Collaboration with Team Sky

RNS Number : 6148H

Versarien PLC

14 March 2018

 

14 March 2018

Versarien plc

("Versarien" or the "Company")

Collaboration with Team Sky

Versarien plc (AIM: VRS), the advanced materials engineering group, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with professional cycling team, "Team Sky".

Versarien and Team Sky have agreed to collaborate to explore the benefits of adding graphene to high performance cycling equipment used by Team Sky.  These products may include cycle frames, wheels and tyres, together with rider helmets and further rider apparel.

It is intended that Versarien's proprietary Nanene few layer graphene nano-platelets and graphene inks will be evaluated in the design and development of new and future products to ascertain any performance benefits that can be gained from improvements in material strength and impact absoprtion, material weight, and thermal radiation properties through the addition of graphene.

Carsten Jeppesen, Head of Technical Operations, Team Sky, commented: "This collaboration with Versarien provides us with a unique opportunity to explore the application of new and emerging materials in high performance cycling.  Alongside our current performance partners we are developing a diverse network of innovation expertise in Britain and across Europe to support our riders' ambitions."

Neill Ricketts, CEO of Versarien, commented:  "We are delighted to be working with Team Sky, the most successful Tour de France team in recent times, to bring the benefits of graphene enhanced materials to professional cycling. 

"Professional cycling has always been at the forefront of technical innovation and the rapid adoption of new materials when they can provide a performance advantage.  The success of Team Sky has been developed on the 'marginal gain' philosophy of seeking performance advantage in all elements that contribute to winning races.  Team Sky recognise the potential for graphene enhanced materials to aid performance and this wide ranging collaboration will therefore look across both the cycle components and rider apparel to identify areas where additional performance can be gained through the use of graphene.

"Elite sport is the ideal showcase for our graphene technology as we continue to develop relationships with global organisations to bring graphene enhanced products to market."

Enquiries:

Versarien   Neill Ricketts, CEO Chris Leigh, CFO	01242 269 122
WH Ireland (Nominated Advisor)       Mike Coe Ed Allsopp	0117 945 3470
IFC Advisory (Financial PR and IR)    Tim Metcalfe Graham Herring Heather Armstrong	0203 934 6630

About Team Sky

Team Sky is a British professional cycling team that competes in the UCI World Tour. The team is based at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester, England, with a logistics base in Deinze, Belgium.  The team is managed by Sir Dave Brailsford.

Team Sky launched in 2010 with the ambition of winning the Tour de France with a British rider within five years, a goal achieved within just three years when Bradley Wiggins won the 2012 Tour de France, becoming the first British winner in its history, while teammate and fellow Briton Chris Froome finished as the runner up and then went on to win the 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 Tours, as well as the Vuelta a España in 2017.

About Versarien

Versarien plc (AIM:VRS), is an advanced engineering materials group. Leveraging proprietary technology, the Group creates innovative engineering solutions for its clients in a diverse range of industries. Versarien has five subsidiaries operating under two divisions:

Graphene and Plastics

2-DTech Ltd, which specialises in the supply, characterisation and early stage development of graphene products. www.2-dtech.com  

AAC Cyroma Ltd, which specialises in the supply of vacuum-formed and injection-moulded products to the automotive, construction, utilities and retail industry sectors. Using Versarien's existing graphene manufacturing capabilities, AAC will have the ability to produce graphene-enhanced plastic products.  www.aaccyroma.co.uk  

Cambridge Graphene Ltd, which supplies novel inks based on graphene and related materials, using patented processes and develops graphene materials technology for licensing to manufacturers.  www.cambridgegraphene.com  

Thermal and Hard Wear Products

Versarien Technologies Ltd. which has developed an additive process for creating advanced micro-porous metals targeting the thermal management industry and supplies extruded aluminium. www.versarien-technologies.co.uk 

Total Carbide Ltd, a leading manufacturer in sintered tungsten carbide for applications in arduous environments such as the oil and gas industry. www.totalcarbide.com 

 

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