Latest news with #Dyneema
WIRED
7 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- WIRED
Dyneema's New Fiber Composite Is Lighter, Stronger, and More Durable Than Ever
Jul 16, 2025 12:46 PM Hyperlite Mountain Gear and Dyneema collaborate on lighter, more durable hiking backpacks, which lets you put even more Dyneema on your Dyneema. If you went back in time 150 years and told people that in the future they will carry everything they need to live for a week on their backs, you'd get run out of town. Carrying gear is the job of horses and mules, not people! Fast forward to the present, though, and here we are, schlepping into the backcountry with the essentials on our back. Progress! The good news is that today everything you need to live for a week weighs considerably less than it did 150 years ago. The ultralight backpacking movement, born from obsessive thru-hikers and eventually widely adopted by weekend warriors, has driven innovation in the outdoor gear industry for more than 20 years. Every iteration of backpacks, tents, and sleeping bags has been lighter, stronger, and warmer. But just when you think they couldn't possibly get any better, those backpacks are getting lighter and more rugged. Today, Dyneema launches a new fabric composite called (surprise) Dyneema Woven Composite that is being used in updated backpacks by cult classic Hyperlite Mountain Gear, which is a long-time collaborator. Light as a Feather Dyneema's namesake fabric has long been noted for being not just strong, durable, and waterproof, but featherweight as well. Its new fabric, Dyneema Woven Composites, is made for the ultralight backpacking community. It melds a fully woven Dyneema face fabric to Dyneema's pre-existing composite fabric. Dyneema Woven Composites was created in conjunction with Hyperlite Mountain Gear, and for now is available exclusively in the company's core ultralight backpacks, including the Southwest, Junction, and Windrider models. Mike St. Pierre founded Hyperlite in 2009 and was one of the first manufacturers to embrace Dyneema (then known as cuben fiber). As crinkly as it was, that ultralight fabric endeared Hyperlite to backpackers. The company's minimalist, stripped-down designs and unwavering commitment to quality—my 2019 Junction pack, with hundreds of miles on it, looks like it did the day I bought it—made the company a natural fit for this collaboration. Strong as a Board Thanks to that outer layer of Dyneema, the new Woven Composite has 10 times the abrasion resistance and five times the tear resistance of the older fabric. The former statistic is particularly good news for anyone hiking in places like the desert Southwest, where brushing your pack against hard rock tends to destroy your gear quickly. The good news for those who don't like the trademark 'crinkling' sound of Dyneema? St. Pierre tells WIRED that Woven Composites are indeed quieter, with less crinkly sound than the company's older packs. The new fabric, in addition to being stronger and more durable, is also 34 percent lighter. While a few companies have previously claimed to weld Dyneema to Dyneema, the results have been disappointing, with products delaminating rather quickly in our testing. No wonder then that even Dyneema took quite a while to figure out how to make it work properly. The new fabric is the result of two years of research and development by Dyneema and Hyperlite Mountain Gear, with plenty of lab-based testing from Dyneema and real-world testing by Hyperlite's network of guides, athletes, sherpas, and thru-hikers who spend long periods of time in the backcountry. Dyneema Woven Composites fabric isn't the only change in Hyperlite's updated packs. The company has also taken user feedback from over the years and made some other changes, including a new sewn back panel and tweaks to the shoulder strap design. The pockets have also been redesigned to be more accessible, and St. Pierre tells us that the new packs feel more luxurious and more durable. We'll have a full review of the new Hyperlite Mountain Gear packs soon, after we've had a chance to put them to the test. We probably won't need that mule, after all.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Avient Corp (AVNT) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Organic Growth and Strategic Innovations
