From the Sector

On June 1-2, 2021, JEC Composites Connect, the first round-the-clock digital event of the composites industry, will host significant industry players, enabling participants to discover their latest innovations. Three competitions the JEC Composites Challenge, the JEC Composites Startup Booster, and the famous JEC Composites Innovation Award, will also put the spotlights on the most innovative solutions and products this year

Key Figures

More than 1,000 companies from all the composites value chain spanning 46 countries will participate, network, and present their latest products on their digital booths.

Exhibitor’s breakdown by industrial sector :

• Raw materials
• Intermediate products
• Equipment, tools, and ancillary products
• Distribution, agents, and representation
• Third parties, services, engineering, and R&D
• Composite’s part producers and processors
• Composite’s end-users and integrators

Highlighting excellence and innovation

JEC Composites connect will also be the place to promote the composites sector’s biggest innovative projects. Many product launches are expected to be announced over the two days of the show, evidences a solidly dynamic sector led by high-performance and environmentally friendly innovations.

Among which 65 product launches are listed in the 2021 Innovation Report: from Raw materials, Intermediates and Ancillary, R&D to Production and Equipment, including Simulation and Measurement and Services.

Competitions and awards ceremonies

The JEC Composites Challenge will give the floor to ten young researchers from around the world on June 2nd at 12pm CEST. They will have five minutes to convince a panel of judges composed of leading industrial players in the composites sector. The competition builds bridges between research and industry and is a highlight of the event.

The 2021 JEC Composites Startup Booster has a line-up of 20 finalists who will pitch during two live sessions on June 1st from 10:30 am to 11:30 am and from 5 pm to 6 pm CEST. The 2021 JEC Composites Innovation Awards will celebrate the most innovative composites projects and fruitful collaborations between different value chain players in 2021.

JEC Group, dedicated to promoting composite materials, introduces all-new digital event series for the composites community: JEC Composites CONNECT. On June 1-2, 2021, this first round-the-clock event will be one of the industry’s most significant events, hosting major industry players, enabling participants to discover the latest trends thanks to business conferences and get networking opportunities. This live-streamed event will also be the place to highlight innovation through competitions, awards ceremonies and keynote speeches.

JEC Composites CONNECT: a digital event to bring the composites community together
Participants can access the free non-stop digital floor from 8:30 am on June 1 to 6 pm CEST on June 2. This first JEC Composites CONNECT will work as an online trade show, with digital stands for companies showcasing their latest products, from raw materials to composites parts manufacturers with various networking rooms, a meeting requests platform, and with a conference area to access live streaming content.

Composites innovation at the core
JEC Composites CONNECT will host outstanding keynote speakers and all the major JEC Composites competitions and awards promoting innovation, research teamwork, and entrepreneurship in the composites industry.

• The JEC Composites Innovation Awards celebrate the most innovative composites projects and fruitful collaborations between different value chain players in 2021.
• The 2021 JEC Composites Startup Booster competition, with live pitches and winners ceremony.
• The JEC Composites Challenge, where Ph.Ds will present their research projects in front of the jury.

The Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, June 2, with an opening keynote speech from inventor and genius entrepreneur Franky Zapata, a.k.a. ‘the Flying Man.’ As the CEO and founder of the company that bears his name, he became well-known for his famed crossing of the English Channel in August 2019 on his Flyboard® Air.

• Looking to the future – Frankfurt Fashion Week is positioning itself with a consistently sustainable agenda and propelling the transformation of a modern, resource-efficient fashion industry.

The Conscious Fashion Campaign (CFC), working in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP), will be the presenting partner and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be a prerequisite for all exhibitors by 2023. And the Frankfurt Fashion SDG Summit by CFC is set to become the leading international conference for sustainability in the fashion world. The future of fashion has begun – and its key players will be coming together in Frankfurt am Main from 5-9 July 2021.
 
