From the Sector

• JEC Group pays tribute to the winners at JEC World 2018

The 2018 session of JEC World, the reference trade show organized by JEC Group, is in full swing and the focus is on innovation!
The JEC Innovation Awards ceremony, which took place on the Agora stage on Wednesday, March 7 at 5 pm, opened with a presentation by Yves Rossy, aircraft pilot and inventor of the first jet-powered wingpack. Then the jury revealed the names of the composite champions up for a JEC Innovation Award. Eleven winning innovations were chosen, out of the thirty finalists that had been previously selected from more than 100 applications from all over the world.

“JEC Group supports innovation. In 1998, it created the first award dedicated to composites, as a way to promote and reward the sector’s champions. Thanks to the work of JEC Group’s teams, the program has become an international benchmark. Each year, we receive more than a hundred applications from all over the world. Selection is now based on criteria like the level of involvement of the innovation’s partners in the value chain, the technical nature of the innovation, or its commercial applications,” explains JEC Group President & CEO Frédérique Mutel.
A new feature this year is that the jury revealed the winners during the ceremony, and the public could choose their favorite innovation before, during, and after the ceremony. So there is still time to vote! Votes are opened until Thursday March 8th, 5pm http://innovationawards.jec-world.events
Did you miss the ceremony?

11 AWARD WINNERS:
AEROSPACE APPLICATION
Winner:
AeroComposit, JSC (Russia) and its partner Solvay (United Kingdom)

• Infusion technology for an aircraft wing

The use of infusion technology to manufacture primary structural components for an aircraft wing. The technology makes it possible to create extra-long, integrated composite structures with complex aerodynamic shapes.

AEROSPACE PROCESS 
2 tied winners!
Winner: Airbus (Germany) and its partners, BMW Group (Germany), Technical University of Munich (TUM) (Germany), Neue Materialien Bayreuth GmbH (Germany), Werkzeugbau Siegfried Hofmann GmbH (Germany), BASF SE (Germany), Foldcore GmbH (Germany), Neenah Filtration (Germany) and SGL Carbon GmbH (Germany)

• Complex structural applications for MAI sandwich technology

Cost-effective production of a complex 2.5D structure made of thermoplastic composite sandwich, with very short cycle times: under 5 minutes for aerospace materials and 2.5 minutes for automotive materials.

Winner: M. Torres Diseños Industriales SAU (Spain)
Moldless process to manufacture one-piece parts
A new manufacturing process for oversized one-piece reinforced composite structures, without requiring the use of complete molds.

AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATION
Winner: Ford Werke GmbH (Germany) and its partners, Gestamp (United Kingdom), GRM Consulting (United Kingdom) and University of Warwick (United Kingdom)

• Lightweight composite automotive suspension part

Structural suspension part made of lightweight composite, using a brand-new patented process for prepreg/SMC/steel overmolding that was designed using a new computer-aided engineering (CAE) technology.

AUTOMOTIVE PROCESS
Winner: Audi AG (Germany) and its partners, Voith Composites GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), Dow Automotive (Switzerland), and Zoltek Corp. (United States)

• Series production of a rear panel module made of carbon composite

For the first time, the potential of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) is used to full advantage in series production with a new rear panel module and cost-effective production technologies.

CONSTRUCTION & INFRASTRUCTURE
Winner: Komatsu Seiren Co., Ltd. (Japan) and its partners, Kanazawa Institute of Technology (Japan) and Nagase ChemteX Corporation (Japan)

• Cabkoma cable made of CFRTP

Komatsu Seiren has developed a cable made of molded carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP), using a very cost-effective process that consists in polymerizing a thermoplastic epoxy resin in situ.

