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Universal Matter UK Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Universal Matter Inc., has agreed to acquire all shares of Applied Graphene Materials UK Limited (“AGM UK”) and Applied Graphene Materials LLC (“AGM US”), the main operating subsidiaries of Applied Graphene Materials plc for a total consideration of US$1.3M. With the sale and purchase agreements relating to this transaction having been signed on February 21, 2023, the anticipated completion of the transaction is conditional on AGM shareholder approval and UK NSI Act approval.
Universal Matter Inc. (UMI), a privately held Canadian Corporation, was formed in July 2019. UMI is a high-tech advanced materials company seeking to create strong circular economies by upcycling a range of carbon-based materials, including waste streams, to manufacture and supply high quality and sustainable turbostratic graphene (TG).
UMI’s proprietary Flash Joule Heating (FJH) process can uniquely transform a wide variety of carbon-containing feedstocks into high value graphene materials using its highly efficient and low-cost manufacturing process. UMI’s unique pathway for producing graphene is strongly protected by background IP and trade secrets that the company has built up during the last three years. UMI operates its Innovation Centers in Mississauga ON and Houston TX; the company has recently acquired a 18,000 square foot building in Burlington ON for housing its Demonstration Plant. The Demonstration Plant is expected to be operational in the 3rd quarter of 2023 with a nameplate capacity of ~1t/day at full utilization. The combination of feedstock flexibility and the FJH process technology can produce tuneable graphene products with a wide range of physical properties. This is instrumental in providing performance benefits across diverse end-use applications.
John van Leeuwen, CEO of Universal Matter, noted, “our proposed acquisition of AGM fits exceptionally well with UMI’s growth strategy by significantly enhancing our dispersion and application capabilities for advanced paints and coatings. Moreover, it will provide UMI with an important European footprint for strengthening our growth potential through AGM’s established distributor network.”
AGM’s market leading product technologies have been designed to deliver next generation performance requirements for protective industrial coatings and other applications. This includes graphene dispersion technologies, application and formulating know-how, and compelling test results to support market adoption in coatings, composites and beyond. In addition, the AGM dispersion solutions are easy to use, safe to use in industrial settings, and have appropriate regulatory approvals for volume deployment. AGM’s platform dispersion technology will be further leveraged to enable the deployment of graphene materials into many of the strategic market segments that UMI is pursuing. AGM’s strong pipeline of ongoing customer engagements for evaluating its products and technologies will significantly accelerate UMI’s overall product/market adoption strategies.
The combined capabilities enabled by this acquisition will provide an outstanding opportunity for accelerating the growth of novel graphene-based solutions by utilizing UMI’s proprietary graphene capabilities and AGM’s dispersion platform technologies. This synergistic combination will also help create a compelling value proposition for many industries by further capitalizing on UMI’s unique FJH process for upcycling carbon waste into high-performance, sustainable graphene solutions.
For more information about Universal Matter Inc., visit the website here
Download this press release here
To speak to a member of our team and find out how you can get ahead of the competition using graphene nanoplatelets, call us on +44 (0)1642 438214 or drop us a message via our Contact page.
We are pleased to announce that AGM has signed a supply agreement with a global leader in the car detailing industry, for an exclusively developed graphene-based solution.
The partnership with a global household name brand represents a significant milestone for AGM in the car care sector, where the Company has already announced multiple product launches with smaller participants.
With over 80 years’ experience producing award-winning products for the international car care sector, AGM’s new partner is driving innovation in the market and now leads the way in the supply of high-performance auto detailing and finishing products.
The addition of AGM’s Genable graphene nanoplatelet dispersion technology into car care systems has the potential to significantly improve the barrier performance of waxes, polishes and finishing sprays for vehicles.
The new supply agreement underpins the commitment of both companies to continually push the boundaries of advanced materials technology and is reflective of their collaborative approach to successful innovation.