Frankfurt am Main, 2 December 2020. Joining forces to improve the fashion industry: Frankfurt Fashion Week is positioning itself as the host of the future of fashion and actively driving forward the transformation towards a future-oriented, more sustainable fashion and textile industry. All decision-makers looking to instigate this change will be coming together in Frankfurt am Main from 5-9 July 2021. The initiators of Frankfurt Fashion Week – Messe Frankfurt and the Premium Group – have achieved a real coup: Conscious Fashion Campaign, working in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, will be the presenting partner. Messe Frankfurt will build on its collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships and establish Frankfurt Fashion week as the platform on which to advance the Sustainable Development Goals and help guide the fashion industry into the 'Decade of Action'.
 
“Frankfurt will play host to the whole world. We are seeing a very positive response indeed,” confirmed Peter Feldmann, Senior Mayor of the City of Frankfurt am Main, at today’s digital press conference, before going on to say: “The fact that the initiators are able to rethink the concept of a Fashion Week in such a way is extremely impressive and proves that the fashion industry is correctly interpreting the signs of the present and future. The time has come for value creation and values to be reconciled. Consistent alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals is an important step in this direction.”
 
“Frankfurt Fashion Week aims to play a crucial role in finding solutions for macrosocial challenges and supporting the goals of international politics such as the European Green Deal. The fashion and textile industries are also expected to be climate-neutral by 2050. If we want to achieve this, we all need to pull together. Frankfurt Fashion Week is inviting all initiators and supporters of sustainable concepts and congresses or shows dedicated to sustainability to meet in Frankfurt, partake in discussions and make tangible decisions for the greater good. We will connect the most relevant players and pave the way for a future-proof fashion and textile industry,” says Detlef Braun, CEO of Messe Frankfurt.
 
“Given its global reach, the fashion industry is uniquely positioned to collaborate and engage on the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular on climate action and responsible production and consumption,” said Annemarie Hou, Acting Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Partnerships. “Frankfurt Fashion Week and the Summit will serve as an important platform for education and engagement of the fashion and textile industry in the Decade of Action,” emphasised Ms Hou.
 
The aim of Frankfurt Fashion Week is for all exhibitors, participants and partners to align with the Sustainable Development Goals by 2023. The SDGs will also be incorporated into all formats of Frankfurt Fashion Week. This will help to make the UN’s sustainability goals visible and tangible for the Fashion Week audience, therefore bringing its claim, goals and specific proposals for implementation to an international opinion-forming fashion and lifestyle community. During a one-day Frankfurt Fashion SDG Summit presented by Conscious Fashion Campaign, topics like gender equality, clean water, climate protection, social justice and their significance for a forward-looking fashion industry will be examined in greater depth. Another point on the sustainability agenda: Frankfurt Fashion Week is launching a Sustainability Award for outstanding, innovative, sustainable design, alongside other categories with a global appeal for the fashion and textile industry.
 
"We are committed to setting the wheels of transformation in motion. Not only does the overall mindset have to fundamentally change; the entire industry also needs to have the courage to be transparent and honest. It’s important to see values and value creation as opportunities rather than contentious. We are doing what we do best: connecting the relevant players at all levels. With its ecosystem, Frankfurt Fashion Week will become the enabler. We are creating a platform that will orchestrate industry-wide change. With this as our inspiration, we are also developing our tradeshow formats from a ‘marketplace of products’ to a ‘marketplace of purpose and ideas’,” explains Anita Tillmann, Managing Partner of the Premium Group.
 
A new start in Frankfurt: In summer 2021 the entire fashion industry will be coming to the metropolis on the Main river to inform themselves, be inspired, discuss, negotiate and celebrate. “There’s a huge need to finally meet in person again, to exchange ideas and be inspired. At the same time, digital tools and formats have become an integral part of the fashion industry,” says Markus Frank, Head of the City of Frankfurt’s Department of Economic Affairs and therefore also responsible for its creative industry. “To implement such a future-oriented, all-encompassing overall concept, Frankfurt’s business and creative scenes offer an almost unique concentration of different expertise with its internationally networked agencies, universities and museums. The city’s multifaceted, high-end club, bar and restaurant scene, diverse hotel industry and internationally renowned retail landscape will become the stage for this. This network will be a key factor in the successful implementation of Frankfurt Fashion Week and the way in which it will expand into the public space as a cultural and social happening.”
 