MARINE
Winner: Uljanik JSC (Croatia)

• Composite cargo decks for a vehicle carrier

On the SIEM Cicero, a vehicle carrier with a capacity of 7,000 vehicles, glass-fiber reinforced composites are used for a number of the structures for the cargo decks, thereby considerably reducing the ship’s weight, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

RAILWAY
Winner: ELG Carbon Fibre Ltd. (United Kingdom) and its partners, Alstom Transport (United Kingdom), Magma Structures (United Kingdom), the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom), and the University of Huddersfield (United Kingdom)

• A bogie frame made of optimized lightweight carbon fiber

This project has developed the very first carbon-fiber bogie frame that uses a recycled material, making it possible to overcome the obstacles to a commercial adoption of this type of structure.

SPORTS & LEISURE
Winner: BMW Group (Germany) and its partners EDAG Engineering GmbH (Germany), KraussMaffei Technologies GmbH (Germany), Chr. Karl Siebenwurst GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), TUM-LCC (Germany), Automation W + R GmbH (Germany), and FHG-IGCV (Germany)

• A modular construction system for the rear swing arm suspension of a motorcycle

A modular system to produce a complex-shape swing arm suspension reinforced with carbon fiber. The system can adjust the mechanical properties on a case-by-case basis, for a competitive cost and weight compared to metal solutions.

SMART CITIES
Winner: MC Materiales Compuestos (Argentina) and its partners, Plaquimet (Argentina), Purcom (Brazil), IS Groupe - Composite Integrity (France), and G12 Innovation (Brazil)

• The Wet Core Pod composite housing module

The Wet Core Pod is a composite housing module with an industrialization potential that can facilitate the most complex, costly and difficult step in a construction project.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Winner: Cetim-Cermat (France) and its partner, CETIM (France)

• “3-in-1” line for producing recycled composites

A modular line that uses an innovative thermomechanical process to make large panels from recycled composites or plastics. The panels are then thermoformed into parts.
 

The two AZL Partners Conbility GmbH and Fraunhofer IPT, Aachen started their long-term cooperation for the further development and for the commercialization of Fraunhofer´s tape-placement and tape winding systems with in-situ-consolidation by the usage of laser or IR heat sources.

With this cooperation, the company Conbility GmbH makes 25 years of expertise in special machine development of tape placement systems of the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT commercially available. Conbility offers two different tape processing systems available in different configurations.

The “PrePro 2D” machine system allows for the automated tailored tape placement of UD laminates and which can be used for subsequent thermoforming or as stiffening structures in injection molding processes. The machine comprises a rotating and translational table which is moved relatively to the applicator station. The table is scalable according to the requirements of customers. Standard table diameters are 1200 mm or 2000 mm. The applicator station can be equipped with a single or with multiple spool applicators. Because of the large process area, a 9 kW IR heater is used for the in-situ-consolidation process.  
Three in one: Three technologies included in one single modular system
Furthermore, the award-winning “PrePro 3D” tape placement and winding applicator is available as modular product with decentral control system (including closed-loop control of energy input into the processing zone) for the “plug-in” implementation in existing robot systems or machine systems by standard interfaces for the communication with the master control system. Conbility provides the single applicator as well as turn-key ready systems including the robot and handling systems.

Unique selling point of the PrePro 3D system is its multifunctional range of usage: it accomplishes laser-assisted thermoplastic tape placement, IR-assisted thermoset prepreg placement and dry fiber placement: Three technologies included in one single modular system.  

During the JEC World in Paris (March 6th – 8th 2018), Conbility GmbH will present its new “VCSEL Tape Placement and Winding Applicator” (Fig. 3), developed in cooperation with Fraunhofer IPT and Philips Photonics at the AZL Composites in Action area (Hall 5A, C55).

VCSEL Laser Systems as heat source for lower investment and process costs
This applicator uses an integrated VCSEL Laser System as heat source which has been developed by Philips Photonics. This tape placement and winding applicator can also be integrated as modular “plug-in” system into industrial jointed-arm and linear gantry robots in variable manufacturing cells. Using the new VCSEL Laser as heat source (VCSEL: Vertical-Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) leads to significant lower investment and process cost in comparison to other laser systems. Furthermore, the VCSEL laser system can accomplish controllable in-process adjustments of the laser-spot geometry as well as the intensity distribution within the spot size during the process (in-process control of laser-spot geometries and intensities) for the first time. The new system with 2 kW laser power and 10 separate emission zones which can be controlled separately will be shown at JEC World in Paris 2018 as new product of Conbility GmbH.