We are delighted to be able to sign this supply agreement and to develop a closer relationship with one of the leading industry players within car care. Innovative manufacturers in this fast-moving market are looking to exploit the differentiation that graphene can offer, so we have seen growing interest in its use for in cleaning and coating products to protect surfaces and improve vehicle aesthetics.
The opportunity to collaborate with a global leader as its supply partner of choice will further strengthen AGM’s position in the sector and the partnership reflects our capability to produce high quality, consistent graphene nanoplatelet dispersions at production volumes.
Adrian Potts, CEO of AGM
We are thrilled to be partnering with AGM and look forward to combining the expertise of both companies to create innovative new products for the car care sector, which are both higher performance and longer lasting.
We are committed to working with cutting-edge technology partners like AGM to drive auto detailing innovation.
Director – Global Operations from AGM’s new partner
Read more on how graphene is transforming the car care sector HERE.
To speak to a member of our team and find out how you can get ahead of the competition using graphene nanoplatelets, call us on +44 (0)1642 438214 or drop us a message via our Contact page.
The latest investment insight published from Edison Group highlights the key factors positioning AGM as a world leader in graphene technology:
#1: Moving graphene out of the lab and into the market
#2: Graphene’s commercial age clearly in sight
#3: AGM’s customers include major brands
#4: Meeting the needs of an expanding market
#5: Realising graphene’s green credentials
#6: The roadmap for sales
#7: Global growth: ‘Primer-y’ futures and beyond
Read more HERE or watch the full video below:
To learn more about Edison Group, view their website HERE or follow them on LinkedIn.
For more information about AGM, you can download the latest reports and presentations HERE.
As published in the latest JEC Composites Magazine, issue 147, Sept/Oct, 2022, AGM’s CEO, Adrian Potts, discusses the challenges of using graphene effectively in a range of applications to bring targeted benefits to a composite material.
Read the feature HERE, or subscribe to the publication HERE to access this month’s full issue.
To learn more about how AGM’s graphene dispersion technology can enhance composite material performance, visit our Knowledge Hub or get in touch with an AGM chemist on +44 (0) 1642 438214.
AGM’s CEO, Adrian Potts, recently welcomed Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen to the Wilton site to discuss the Company’s recent progress, including expanded technical capabilities with the installation of a coatings spray booth unit.
The Company was delighted to welcome Mayor Houchen back to the site to learn more about progress the company is making with its graphene additive materials.
The latest visit fittingly coincided with the commissioning of AGM’s spray booth capability, given that the Tees Valley Mayor’s previous pre-pandemic visit had initiated the funding process and successful grant application supported by the Tees Valley Business Growth Fund (TVBGF), which made the installation possible.
The TVBGF supports SMEs in the Tees Valley to grow their business, improve productivity and stimulate local growth. The installation of the new paint and coatings spray booth facility using the funding will facilitate accelerated internal research and customer developments, and offer additional specialist training opportunities for AGM staff.
The funding opportunity identified by AGM through the Tees Valley Combined Authority resulted in around £47,500 being awarded to the Company.
The Tees Valley Business Growth Fund is managed by Tees Valley Business, which is the local growth hub for the Tees Valley, established by the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority. The latest addition to AGM’s facility will supplement the UK manufacturer’s existing comprehensive coatings formulating and testing capabilities.
I’m delighted that Ben was able to come and see our growing facility and hear about the progress that AGM has made since his last visit. We’re extremely grateful for the support we have received through the TVCA funding programme to enable the installation of our new spray booth. Investment in our manufacturing facility will ensure we can meet our growth ambitions, as our commercial pipeline continues to develop.
Adrian Potts, CEO of AGM
This is yet another example of a world-leading innovative company based right here in Teesside. I’m delighted that we have been able to provide the funds to help AGM grow even further. With this new spray booth, they’ll be able to fully harness the potential of graphene in real-life products and materials. It was brilliant to learn all about their progression and of their interesting opportunities in our region. They are an example of a firm creating the products of the future in sectors we need to support, and we as a region are leading the way.