A number of major publishing houses are also showing their commitment to the new Fashion Week in Frankfurt with conferences, events and awards: Textilwirtschaft, the leading professional fashion journal by the Deutscher Fachverlag publishing house, is moving its traditional meeting of the industry’s top decision-makers – the TW Forum, the presentation of the renowned Forum Award, as well as its subsequent conference – from Heidelberg to Frankfurt’s Palmengarten botanical gardens, and will therefore be kicking off Frankfurt Fashion Week on Sunday evening and Monday morning. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung will be hosting its traditional fashion party for the first time in Frankfurt and publishing a special edition of its FAZ Magazin on Frankfurt Fashion Week. And the ZEIT publishing group is holding its ‘UNLOCK Style by ZEITmagazin’ conference, which was established in 2014, and the ZEITmagazin Fashion Week party in Frankfurt for the first time and will dedicate the whole new issue of ZEITmagazin Frankfurt to Frankfurt Fashion Week. Condé Nast will also be involved in next summer’s Frankfurt Fashion Week with an exclusive event by GQ. And the Burda publishing house will also be represented with various event formats from its lifestyle and fashion brands.There will also be talks with SHINE  Conventions, the organiser of GLOW, about what a mutual collaboration could look like.
 
Frankfurt Fashion Week is also delighted to have the Fashion Council Germany (FCG) on board.  The FCG is theinstitution when it comes to German fashion design. It promotes designers, is committed to gaining more political relevance and strengthens the international visibility and awareness of German fashion. At Frankfurt Fashion Week, the FCG will contribute selected formats, such as its already established Fireside Chat, and a future-oriented accelerator format to support German designers.
 
“What really impresses me about Fashion Week is the whole networking aspect: the creative industries will meet the financial world and sustainability is the common denominator. The Green Finance Cluster is another project that we could link with Frankfurt Fashion Week in the future. This will provide new inspiration in the fashion industry, which will certainly extend way beyond its own horizon of Frankfurt and Hesse. After a very difficult year for the trade fair industry, the concept is an encouraging breath of fresh air,” sums up Tarek Al-Wazir, Hesse’s Minister of Economics, Energy, Transport and Regional Development and Deputy Minister-President of the state of Hessen.

Two ISKO I-SKOOL™ 7 looks make their debut at the Graduate Fashion Foundation, part of London Fashion Week, a springboard for new talent striving to bridge the gap between education and industry.

Following an unprecedented academic year, GFF celebrates how the Class of 2020 have adapted and overcome adversity to complete their degrees across 26 fashion specialisms, from Design and Knitwear to Comms, Marketing and Business. London, 17-22 September – To bring together fashion educators and industry leaders and to support their graduates to reach their full potential once they have graduated: this has always been GFF’s main goal for the past 28 years. Now more than ever, GFF continues in its long-standing commitment to share good practice and knowledge and to inspire students to become innovators, environmental leaders, employees, and educators while promoting cultural diversity and inclusivity within an international platform – very much in keeping with ISKO I-SKOOL™ values and approach which resonate throughout the contest’s Denim Awards.

Designers Kotryna Adomaityte and Isabel Hambly from Nottingham Trent University were 2 of the 9 winners of the ISKO I-SKOOL™ 7 Awards, announced in a phygital ceremony held on July 22. The two students were invited to showcase their winning creations at GFF. Kotryna, winner of the ISKO I-SKOOL™ PERICOLO Award by Cadica Group, impressed the audience with her “Wild West Denim” look to London at the GFF Showroom.