The multi-year deal brings the TOMMY HILFIGER brand back to the world of Formula One for the first time in 17 years, as the Official Apparel Partner for the four-time World Champions Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport.

Tommy Hilfiger, which is owned by PVH Corp. [NYSE: PVH], announces it has formed a multi-year strategic partnership with four-time Formula One World Champions Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport. Starting in the 2018 season, TOMMY HILFIGER will be the Official Apparel Partner of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, building on the sport sponsorship heritage that Tommy Hilfiger has embraced since first founding his brand. The partnership with the world’s top Formula One team and leading automobile innovator underscores Tommy Hilfiger’s vision to continuously elevate and expand the brand in key markets for the next generation of TOMMY HILFIGER consumers.

“From the first time I attended a Formula One race, I was completely fascinated by the world of motorsports,” said Tommy Hilfiger. “To be re-entering this arena with World Champions MercedesAMG Petronas Motorsport and their number one team is an incredible way to fuse fashion and Formula One. I recognize the passion, spirit and drive that the entire Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport team shows at every race, and these shared qualities are why I’m excited to partner with them for the upcoming seasons.”

For the past four Formula One seasons, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport has won both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ World Championships, with the team’s British racing driver Lewis Hamilton winning his fourth World Championship title in 2017 and Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas taking third place.

Under the long-term partnership, TOMMY HILFIGER will be the Official Apparel Partner, supplying travel and team kits, as well as office and hospitality apparel for the more than 1,500 individuals who make up the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport team. The TOMMY HILFIGER logo will be featured on the team’s 2018 race cars, which will be revealed on February 22, 2018 at the Silverstone track in the United Kingdom, as well as inside the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport pit garage and other trackside assets.

By combining the Lectra and Kubix Lab offers, Lectra will equip fashion customers with a revolutionary platform for managing product information.

Lectra, the technological partner for companies using fabrics and leather, announces the signing of a share purchase agreement to acquire the entire capital and voting rights of the Italian company Kubix Lab.

Founded at the end of 2015, Kubix Lab has developed a cutting-edge technological offer called Link. This offer enables fashion brands to manage, from end-to-end, all product information deriving notably from multiple IT systems (ERP, PDM, PLM…), within one single application. Users can modify, enrich or add new data, while maintaining data synchronization with all IT systems. In just a few months, Link has convinced over ten high-end Italian brands of its value.

“We were particularly impressed by the relevance of the solution created by Kubix Lab,” underlines Daniel Harari, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Lectra. “By capitalizing on their knowledge of best practice, the founders of Kubix Lab knew how to develop an offer perfectly adapted to the expectations of fashion companies. Link enables all players involved in product development, manufacturing and sales to collaborate in real time, in a simple and efficient way, around exactly the same data.”

“We are delighted to join Lectra. We are convinced its leadership, global presence, strong expertise in the fashion industry and the richness of its product portfolio will enable us to develop an integrated offer with high value for all Lectra customers,” states Giampaolo Urbani, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Kubix Lab.

The founders of Kubix Lab will be in charge of developing an integrated Lectra – Link offer, which will complement - and reinforce - Lectra’s entire offer.

“Product data is at the heart of Link. We took an approach diametrically opposed to existing solutions on the market and designed an offer which is highly innovative, flexible, evolutionary and easy to use,” explains Pierluigi Beato, R&D director and co-founder of Kubix Lab. “With Lectra, we will take Link to the next level.”

The transaction involves the entire acquisition of Kubix Lab for the maximum amount of €7 million: €3 million paid when the acquisition agreement is signed; €1.3 million and €2.7 million paid respectively in 18 and 36 months’ time, providing objectives are met.

