Directa Plus

Directa Plus has announced a strategic collaboration with The SPECTRUM Group, a US strategic advisory and government relations firm, to explore the potential of G+® technologies in the US defense sector, ahead of presenting Directa Plus' products at the Annual Meeting of the Association of the United States Army in Washington, DC.

SPECTRUM will leverage its expertise and extensive network to support Directa Plus in driving its business expansion into the military technology sector. SPECTRUM has a comprehensive understanding of Directa Plus' G+® textile and Grafysorber® technologies, and its potential and extensive applications, and is said to be well placed to educate and gain traction within the US market. SPECTRUM's customers include startups, Fortune 500 companies, government entities at various levels, and international organizations. The collaboration involves joint efforts in the development of cutting-edge products, including G+® textile technologies (i.e thermal management, antistatic, antimicrobial and thermal camouflage solutions), and Grafysorber technology, with the aim to minimize the time to market for the Group's G+ technologies in the US personal protection and defense sector.

Directa Plus has announced that Setcar SA, its environmental services subsidiary, has signed a three-year contract with Liberty Galati, the largest integrated steel producer in Romania, to process oily mills sludge.

The contract will last for three years and has a total value of €5.5 million, with the potential for further expansion up to a total of €8.0 million. Under the terms of the agreement, Setcar will provide solutions for the treatment of oily mills scale produced in the manufacturing of steel.

Directa said the contract would enable Setcar to expand further its waste treatment and disposal services for industrial pollutants and broaden the range of applications for the group’s Grafysorber technology. By using Grafysorber, Setcar would allow Liberty Galati to recycle a considerable amount of oily sludge waste, transforming it into a raw material suitable for reuse in steel production.

Directa Plus recently announced winning a project tender by the Lombardy Region in Italy, as part of its research and innovation program, to further develop its Graphene Plus air filtration applications. 

The project will last for 18 months, and has a total value of around EUR400,000, which includes a non-repayable grant of EUR142,500, and a zero interest loan of EUR264,642, to be repaid over seven years.

Directa Plus has announced the start of a pilot project for a novel concept in produced water treatment. The Company said the project would use its ‘Grafysorber’ technology, and was being conducted through its subsidiary Setcar. The showcase of the pioneering endeavor reportedly took place at Setcar's Braila location in Romania

Produced water refers to the water that is extracted alongside crude oil during the oil production process. Currently, the water is disposed of without undergoing any treatment, but stricter industry regulations are driving the need for effective treatment solutions. Directa Plus said it was aiming to address the challenge with its new development, which had the potential to tap into untapped markets within the company's environmental division.

Directa Plus has partnered with Candiani Denim, an Italian textile producer focused on innovation and sustainability, to launch GRAPHITO, an eco-denim textile. The eco-friendly denim textile combines Directa Plus' patented technology, providing antimicrobial and thermal properties, with Candiani Denim's bio-based polymer, which replaces liquid plastic in textile production.

GRAPHITO offers unique benefits by reducing water usage, energy consumption, and carbon emissions by up to 75% throughout the garment's wash lifecycle. Additionally, its antibacterial and antiviral properties enable up to 10 wears per lifecycle, while the thermoregulating properties make it suitable for all seasons.

Directa Plus announced that revenues in 2022 were €10.9 million, up 27% from 2021 (€8.6 million). It's pre-tax loss actually rose to €5.3 million from €3.4 million in 2021.

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The company is now focusing on developing its core verticals, to expand its customer base and generate more revenue.

Directa Plus and Italian clothing group Alfredo Grassi have expanded their partnership in military and public sector workwear after a new public sector contract. To meet the contract, Grassi has ordered tens of thousands of linear meters of graphene-treated lining worth more than €700,000, which is to be delivered in 2023.

The two companies have been working in partnership since 2017 and Directa Plus said this latest deal would add to the recurring revenue stream from its patented Graphene Plus PTC technology.

Directa Plus recently said it expects its revenue to rise in 2022 due to a growing proportion of repeat customer business. Directa Plus expects full-year revenue for 2022 to now be at least €10.0 million, up 16% from €8.6 million in 2021.

Directa Plus said it will enter 2023 with a ‘record’ order book of €8.5 million, having secured a number of new customers and contracts during the period across all key verticals and markets.

Directa Plus has been awarded a €136,000 grant from the Italian region of Lombardy to develop paints and coverings with its G+ graphene nano-platelets. “This grant from the Lombardy local government will help fund Directa Plus to develop these potentially disruptive products in a faster timeframe than we could have achieved using our own resources,” said founder and chief executive Giulio Cesareo in a statement.

Directa has created a new technology, called Grafyshield, a granular, semi-finished G+ formulation for the coatings market. Grafyshield is “designed to be easy to handle and mixable with resins using mixing equipment,” the producer and supplier of nano-platelets-based products said. The target for the new formulation is to bring anti-corrosion and flame-retardant properties to the final paint system.

Directa Plus has signed an agreement with CIA Miguel Caballero SAS, a Columbia-based manufacturer of ballistic protection clothing. This is Directa Plus' first supply contract in Latin America, reportedly worth €1 million over four years.  

As part of the new contract, Directa will supply 77,500 linear meters of PTC printed material over four years following a four-month trial period. Directa will provide CIA Miguel’s subsidiary, MC Amor, with PTC printed linings for ballistic vests. This supposedly refers to the G+ Planar Thermal Circuit (PTC), a technology for a functional Graphene Plus print that can be applied to various types of fabrics.