Isabel Hambly, winner of the ISKO I-SKOOL™ Best Marketable Product, stole the show with her “Women at war” outfit which was displayed at the Catwalk Show, live-streamed from Samsung KX on September 22. That two of ISKO I-SKOOL™ 7 winners and finalists were part of this important event is proof of the significant role the contest – developed and supported by ISKO – plays in nurturing and championing talent and creativity. This edition’s main concept was world’s citizenship, with the Creative Theme “North, East, South, West – connected by one planet”. The twenty shortlisted finalists were asked to dig into their roots and to approach different cultures, defining and tracking down the geography of the world connecting them through responsibility. In addition to exploring the planet both locally and globally, they were also required to take into account the product life cycle of their outfits – featuring a 5-pocket jeans to interpret their view on the “local” concept and two Denim Show Pieces to reflect their worldwide influences and topics of interest. These were made with top ISKO™ denim fabrics, meeting the designers’ needs and providing a strong sustainable ingredient.

“We are really proud that two of our winners made it to GFF, with which we have many values in common – it marks another important step in their journey” said ISKO Senior Executive ISKO I-SKOOL™ Project Irem Orhun. “All of this goes to show how ISKO I-SKOOL™ plays a fundamental role in providing the foundation to enter the industry more aware of your skills and capabilities.”

• The “Newcomer Award” will still be presented at the 8th Convention & Fair for Hightech Textiles
• Chemnitz organisers considering forward-looking forums using the “mtex+” brand

The 8th mtex+ Convention & Fair for Hightech Textiles, which was scheduled to be held on 9-10 June 2020, will not take place because of the corona crisis. “We’ve made this decision following in-depth consultations with the members of the advisory board who are working in the textile sector; they were also opposed to moving the date to the autumn because of the unforeseeable consequences arising from the crisis,” says  André Rehn, Head of Sales for Trade Fairs & Congresses at the organiser, C³ GmbH, Chemnitz.

“Cancelling the event is a particularly severe blow for us, as the “mtex+” was supposed to be held with a modernised concept and a very attractive programme at our new Carlowitz Congresscenter at the heart of Chemnitz for the first time. The considerable economic loss associated with this is naturally painful for us too. However, we will be presenting our “mtex+” “Newcomer Award” to the prize-winners at the next possible, suitable opportunity. 15 students and graduates from all over Germany have taken part in the young people’s competition with creative ideas for recycling, upcycling and downcycling textiles. We’re also now considering special events, which could operate using our well-known “mtex+” brand in future. Sustainability in the textile value-added chain as well as health and protective textiles made by the domestic market are obvious, forward-looking topics in this field.”

JEC ASIA 2019 REFLECTED THE DYNAMISM OF THE COMPOSITES INDUSTRY IN ASIA PACIFIC

JEC ASIA 2019 KEY FIGURES

• 6,600+ professional visits
• 200+ exhibiting companies from 49 countries
• 3 conference sessions and composite tours
• 40+ International speakers
• 550 business meetings
• 40+ innovative parts in the Planet
• 10 Innovation awards
• 3 startups rewarded

After three days of demonstrating the bright future ahead of composites, JEC Asia 2019 welcomed more than 200 exhibitors showcasing the latest innovations to more than 6,600 attendees from 49 countries in Seoul. From global brands to visionary startups, these companies set the composite world abuzz with the promise of innovation, knowledge, and networking.

Once again, JEC Asia gathered a significant number of academic researchers and institutions, industrials in a spirit of innovation, to prove that the sector is rapidly growing. But this year, the Korean composites Golden Triangle has shown even more dynamism and a very strong ambition to become a leading country in composites.

JEC Asia 2019 will open its doors in six days within a very positive and dynamic environment for the Composites industry. The South Korean government has decided to develop a whole Composites ecosystem. That goal will be achieved thanks to three strategic pillars: increasing R&D investment in the composites sector for equipment and machines; diversifying its materials and intermediate product providers; reinforcing excellence in research and development with major academic institutions such as Hanyang University and UNIST. Therefore, JEC Asia is a must-attend event for foreign companies to meet with this whole ecosystem.

