REFRIGERATED TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT

Supply and demand

LINER SUPPLY HAS AN EXCLUSIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH BRIANZA PLASTICA TO DISTRIBUTE ITALIAN-MADE FIBREGLASS SHEETS TO AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND COMMERCIAL VEHICLE BODY BUILDERS.

For over 15 years, Liner Supply has sourced quality materials from leading European manufacturers used in a variety of commercial applications, including the construction of dry freight and refrigerated semi-trailers and rigid truck bodies. Managing Director, Luke Davies, believes in more than just providing outstanding products.
“We are renowned for our exceptional levels of service and technical support; we help our customers achieve optimal outcomes for their business, which is why we partnered with Italian laminate specialist, Brianza Plastica 10 years ago,” he says.
According to Luke, Brianza Plastica specialises in the production of fibreglass sheet for various commercial and industrial applications. When the Italian manufacturer began its operations in 1962, it initially focused on infrastructure projects such as greenhouse roofing and tunnels. However, in 2006, Brianza Plastica opened a handmade discontinuous cold lamination production site in Rovigo, northern Italy, and diversified its laminate offering to support the road transport industry, particularly original equipment manufacturers looking for durable, high quality laminates.
Brianza Plastica Marketing Manager, Vera Vaselli, says the business has been forging

ahead, particularly in the commercial vehicle sector, and has come a long way since the company was founded in 1962.
“Between 2006 and 2008, the company moved into the transport world – incorporating two manufacturing sites for discontinuous lamination technology in Rovigo and Ostellato and expanding the central HQ at Carate Brianza with a new continuous-lamination production line,” she says.
Since then Brianza Plastica has added a third discontinuous lamination facility in Rovigo and added a second continuous lamination

line in Carate Brianza
The fibreglass laminates for the automotive market represent more than 50 per cent of total turnover for Brianza Plastica, according to its Managing Director, Alberto Crippa. “Brianza Plastica supplies the major market leaders in the body building sector,” he says.” “In the past few years fibreglass laminates have developed and progressively increased in use – to the detriment of aluminium – thanks to their physical characteristics in terms of lightness, easy repairability and impact resistance.”

Hoyhaul Central Coast Trailer with Brianza Plastica Laminates

Brianza Plastica has two fibreglass laminate types specifically for trailer and rigid body manufacturers: Elyplan and Elycold. Alberto explains the fibreglass laminates are very light but are durable as a result of the production process. “They are made by impregnating a fibreglass mat with polyester resin. Elyplan is a laminate made with a continuous production line using hot polymerisation. Through dedicated technology, the maximum possible polymerisation of the composite material is achieved, for a smooth product with tight dimensional tolerances.” He adds that continuous production offers real economic benefits with excellent

Trailer Magazine MARCH 19

REFRIGERATED TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT

“In the past few years fibreglass laminates have developed and progressively increased in use – to the detriment of aluminium – thanks to their physical characteristics in terms of lightness, easy repairability and impact resistance.”

aesthetic qualities. “Elyplan is therefore the best solution when the key factors are dimensional tolerances and excellent value for money,” Alberto says. “Elyplan laminates come in rolls and sheets up to 3,200 millimetres wide. There is no theoretical limit on the length, which is agreed to suit the customer’s requirements.”
Elycold laminates, conversely, are made on a discontinuous production line with cold polymerisation, which Alberto explains is the process of polymerisation at ambient temperatures.
“This process helps to avoid thermal shocks and ensures a high-quality product with a perfect flat finish,” he says. “Courtesy of the

selection of raw materials and a production method that prioritises results over speed, Elycold fibreglass laminates emerge with a superlative aesthetic effect that is ideal where a smooth, shiny, totally flat surface is required.
The application par excellence is outer walls – the sides and rear – although Elycold is often used to make the roofs, too.”
Elycold laminates, finished with gelcoat, are made in rolls and sheets up to 3,400 millimetres wide and 60 metres long,” he adds. “We have been producing fibreglass for over half a century, so we have considerable experience with the technology.”