Final completion of the acquisition should take place by January 31, 2018.

These amounts will come from Lectra’s available cash, with no financing from the bank. Kubix Lab will be consolidated into Lectra’s accounts, effective from the signature of the final agreement.

• Amazon, EasySize, Evo Pricing and Lectra explored diverse uses for customer data during a round table event organized by the ESCP Europe - Lectra ‘Fashion & Technology’ Chair Paris

Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using fabrics, leather, technical textiles and composite materials, the French business school ESCP Europe and their joint ‘Fashion & Technology’ Chair examined the multiple ways the fashion industry’s ecosystem can use customer data, during a recent round table event at the start of the fifth Fashion Tech Week in Paris.

Elise Beuriot, senior category leader, EU Luggage, Amazon, Olivier Dancot, VP of data, Lectra, Fabrizio Fantini, founder and CEO, Evo Pricing, and Gulnaz Khusainova, founder and CEO, Easysize, agreed straight away on one key point: the analysis of customer data lends itself to limitless applications along the entire fashion value chain. Its impact is immense, whether in terms of customer satisfaction, competitiveness, revenues or waste limitation.

As early as the design phase, a wealth of data offers many sources of inspiration for stylists. For teams in charge of collections, “complex models allow the analysis of data like online traffic and purchase history in order to design and offer the products that consumers expect, which is a priority for a company obsessed by the customer, like Amazon,” stated Elise Beuriot. For sales, “decisions based on data trigger millions of orders. The impact on the inventory is enormous,” she added.

“Fashion is an industry where unsold items generate a lot of waste. Algorithms and big data analysis can reduce left-overs by anticipating demand several weeks ahead in order to optimize the price and replenishment,” observed Fabrizio Fantini. “Fashion companies who exploit data to inform their decisions become more efficient. They are better armed to protect their margins, but can also sell for less, and potentially reach a larger number of consumers.”

Other IT models aggregate customer data in real time ‘to determine, among hundreds of factors, those which have the biggest influence on buying decisions. Value doesn’t necessarily lie in the volume of data but in the depth of the analyses,’ claimed Gulnaz Khusainova. Easysize is careful that collected data is anonymous, she underlined, because ‘consumers need to keep control of their data, and know how it is used’.
For editors of software dedicated to fashion businesses, and suppliers of cutting machines designed for the clothing industry, “analyzing usage data from our solutions enables the offer to evolve, making each step in the value chain more efficient and perfectly adapted to the needs of the brands, retailers and manufacturers. What is at stake is better quality products, placed on the market as quickly as possible and at a reduced cost,” explained Olivier Dancot.

“It is easy to collect data, but difficult to extract actionable information. Everything hinges on data analysis,” concluded Céline Abecassis-Moedas, professor and co-scientific director of the ‘Fashion & Technology’ Chair and moderator of the round table. “Due to its emotional dimension—from the stylist’s inspiration to the consumer’s desire to buy—fashion is not an industry like others. However, all the components that make up its ecosystem can truly benefit from the judicious exploitation of customer data. Examples discussed this evening illustrate the diversity of what is possible.

Reinach, Switzerland, 30 October 2017 - Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals, today announced its first-ever collaboration with Kathmandu, the well-known New-Zealand born and based outdoor brand. Kathmandu selected Archroma and its EarthColors range of plant-based dyes to create a new capsule collection of the brand’s signature hoodie.

Archroma’s EarthColors range recently came to public attention for being the Gold Winner of the OutDoor Industry Award 2017, Sustainable Innovations category, where Kathmandu also presented their first hoodies just off of the production line. Archroma’s EarthColors is a line of patented plant-based dyes, sourced from up to 100 percent renewable resources. Archroma developed EarthColors using non-edible waste products, from agriculture and herbal industries, to replace petroleum derived raw materials; which are the conventional raw materials used to synthesize dyes currently. This gives brands an alternative when looking for more natural ways of dyeing garments.