Organic Revenue Growth: Increased by 4% for the full year 2024. CAI Segment Organic Sales Growth: 3% for color, additives, and inks. SEM Segment Organic Sales Growth: 6% for specialty engineered materials. Adjusted EBITDA Margin Expansion: 90 basis points for CAI and 110 basis points for SEM. Total Company Adjusted EBITDA Margin: Expanded 20 basis points to 16.2%. Adjusted EPS Growth: 13% for the year, including FX impact. Dividend Increase: 5% increase, marking the 14th consecutive year of growth. Fourth Quarter Organic Sales Growth: 5% year-over-year. Fourth Quarter Adjusted EBITDA Impact: $10 million negative impact due to variable compensation accruals. Fourth Quarter Adjusted EPS Impact: $0.08 negative impact due to variable compensation accruals. Full Year Adjusted EBITDA Growth: 6% excluding FX, totaling $526 million. Full Year Adjusted EPS: $2.66, representing 15% growth excluding FX. 2025 First Quarter Adjusted EPS Guidance: Projected at $0.76, including a $0.04 FX headwind. 2025 Full Year Adjusted EBITDA Guidance: $540 million to $570 million. 2025 Full Year Adjusted EPS Guidance: $2.70 to $2.94, with midpoint representing 11% growth excluding FX. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 3 Warning Sign with AVNT. Release Date: February 13, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Avient Corp (NYSE:AVNT) achieved organic revenue growth in every region, including challenging markets like EMEA. The company reported a 4% increase in organic sales for 2024, with both business segments expanding adjusted EBITDA margins. Avient Corp (NYSE:AVNT) introduced a breakthrough innovation in its Dyneema portfolio, offering significant advancements in ballistic protection. The company achieved a record year for safety, with the best injury incident rate in its history. Avient Corp (NYSE:AVNT) increased its dividend by 5%, marking the 14th consecutive year of annual dividend growth. The decision to cease the implementation of the S/4 Hana ERP system resulted in a non-cash impairment charge of approximately $71 million. The rapid strengthening of the U.S. dollar negatively impacted EBITDA by $2 million and EPS by $0.01 in the fourth quarter. Variable compensation accruals negatively affected fourth-quarter adjusted EBITDA and EPS by $10 million and $0.08, respectively. The company faces a $0.12 EPS headwind for 2025 due to foreign exchange impacts. Avient Corp (NYSE:AVNT) anticipates a challenging comparison for defense sales in 2025 due to a strong first quarter in 2024. Q: Can you discuss the impact of the new Dyneema product on defense sales and expectations for 2025? A: Ashish Khandpur, CEO, highlighted that the Dyneema innovation is driven by market needs, offering significant performance upgrades for military and law enforcement. This innovation is expected to maintain or increase margins and create a competitive moat. Although specific revenue numbers weren't disclosed, the product is well-received and being commercialized robustly. Defense sales in Q1 last year were unusually high, creating a challenging comparison for 2025, but the company is working to overcome this hurdle. Q: What led to the decision to halt the SAP S/4 Hana ERP implementation, and what are the alternatives? A: Ashish Khandpur explained that the decision was due to increased costs, complexity, and resource requirements, which exceeded initial expectations. The company realized that alternative solutions, leveraging new applications in machine learning and AI, could deliver similar benefits at a lower cost and faster implementation. This strategic shift aims to achieve desired outcomes in pricing, inventory management, and supply chain visibility more efficiently. Q: How did healthcare contribute to growth in Q4, and what are the expectations for 2025? A: Healthcare was a strong focus, delivering double-digit growth in 2024 and Q4. Growth was driven by restocking in the U.S., new business in continuous glucose monitoring devices, and drug delivery devices in Asia. The company expects continued growth in healthcare, supported by new business wins and core applications in medical devices. Q: What are the volume assumptions in the 2025 guidance, and how much growth is expected from new products? A: The guidance assumes GDP-like growth with an additional 100-200 basis points from volume and mix, driven by innovation. The company aims for GDP plus growth through new product introductions and strategic initiatives, with innovation playing a significant role in achieving these targets. Q: How does the potential increase in U.S. manufacturing impact Avient, considering FX headwinds? A: Ashish Khandpur noted that increased U.S. manufacturing could be positive, reducing FX exposure and allowing faster customer service. The company is less affected by tariffs and raw material exposure, and a shift towards U.S. manufacturing aligns with Avient's strategic flexibility in supply chains. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
