According to a report published by Markets And Markets, the global FRP Rebar sector is projected to grow from USD 186 million in 2021 to USD 344 million by 2026, at a CAGR of 13.0%. This growth has been influenced by the growing demand for fiberglass rebar as a substitute for the epoxy-coated galvanized steel bars, producing disappointing results in the roadways and construction sectors. And, true to the words, ‘Necessity is the mother of invention,’ the emergence of fiberglass rebar’s technology provided a much-needed resolution to multiple requirements within the marketplace. One such innovative stride born out of these developments relates to a collaboration between Dywidag Systems International and BP Automation in 1997 to materialize a high strength threaded fiberglass rebar system. Within two years of that engagement, BP Automation manufactured and patented a threaded fiberglass rebar producing system,and subsequently, TUF BAR came into existence under the strict guidance of the parent company.

TUF BAR was approached by the Canadian government in 2007, where they were invited to become a chair member of the National Research Council Simtrec to help create fiberglass rebar technology and standards for the Canadian CSA Building Codes and material specifications. Fiberglass rebars of different sizes and shapes were developed for corrosion applications that would guarantee a 100 yearlife cycle for civil engineering infrastructure applications. Since then, TUF BAR has been pioneering the premium fiberglass rebar production sector with patented fiberglass manufacturing technology, gaining worthy recognition within the market. Randy Brandstrom, President, TUF BAR, says, “We have always focused on developing a system that makes high quality fiberglass rebar manufacturing easy and ready for operators to run. We want to develop better technology and build the required equipment and proliferate across the world through proper licensing and joint ventures.”

The company has been a board member of the National Research Council of Canada since 2010. Through this association, TUF BAR has been able to develop various applications, beams slabs, structures, piles and different kinds of fiberglass rebars with higher strengths.

The company has invested millions of dollars in developing the proprietary technology and successfully issued 23 patents to its name. The parent company of TUF BAR brings an engineering automation perspective to the knowledge consortium, thereby ensuring that every product comes with proper orientation. The products go through 14 different tests on quality and durability before they are qualified to be used in infrastructure applications.

TUF BAR takes pride in the quality it has to offer. At every step of the production process, the company challenges the prevailing use of epoxy coated steel or stainless steel bars in the market. According to Randy, fiberglass rebars are two to three times more tensile strength and one-quarter the weight of steel rebars. In Canada, the winter conditions require the use of salt on the roads and bridges for the icy road conditions resulting with the steel rebar in the concrete to rust and corrode. Stainless steel is 10 times more expensive than regular steel. The galvanized rebar and epoxy coated rebar have proven to be a disaster to the civil engineering sector as a significant amount of construction falls apart all across Canada and North America, which is why the government mandated a better substitute; TUF BAR has been able to provide the most cost effective solution that could address a myriad of such conditions.

Most of the production output from TUF BAR is currently being shipped to the US market, supplemented by the growing awareness of fiberglass rebar technology by many state and federal government agencies to adopt fiberglass rebar for infrastructure applications. As transportation and logistics could become a challenge, the company wants to find a licensing partner to build a fiberglass rebar manufacturing plant in the US. Speaking more about the future plans, Randy concludes, “The US market is moving fast with the industry setting up a certification program for the fiberglass rebar manufacturing plants.” Most of the US DOT’s have approved or are in the approval process of using GFRP for infrastructure applications. This move notably stamps another layer of accreditation to the company’s manufacturing excellence.