Archroma and Kathmandu teamed up to create an exclusive “vintage casual” look.

The colors available in the capsule collection: slate blue, burnt olive and burlwood rose, are made from the non-edible parts of nutshells, almond shells, rosemary, saw palmetto, bitter orange and beetroot, left over from agriculture industry or herbal extraction. The collection is available online at www.kathmandu.com.au.

“We are very proud and grateful that Kathmandu selected Archroma’s EarthColors for their first incursion into the world of nature-based colors,” comments Paul Cowell, Head of Brand Marketing in Archroma’s Brand & Performance Textile Specialties business. “Kathmandu will surely inspire other brands and retailers to explore and adopt eco - advanced innovations. With the help of Kathmandu, Archroma is again showing the apparel industry the way to go, one collection at a time. Because it’s our nature!” “We have been using recycled materials for over 20 years and we are constantly looking for new technologies to develop more sustainable outdoor gear, adds Manu Rastogi, Textile R&D and Responsible Materials Manager for Kathmandu. “Dyeing techniques using plants have been around for centuries, but they require adding huge amounts of mordants* and fixatives**, which could lead to water pollution.

They also tend to have poor light and wash fastness which is undesirable for the consumer and does not promote article longevity. So when we heard about Archroma’s EarthColors, we were immediately excited by what is probably the first technology allowing colors to be synthesized from plants rather than petroleum while keeping similar performance.” Kathmandu selected Archroma and its EarthColors range of plant-based dyes to create a new capsule collection of the brand’s signature hoodie. (Photographs: Kathmandu) Archroma’s EarthColors is a line of patent-pending plant-based dyes, sourced from up to 100 percent renewable resources. (Photo: Archroma)

Kathmandu® Registered trademark
*alum, iron, copper, tin, chrome
** salt, tannings, vinegar

The Industry of the Future Alliance (AIF) has awarded Lectra with their ‘Showcase for the Industry of the Future’ label for demonstrating the criteria exemplarity, innovation and commitment. This certification is given to companies who have concretely developed a ground-breaking project to organize their production by leveraging the potential of digital.

The AIF bestowed Lectra with this distinction for its competitiveness concerning cost, quality and delivery times, all obtained thanks to a lean approach and reflection around the design of its products. Further, Lectra received the certification for its competitiveness regarding value, achieved thanks to mastering customer use from which new associated services have flowed. Since 2013, Lectra has invested €86 million in R&D, representing 9.4% of its revenues. This Investment has enabled Lectra to undergo a metamorphosis—based on methodological advances and fundamental technologies—increasing recruitment and growing competitiveness in all of its markets and geographical sectors.

With ten years’ experience in the industrial internet of things for cutting and expertise in software Solutions to automate and optimize design and product development, Lectra is in an unrivalled position to Support customers as they enter the ‘industry of the future’ era.

Pressure from certain shareholders to relocate manufacturing to China in 2005, triggered Lectra’s industrial project. Following risk analyses—the cost of transport for the European market, the turnover in qualified labor, uncertainty over patent rights and quality—Lectra decided to keep manufacturing in France. This choice was conditional on: disruptive innovation; upgrading; increased value to customers; and a rise in productivity.

The project was accompanied by a well-structured lean approach and organizational changes, which enabled Lectra to achieve the desired level of excellence in terms of productivity and competitiveness.

Some of the changes that took place thanks to this project are as follows: Growth in industrial performance due to an improvement in working conditions, with teams involved in the lean approach; Production engineers involved in creating awareness around factory constraints for a new offer as early as the design process. This co-design product/process optimizes global costs; Emphasis on product, process and logistics’ modularity with the latest possible integration of options (delayed differentiation). This enables logistics’ constraints to be taken into account as early as the engineering phase. Product modularity allows, for example, machines to be put in containers when they might otherwise require special heavy-goods transport.

