FRP: The global call for Indian products

FRP: The global call for Indian products

The global FRP (Fibre reinforced polymers) market is booming like never before. According to BusinessWire, the global fibre optic cable market is expected to grow from $66.54 billion in 2021 to $89.91 billion in 2022 at a CAGR of 35.1%. With a CAGR of 26.1%, the market is expected to reach $227.54 billion in 2026. This is indicative of the immense promise the industry holds. Closer to home, the Asia-Pacific is expected to represent the largest market over the forecast period, owing to the increasing consumption from countries such as China, India, and Japan!

But what exactly are FRPs? They are non-corrosive, lightweight, and can be altered to specific strength and stiffness, which makes them ideal to be manufactured and customised to suit particular performance requirements. They are used across industries such as the telecom industry, aerospace industry, automotive industry, construction field, consumer goods, power industry, protective equipment, marine infrastructure and more for various purposes.

India is a leading producer of FRP and is slowly becoming the hub the world is relying on. To provide world-class products with the offer of quality and a promise of sustainability, Runaya has been ushering in pioneering steps that are industry-first. Let us have a look at the product range and technology that goes into making our products the benchmark worldwide and opens up the avenue of successful international collaborations.

The Runaya offer: Quality, technology and circularity

Runaya is one of the fastest-growing manufacturing start-ups globally. To retain quality in our FRP manufacturing process, we leverage the latest UV technology along with glass fibre, high heat resistance and a proprietary resin system. We use faster curing and higher line speed which enables better productivity with exceptional strength while remaining lightweight. They prevent the cable from buckling by retaining a high degree of stiffness throughout its service life. Additionally, they are also capable of managing extremely high manufacturing speeds and can be produced in long lengths.

Our key focus is on delivering solutions in optical fibre cable with premium quality and performance. To cater to the same, we produce two types of FRP rods - coated and uncoated rods. Uncoated rods are used as central strength members, while coated FRP rods are used in the periphery and provide good adhesion to the sheathing material of the cable. Our recent products that have brought value addition to the FRP rod product portfolio include:

• Green FRP rods
  They are made with a low carbon footprint to produce FRP rods by partial substitution of petroleum-based resins with bio-based resins and are used as strength members for the cables.
• Aramid-reinforced plastic rods (ARP Rods)
  Manufactured from Aramid fibres, Runaya’s ARP rod is very flexible which provides a lower bending radius and good anti-buckling properties with high modules. ARP rods typically find application in Fiber To The Home (FTTH), micro-duct cable & aerial drop cable settings.
• Water swellable FRP rods
  Runaya’s water-swellable FRP is a strength member that swells on contact with moisture and fills the gap between the CSM and buffer tube. When there is water ingression in the cable, FRP rods swell at the rate of 0.2mm per minute. The diameter increases by 20%, which fills the empty spaces and protects the fibre by preventing signal attenuation. This is highly advantageous for dry-core multitube cable designs.
• Flat FRP rods
  Runaya’s dielectric rectangular-shaped FRP rod helps in protection from rodents and insects underground and provides high tensile strength. Flat FRP is used as cable armoury which makes it bulletproof and protects the cable from getting conducted to the electricity. It is used as a lateral strength element in direct burial cables and submarine cables.
• Medium Adhesion FRP rods
  These are our coated FRP, covered with medium-bond adhesion coating material. It provides for an easy unsheathing of HDPE jacket in polyethene.

To create a pipeline for continuous improvement and to always provide high-quality end products, we continuously experiment with new raw materials to enhance the quality of FRP rods for customer requirements.

As we’ve highlighted, India is slowly becoming the hub for FRP requirements due to our advanced manufacturing capabilities. Let us envision a future of international collaborations and what Runaya would have to offer in such partnerships.

Laying the groundwork for collaboration

With multiple levers for growth, value creation and Runaya refining’s unique zero waste and zero discharge solutions, Runaya is the ideal growth partner for collaborators looking to associate with mission-led organisations.

We currently have a captive solar plant - 40 KW set up at RPL, Silvassa- to provide 25% of our power requirement. Additionally, we minimize liquid and solid waste by continuously evaluating our operations and have zero water discharge, in line with our goal of being net water positive. By selecting and using the latest UV technology, we minimise harmful resin emissions and recycle the coating material by installing a hot air dryer/ hopper. To truly take wastage to 0%, we have given ourselves the hard target to reduce the final goods rejection and raw material wastage to 0%.

But we’re also working to make sure that all facets of our organization adhere to the sustainability mission. Considering the same, we have ensured that our green belt range across 33% of the total plant areas. Simultaneously, to raise awareness of environmental issues we implement regular training programs for the staff to keep them up to date.

As a manufacturing start-up that leverages best-in-class technology and relationships with international partners to create innovative solutions in the resources sector, Runaya is aiming to revolutionize the resources industry by creating sustainable solutions.

Be a part of our value chain, and get in touch today!