Directa Plus

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.  

Image

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.

Directa Plus has announced that its G+ graphene will be used in the asphalt for a 250 kilometer (km) motorway section in Italy, along with selected recycled hard plastics such as toys, fruit crates and litter bins, to make a product called Gipave. The contract to use the Gipave asphalt ‘supermodifier’ in the road surfacing of the A4 Torino-Milano motorway section was won by Directa's Italian partner Iterchimica with motorway management and infrastructure specialist ASTM Group.  

Gipave uses Directa's graphene to improve resistance and life span for road surfaces.

Directa Plus announced that it is seeing a strong increase in sales and perfomrnace, and the company expects its full-year revenues to increase by more than 40% compared to last year (for which revenues reached 8.6 million Euro).

The company says that inflation increased its costs and reduced its margins, but the company invested in new manufacturing equipment which should deliver productivity gains and margin efficiencies in the second half of the year.

Directa Plus has signed an extension to the commercial supply agreement with Alfredo Grassi to include Graphene Plus Thermal Planar Circuit for the workwear market in Italy and France.

The supply agreement will grant Grassi use of Directa's print textile technology for the workwear market in both countries for two years. The agreement is expected to give a significant boost to company's workwear income in 2022.

Directa Plus has announced the signing of a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) with a leading worldwide supplier of automotive interiors to Tier 1 manufacturers to develop new products using its graphene plus technology.

The products will be based on the antimicrobial properties (antibacterial and antiviral), thermal comfort and electrical conductivity properties of Directa Plus’ G+ enhanced fabrics, according to the company's statements.

Directa Plus has announced plans to raise £7 million (around USD$9,445,000) in a share placing to help accelerate the development of its graphene-based products.

Directa Plus has made consistent progress towards its goal of commercializing its graphene products and processes with a high quality, growing roster of customers, said Sir Peter Middleton, Directa Plus non-executive chairman. The fundraising will enable the company to accelerate that progress by providing funds for investment in what the board considers to be exciting opportunities".

Directa Plus has reported its plan to sign an agreement with a global chemicals and materials group, to co-develop products targeting the air and water filtration markets. The company remains unnamed, but is said to be a major player in the non-woven materials industry that is based in Italy.

The deal is set to run for an initial period of 12 months and will see the two parties collaborate exclusively to develop specific products for the global air and water filtration markets. If the initial collaboration is successful and the technical results are achieved, the two companies will negotiate a technical and commercial partnership agreement.

Directa Plus has stated that its graphene technology is being used in a newly-launched high-tech range of trail shoes.

Directa Plus said a specially developed graphene membrane is integrated into the lining of the norda 001 G+ Spike high-performance trail shoes, which are now available for consumer purchase.

Directa Plus stated that a previously awarded contract for soil decontamination has now been reactivated for the company's subsidiary, Setcar. The contract, effective from October 2021, for a duration of 12 months, has a value to Setcar of approximately €900,000.

The project was previously halted as a result of an archaeological site being identified within the decontamination site.

Directa Plus has announced that its new G+ graphene coatings are being used in two collections at the Milan Design Week. During the event, designers, architects, creatives, producers and brands in furniture and upholstery and interior design show their new products and creations.

The graphene product is being displayed by two Italian companies: Plinio il Giovane, a central Milan based producer of high-end furniture and upholstery, and Danese Milano, a subsidiary of lighting company Artemide. The G+ coating has been used for Plinio il Giovane’s chairs and sofas and Danese Milano’s desk pad.