• The Dow Chemical CompanycoreTechnology or IntegrationDow develops innovative solutions to improve quality of life by combining science and technology. They support chemistry and innovation with sustainability principles addressing globally pressing issues including clean drinking water, conservative use of energy resources, renewable energy use, and crop yields increase.
• STRUCTeamcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSTRUCTeam provides management and technology consultancy services for composites solutions. They are passionate about composites and cover the entire composites lifecycle and supply chain, helping customers develop new materials, production and manufacturing processes, components and products.
• Lantor CompositescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLantor Composites division offers comprehensive range of nonwoven solutions to composites industry. 3A Composites Core Materials distributes Lantor products (Coremat®, Soric®, Finishmat®) through North America. Products complement 3A's core materials portfolio.
• 3A Composites MobilityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for intelligent materials and high-performance composites for passenger transportation with focus on sophisticated applications for rail vehicles and buses.
• ETH ZurichminorOthersResearch university partnership for composites technology development
• TU MunichminorOthersTechnical university partnership for composites research
• Politecnico di MilanominorOthersTechnical university partnership for composites technology
• EMPA BayreuthminorOthersMaterials research institute partnership for composites development
• Tongji University ShanghaiminorOthersUniversity partnership for composites research in Asia-Pacific region
• KTH StockholmminorOthersTechnical university partnership for composites technology research
• FRP Research Institute Co. LtdminorOthersResearch institute partnership for fiber reinforced plastics research
• JMB Wind EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading developer and manufacturer of core material kits (primarily balsa and PET products for wind turbines). Acquired June 2023 with additional subsidiaries in Poland, Portugal and Brazil. Offers complete portfolio of solutions and know-how under one roof.
• Northwestern Switzerland UAS RapperswilminorOthersUniversity of applied sciences partnership for composites research
• UAS LucerneminorOthersUniversity of applied sciences partnership for technology development
• University of LiverpoolminorOthersUniversity partnership for composites research
• Jaume IminorOthersUniversity partnership for composites technology research
• Technical University of LisbonminorOthersTechnical university partnership for research collaboration
• Winston-Salem State UniversityminorOthersUS university partnership for composites research (Winston-Salem NC)
• Wake Forest UniversityminorOthersUS university partnership for research collaboration (Winston-Salem NC)
• Gateway University Research ParkminorOthersUS research park partnership (Greensboro NC)
• Joint School of Nanoscience and NanoengineeringminorOthersJoint research institute (NC Agricultural & Technical State University and University of NC - Greensboro)

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Diab Group: Swedish-headquartered global manufacturer of PET and PVC structural foam cores (Divinycell) and sandwich composite core materials, directly competing with Airex AIREX products across wind, marine, aerospace, and transportation end-markets.
• Evonik Industries (ROHACELL): German specialty chemicals major producing ROHACELL PMI high-performance foam cores that directly compete with Airex's TegraCore and AIREX high-performance foam grades in aerospace and aerospace-grade sandwich applications.
• Gurit Holding: Swiss-listed composites specialist offering core materials, prepregs, and engineered composites serving the same wind energy, marine, and aerospace customer base as Airex, with overlapping product portfolios and similar European DNA.
• Armacell: Luxembourg-based global manufacturer of engineered foams including structural PET foams for composite sandwich applications; competes with Airex PET foam offerings in marine, wind, and transportation while also serving broader industrial insulation markets.

Broad incumbents

• Hexcel Corporation: Large US-listed aerospace composites manufacturer producing prepregs, honeycomb cores, and engineered composites used in similar aerospace and wind applications as Airex, but with a much broader composites portfolio spanning carbon fiber reinforcements.
• Solvay S.A. Belgian specialty chemicals and advanced materials company; previously owned the TegraCore foam business that Airex acquired in 2022, and continues to compete in adjacent composite and specialty polymer markets serving aerospace and industrial customers.
• Toray Industries: Japanese composites and advanced materials conglomerate producing carbon fiber, prepregs, and core materials used in aerospace, automotive, and wind applications overlapping with Airex end-markets, though with a focus on fiber-reinforced systems rather than foam/balsa cores.
• SABIC: Saudi-headquartered petrochemicals and materials major with a growing composites and specialty foams portfolio, competing with Airex in structural foam supply chains for transportation and industrial applications globally.
• BASF: Global chemicals giant producing a range of foams, resins, and composite-input materials; competes with Airex indirectly through polyurethane and specialty foam offerings and through structural materials serving automotive and construction customers.

Others

• Saertex: German manufacturer of multiaxial non-crimp fabrics and core materials for fiber-reinforced composites, serving the same wind energy, marine, and aerospace customers as Airex as a complementary (rather than directly competing) supply chain partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCj6c9uPH8uwcddcefqV0gDg
• Facebookfacebook.com/timeline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/972720
• Instagraminstagram.com/3accorematerials

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries9 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 Airex AG