More than 200 companies from 49 countries will attend this new edition for three days of Composites Innovation, Business, and Networking. For its 12th edition, JEC Asia 2019 will gather companies from the entire composites value chain in Asia Pacific and specifically from South Korea. They will present their latest capabilities and innovations to the composite’s community and the strategic end-user’s market. Companies like Toray Advanced Materials, Hyosung, Kolon, Hanwha Q Cells & Advanced Materials, Hankuk Carbon, Arkema Korea, and Samyang Corp. are amongst the participants, to name a few.

“The Composites Industry in Asia Pacific is dynamic and largely contributes to the global growth of the Industry. JEC Asia is the major composites platform in the region, where the full value chain gathers from raw material producers, intermediate and final processors. It also encompasses the downstream of the value chain, the original equipment manufacturers (OEM), and end-users. For its 12th edition, JEC Asia will showcase numerous features: an extensive conference program that includes the ICF (International Carbon Festival co-organized with the KCTech), composites tours and the coveted JEC Innovation Awards etc. All these have been crafted to provide the composites industry with targeted networking opportunities and an unrivaled event to develop and share knowledge on composite materials”, says Christian STRASSBURGER, Events Director APAC.

JEC Asia is the major, most insightful composites event in Asia-Pacific for products, solutions, net-working, and advanced industry thinking - 3 full days of Business, Innovation & Knowledge

JEC ASIA KEY FIGURES

• 7,000+ professional visits
• 245+ exhibiting companies from 49 countries
• 3 conference sessions
• 40+ International speakers
• 450+ business meetings
• Startup Booster competition
• Innovation awards and planet
• In parallel to eMove360° Asia

Paris - For its 12th edition and third time in Seoul, JEC Asia 2019 will gather companies from the entire composites value chain in Asia Pacific to present their latest capabilities and innovations to the composites community and the strategic end-user’s market including: Mobility, Aeronautics, Building & Construction. This year more than 245 exhibiting companies are expected with thousands of professionals from 49
countries to network, exchange ideas, explore new opportunities and strengthen their business partnerships.

Addressing the impact of composites in Mobility 4.0

During the press conference held in Seoul on July 9th to introduce JEC Asia 2019 and eMove Asia 360° main features, a roundtable gathering speakers, experts and academics from prestigious Korean research centers specialized in carbon and composites — along with Hyundai Motor and KCTech composites experts, eMove360°’s CEO & Publisher and Korean Electric Vehicle Association representatives — exchanged their views on the impact of composites in today's and tomorrow's mobility in the world with a focus on the Korean market. Discussions centered around the challenges raised by Mobility 4.0 (electric connected and autonomous vehicles) and how composites can offer highly adapted solutions for the new challenges faced by this sector, particularly in the context of the rising electrification of vehicles.

Hence, the 2019 edition of JEC Asia will welcome for the first time the eMove360° ASIA exhibition and conferences focusing on Trends in electric & autonomous mobility, Battery & Powertrain and Charging & Energy.

Celebrating Innovation and Knowledge

JEC Asia 2019 will also host the 2nd leg of the JEC Startup Booster competition, the leading startup competition in the world of composites will enable companies to find and assess innovations with a potential impact on their respective industry. The 10 finalists selected in the region by a prestigious jury, will pitch their project to win a chance to showcase their work at JEC World 2020 in Paris. The JEC Innovation Awards is a long-established and worldwide program with 3 simple goals: identify, promote and reward the most innovative composite solutions in the world. Over the past 15 years, the JEC Innovation Program has involved 1,800 companies worldwide; 177 companies and 433 partners have been rewarded for the excellence of their composite innovations. The JEC Innovation Awards reward composites champions, based on criteria such as partner involvement in the value chain, technicality or commercial applications of innovations. The award ceremony will take place on the second day of JEC Asia, on November 14th, 2019.

JEC Asia 2019 will also feature a fulfilling conference program with experts from the industry giving their insights on the latest developments in high-performance composite technologies and applications.

