FiberCore Europe was founded in 2006 and has put FRP as a construction material on the map for the past 16 years. With the construction of more than 1.250 bridges worldwide, many of which are in the Netherlands, the prefab composite bridge has become indispensable in today’s street scene.
Using the unique InfraCore® Inside technology, FiberCore Europe builds bridges and lock gates which are future-proof: sustainable, lightweight, robust, and durable. With their own factory in Rotterdam and the team of skilled designers and engineers, the company builds bridges that require hardly any maintenance and will last for more than 100 years. And that does not have to be in one location; the bridges can be easily removed and replaced.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
FiberCore: Besides from producing bridges and lock gates, we also offer a range of services involving bridge renovation, bridge widening and temporary bridges. SUREbridge is a sustainable solution for reinforcing and upgrading existing (concrete) bridge structures with the use of FRP panels. Concrete bridges are currently deteriorating across the world. By adding a composite deck to the top of the existing concrete bridge deck, bridge life can be extended by 50 years. This is not only more cost efficient and faster than building a new bridge, but also a more sustainable solution as demolishment of the old bridge is emitted. And due to the shorter down-time of the existing bridge there is far less rerouting for the public.
E.E: What’s the news about new products?
FiberCore: FiberCore Europe is part of a project in which the first biobased-composite bridge built from flax has recently been realized. Flax is very interesting as a building material because it is more fast-growing than wood and more readily available than hemp. The project is called “Smart Circular Bridge” and the first bridge was revealed during the Floriade exhibit in Almere in April this year. Two more bridges will follow in Ulm in Germany and Bergen op Zoom, in the Netherlands.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
FiberCore: FiberCore Europe produces a range of FRP bridges from larger traffic bridges and harbour bridges to smaller bicycle bridges, private bridges, ski bridges and golf bridges. Additionally, we produce FRP lock gates and stoplogs. As FRP cannot rot or rust, it is an ideal material for this purpose. What is unique to all of our products is that they have InfraCore® inside. InfraCore Inside is different from a conventional FRP structure because the core isn’t structural. This means that the construction can be thinner and thus more lightweight and cost efficient. It is also more robust and safer as potential cracks can only grow for a limited length in the structure.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
FiberCore: With partners across the world in North and South America, Australia, Poland, UK, Norway, Germany, Austria, Iceland and Belgium, we are already active in a number of markets. Our home market, the Netherlands, is by far the most developed when it comes to the acceptance of FRP as a building material for bridges and other infrastructure. However, we are experiencing an increasing international interest in our FRP bridges and lock gates. Municipalities are starting to acknowledge the advantages of a material which can last for more than 100 years, and which is practically maintenance free. We recently delivered the first FRP bridge to Luxembourg and the first municipal FRP bridge to Norway.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
FiberCore: One market trend, which is the same in many industries, is the focus on sustainability. FRP has several advantages when it comes to sustainability. The durability of the bridges means that they can last for more than 100 years, which saves a lot of materials. Furthermore, FRP is very light which means that the bridges can easily be prefabricated and shipped to their destination. They can even float on a waterway if necessary. The bridges can be installed with few machines and in short time which reduces detours and heavy machinery.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
FiberCore: Smart Circular Bridge and SUREbridge are by far the most innovative product in our current portfolio. The Smart Circular Bridge is not only innovative due to its bio-based materials it is also equipped with a sophisticated monitoring system. This structural health monitoring system can detect structural changes and possible material degradation which could be a game-changer for future bridge and building maintenance.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2022?
FiberCore: For 2022, we aim to reach a new milestone of 1.400 FRP bridges. We are very proud of what we have achieved in the past 16 years with a material which was previously unknown to many people, and we look forward to introduce the rest of the world to the advantages of FRP and our InfraCore® Inside technology in the coming years.