Ben Houchen, Tees Valley Mayor
To learn more about how graphene enhances barrier and anti-corrosion coating performance, visit our Knowledge Hub or get in touch with an AGM chemist on +44 (0) 1642 438214.
Following comprehensive testing, AGM chemists have demonstrated that its graphene nanoplatelet dispersions can enable high-performance paints and coatings to effectively protect a substrate against harsh chemicals in highly aggressive environments.
Chemical permeation is a major issue in the protective coatings market. Prolonged contact from full submersion, splashes, spills and fumes, with a range of chemical substances can have a negative impact on coating performance. As a result, coatings manufacturers strive to develop surface protection systems that can resist chemicals and protect the substrate from contamination.
In AGM’s latest tests, coatings were submerged in a range of acidic and alkaline solutions to enable a broad understanding of performance, with both the graphene-only coatings and graphene-glass flake hybrid systems significantly outperforming the standalone conventional glass flake additive.
Not only was this superior performance visually clear with less blistering, but the results also showed a marked improvement in gloss retention and hardness with the addition of graphene.
The breakthrough from the AGM technical team demonstrates that less is certainly more when it comes to graphene; the noted performance uplift was seen with as little as a 2.5% addition of AGM’s Genable 1200 graphene nanoplatelet dispersion, equating to 0.025% of graphene nanoplatelet solids). This compares very favourably to the much higher 20% loading level of glass flake. By reducing the amount of filler required in the coating, it is also possible that secondary benefits could be achieved such as increased substrate adhesion, higher impact resistance and improvement in flexibility.
Replacing traditional filler content with a small amount of AGM’s high-performance graphene additive not only enables performance improvements from a cost-competitive solution, but offers greater flexibility in formulation to allow coating innovators to develop their next generation of chemical resistant paints.
AGM’s innovation team have done an outstanding job at demonstrating graphene nanoplatelet materials as a highly effective additive in coatings technology. Using our know-how to disperse graphenes to achieve consistent, reliable performance gains, we are able to bring this new application to market with solid data to support its launch. We know graphene works extraordinarily well in anti-corrosion applications and coatings innovators now have broader scope to integrate a graphene solution into a wider product range. I very much look forward to the technology development being presented through our distributor network and the prospect of strong uptake in its application across a range of opportunities.
Adrian Potts, Chief Executive Officer of AGM
To learn more about how AGM’s graphene dispersion technology can enhance coating performance, visit our Knowledge Hub or get in touch with an AGM chemist on +44 (0) 1642 438214.
We are delighted to confirm the release of our interim results for the six months ended 31 January 2022.
Watch the Interim Presentation with audio below.
Read the full results here.
For more information on AGM and its activities, call +44 (0)1642 438214 or email info@appliedgraphenematerials.com
We’re pleased to announce that we have successfully registered our Genable logo trade mark in the United States of America under application No. 88/002,006 in Classes 1, 2 and 17.
AGM’s well-established, stable graphene dispersion technology is proven to deliver consistent, reliable performance enhancements in a wide range of liquid coatings and composite materials applications.
The Genable trademark registration underpins the Company’s leading position in the graphene space as it continues to expand activity as a recognisable specialty chemical brand in the US market.
Graphene nanoplatelets have been shown to provide highly effective barrier properties, and enhanced corrosion prevention in protective coating systems.
The adoption by customers of AGM’s high-performance dispersions is proving to be key to success in the industrial coatings sector.
To further extend its global activity as a leading innovator, AGM has also announced the issuance of Singaporean Patent No. 11202009960Q and Chinese Patent No., 2022022700253680 covering corrosion protection comprising one or more 2D material platelets for metallic substrates.
The patents reflect AGM’s commitment to the continuous development of its graphene dispersion and application technology platform.