JEC Asia 2019 conferences main themes will focus on:

• International Carbon Festival Conference organized with our partner, KCTech.
• Automotive composite golden triangle: low CAPEX, low cost but high volume
• Automotive hybrid solutions: take the best of each material
• Aeronautics: faster processes and new materials
• Business opportunities (Raw materials, Process, Application, Countries, Region)
Finally, JEC Asia offers the opportunity to visit Composites sites. This year professionals will live a full experience of South Korea composites Industry visiting: Hanyang University, Kookmin University with Hankuk Carbon, Win & Win Co or Korean Carbon with KCTech in Jeonju.

See you @JEC Asia 2019 and eMove360° Asia, November 13 to 15,  Seoul Coex Convention and Exhibition Center

Lectra has been awarded by a jury of experts the Texprocess Innovation Award 2019 in the New Process category for its latest ground-breaking offer, Fashion On Demand by Lectra.

Fashion On Demand by Lectra automates the entire personalization process, from order reception and product development to the final cutting stages. Resulting from a four-year research-and-development process, the digital solution for on-demand production was developed based on Industry 4.0 principles.

"We are very proud to receive this prestigious award at Texprocess, the biggest international event for all fashion players. Fashion On Demand by Lectra allows companies to produce personalized clothing at the same speed as ready-to-wear and avoid overstocking by producing in precise quantities,” states Holger Max-Lang, President, Northern & Eastern Europe, Middle East, Lectra.

Fashion On Demand by Lectra is available in the form of two packages, one dedicated to made to measure, with pattern adjustments, and the other to customization, with product characteristic alterations. This turnkey solution automates on-demand production right from order reception to production development stages and the cutting room. Companies can define their desired product personalization criteria for each item depending on the package, and launch production processes right from the get-go, without interfering with their standard workflows.

"This innovative cloud-based platform solution ensures efficient made-to-measure and customization production processes and facilitates nearshoring for companies that offer individualized products. This technology is up and running and can be used by the fashion industry on a plug-and-play basis," say the jury experts. “Since 2011, the Texprocess Innovation Award has been honoring remarkable achievements and new developments in the Texprocess product range under two categories: new technology and new process. The winners are selected based on criteria such as degree of innovation, choice of materials and environmental sustainability."

This year, AZL won the JEC AWARD 2019 for the development of the new machine system “Ultra-Fast Consolidator Machine”. This innovative machine system is a result of an 18-months AZL Joint Partner Project, conducted in 2017-2018 by the research partners AZL Aachen and Fraunhofer IPT Aachen, in cooperation with industrial partner companies including Conbility, Covestro, Engel, Evonik, Fagor Arrasate, Faurecia SE, Laserline, Mitsui Chemicals, Mubea Carbo Tech, Philips Photonics, SSDT and Toyota (in alphabetical order).

The new UItra-Fast Consolidator Machine offers both high flexibility and mass production of tailored thermoplastic laminates with reduced scrap. Fully consolidated multi-layer laminates with different fiber directions and minimized scrap (tailored blanks) can be produced in cycle times below 5 seconds with this new scalable machine setup. This individualized mass production is accomplished by a combination of laser-assisted tape placement with in-situ consolidation and a piece-flow principle, which is state of the art in the printing industry but has not been used in such a way within composite production. The achievable productivity is enhanced to more than 500 kg/hour by this piece-flow principle with carriers moved through multiple application stations which are equipped with multiple tape placement applicators. The new machine is scalable: multiple application stations can be added, e.g. for each layer one station for mass production or for each fiber direction one station with a carrier-conveyor carousel: here the carriers are moved multiple times through the application stations.

The system will be commercialized by some of the industrial partners in 2019. The real machine setup has been presented at the AZL booth during the JEC Exhibition in Paris 2019.

The follow-up project has just started and is still open to join for industrial partners. This follow-up project comprises a further upscale of the machine system as well as a preparation of the commercialization by long-term durability tests and further process optimizations using different tape materials.