Lectra’s factory improved its productivity rate by 18 points in three years, and has since maintained it at 89%. Costs have already reduced by 25% and the quality and level of service has improved. In terms of positioning, Lectra has confirmed its leadership in the high-end segment. Lectra has enriched its offer with end-to-end services and innovative, connected products whose embedded intelligence offers Smart Services, notably for predictive maintenance.

Fashion forecaster MintModa and Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals, announce a new strategic partnership leveraging the respective strengths of both companies in color creativity. Combining Archroma’s scientific color expertise with MintModa’s clear, narrative-driven color forecasts provides fashion and design-related industries with an actionable and trend-right color resource.
Launched last year, Color Atlas by Archroma offers 4320 new shades, extending their custom color business with a readily available, time-efficient color management system. MintModa’s ColoRevolution offers highly-curated color analysis and direction on its cloud-based subscription trend service. Because color plays a starring role in the visual language of social media, carefully chosen palettes are essential for capturing a new generation of connected consumers.

“People today are constantly exposed to a barrage of vibrant media on multiple devices. The customer is now visually sophisticated, a voracious consumer of ever-changing images depicting highly-styled products, places and people,” states MintModa founder and creative director Sharon Graubard. “The emotional draw of color, hardwired into humans, becomes an ever-more powerful marketing tool.”
“The Color Atlas by Archroma represents a true labor of love,” said Chris Hipps, Global Director, Archroma Color Management. “The idea is to offer our customers options they never dreamed of. We resonate with MintModa’s progressive, focused approach. In fact, we met because they were searching for a specific shade of blue and couldn’t find it elsewhere. This level of color curation dovetails with our passionate drive and relentless commitment towards excellence.”

At the “Future of Composites in Construction” trade show, CHOMARAT and ALTUS GROUP are presenting CarbonCast®, their flagship line of reinforced-concrete prefabricated wall panels, reinforced with CHOMARAT’s C-GRID® carbon-fiber grids. A recent army-hospital project in Greenville, South Carolina is another success story of this innovative product: 18,600 m² (200,000 sq.ft) of precast insulated panels were installed in record time. Come and learn more about it at the McCormick Place Lakeside Center, Chicago, Stand C 10, on 20-22 June 2017.
“Reducing installation time, improving the fire and safety performance, increasing the service life of structures, and cutting energy consumption are crucial criteria in the choice of a CarbonCast solution,” explains ALTUS GROUP Executive Director John CARSON. CarbonCast® panels are classified ASHRAE 90.1. Thanks to the low thermal conductivity of carbon fiber, C-GRID® reinforced panels offer excellent thermal performance, providing uniform insulation and, therefore, a comfortable, energy-efficient building.

In May 2017, Jochen Adler, Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer at Oerlikon Textile GmbH & Co. KG, presented a Oerlikon Barmag take-up winder as a partial gift to Prof. Dr Thomas Gries, head of the Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) at RWTH Aachen University. The new Type ASW602 winder, which is equipped with modern control software and user interface, replaces the former institute’s Barmag take-up winder.

Due to this modernisation, ITA has access to a latest generation take-up winder which is used for various research projects. The new winder is applied at ITA’s two pilot melt spinning plants and ensures the transfer of new research and development insights into the pilot scale. Furthermore, this winder has two winding positions and operates with winding speeds between 2500 m/min and 5500 m/min. The new winder is suitable for all kinds of polymers, from polypropylene to polyethylene, polyester, polyamide etc. as well as for the production of several types of yarn, such as industrial yarn, pre-oriented yarn and fully-drawn yarn.
“We thank Oerlikon Barmag for the generous partial gifting and the support during the set-up of the new take-up winder”, says Prof. Dr Thomas Gries. “The new equipment will keep the institute’s machine park on a high and powerful level.” The head of ITA’s chemical fibre department Dr Thorsten Anders adds: “This winder is designed for the needs of chemical yarn research. It allows state of the art technology research and development and pilot-scale production. We will use it for the melt spinning plants in the single- and bi-component spinning process. This way, we can access a wide variety of producible yarn types.“