It is pleasing to see the US trademark registration for our Genable dispersion brand, which is testament to AGM’s growing global presence and brand recognition. Having secured its distribution partnership with world class distributor Barentz in July 2020 (formerly Maroon Group), the Company has a direct route into the coatings and polymers sectors across the United States and Canada for its Genable products.
Overcoming the challenge of dispersing graphene nanoplatelets into formulations for protective coatings has been a significant area of development for AGM’s technical team, so I am also extremely pleased that this technology has now also been recognised with patent coverage in China and Singapore.
Adrian Potts, CEO of AGM
For more information or to speak to the technical team about the potential performance benefits of incorporating AGM’s graphene nanoplatelets into your materials, speak to the team today on +44 (0) 1642 438214 or send us a message here.
We were delighted to celebrate International Women’s Day 2022 alongside fellow industry leaders in a female-led webinar hosted by The Graphene Council. AGM’s R&D Manager, Lynn Chikosha, represented the Company on a panel of graphene experts in order to discuss the challenges faced and the commercialisation opportunities being unlocked by advancements in graphene-based nanotechnology.
As the largest community in the world for graphene professionals, The Graphene Council facilitated the discussion to encourage collaboration and knowledge-sharing across companies at the forefront of the industry.
The panel came together from across the graphene value chain – from raw material production, to dispersion and end product manufacture.
While the commercial adoption of graphene is accelerating relatively quickly in applications as varied as Sensors, Textiles, Concrete, Coatings and Composite materials, the webinar discussion explored the regulatory environment and the importance of national standards to drive wider industry growth.
Confidence in the commercial use of graphene continues to increase through international approvals, including EU REACH registration and the recent development of The Graphene Council’s Material Classification Framework for graphene, which is now making progress towards becoming an ISO standard.
The panel agreed that ensuring quality control and reduced variability across graphenes in order to reliably scale up production, would further underpin the value that graphene can add over legacy materials.
As increased numbers of forward-thinking innovators incorporate graphene into their material systems and demonstrate its positive impact on both product performance and climate change, the wider industry will inevitably follow.
It was a pleasure to join the panel of leaders and experts in the graphene industry; discussing routes to commercialisation, the challenges we all face as well as the future of graphene. Hopefully, we were also able to positively influence women in science, engineering or technology who may be just starting out in their careers.
Lynn Chikosha, R&D Manager at AGM
If you missed the webinar, you can still watch it below!
To learn more about AGM’s graphene dispersion technology, drop us a message here or get in touch on +44 (0) 1642 438214.
We’re proud to announce our membership of Composites UK, a leading trade association bringing companies together and creating a unified voice to drive the UK composites industry forward.
Composites UK represents the industry and feeds directly into the UK Composites Strategy. Following AGM’s recent success developing partnerships within the industry, the membership will allow the company to further engage with the wider composites community.
As an additive, AGM’s graphene nanoplatelets offer great potential for materials engineers to enhance the performance of their composite systems. A range of attributes imparted through the use of graphene nanoplatelets enable significant uplifts in material performance to be achieved.
As a leading innovator in graphene dispersion and application technology, AGM looks forward to the collaboration opportunities that Composites UK membership will bring. Involvement in the network will enable us to further establish AGM in the world of global composite production through the commercialisation of graphene-enhanced advanced materials.
Adrian Potts, Chief Executive Officer of AGM
Learn more about the work of Composites UK on their website here.
You can find out more about the potential benefits of incorporating graphene nanoplatelets into your composite materials here, or do get in touch for more information on +44 (0)1642 438214.
If you’d like to discuss your application with an AGM chemist, you can also email us on info@appliedgraphenematerials.com.
Our graphene and graphene dispersions are ideal for use across a number of applications and industries.
They can enhance existing products and enable higher performance across paints and coatings, batteries and energy storage, polymer composites and lubricants, waxes and polishes.
Charlie Jack, Hudson Sandler
agm@hudsonsandler.com
+44 (0)207 796 4133