Innovative firm Applied Graphene Materials has marked its 10th anniversary by signing a deal with a new distribution partner to extend its global footprint.
The Wilton company is one of a handful around the 海角视频 that has harnessed the power of 鈥榳onder material鈥 graphene, a form of carbon that is tougher than diamond, a better conductor than copper and is just one atom thick.
The firm was founded 10 years ago as a spin-off from Durham University by Prof Karl Coleman, who had developed a production process for the manufacture of graphene materials.
Since then Applied Graphene Materials (AGM) has become a world leader in the development and application of graphene dispersions for customers in the coatings, composites and functional materials sectors.
It hooked its first production order and commercial application in 2016, which saw the miracle material鈥檚 use in a range of fishing rods made by Washington-based Century Composites, and has since been incorporated into a number of consumer products sold by major retailers.
The company鈥檚 own range of graphene dispersions is being offered to users worldwide through a growing distribution network and it has signed its latest distribution partner, Will & Co, which will extend the company鈥檚 sales reach into the Benelux region.
In addition to its own commercial hubs in the 海角视频 and the United States, AGM now has distribution agreements with local expert chemicals and coatings distributors in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Greece, Italy, South Africa and Japan.
Adrian Potts, CEO of AGM, said: 鈥淥ver 10 years AGM has grown from the being the owner of a ground-breaking new manufacturing technology comprising our unique graphene production process, to a commercial, AIM-listed, business and expert in the delivery of graphene to the high-performance materials sectors.
鈥淎GM is proud to be a 海角视频 leader at the forefront of graphene application technology globally. With our heritage firmly in the North East of England we are steadily increasing our footprint to support our ambition of being a leader in the global graphene application community. I would like to thank our extraordinarily talented workforce for their commitment over the years.
鈥淭he North East is a remarkable area of the 海角视频 skills base, and I am proud of my colleagues who continue to contribute to the exciting opportunities in front of us. We look forward to many more decades of progress as we continue to exploit graphene鈥檚 outstanding potential.鈥
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen said: 鈥淭here is some truly amazing ground-breaking work going on right here in Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool that is attracting attention right across the world, and Applied Graphene Materials is a great example of that.
鈥淚 have visited this fantastic local business to learn all about their work and the opportunities they are creating in the 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.鈥
