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.
 

Lectra brings together partnership schools and industry experts to discuss how changing professions
in fashion are impacting training programs

Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using fabrics, leather,
technical textiles and composite materials, recently welcomed partners from the world of
education to the company’s Bordeaux-Cestas campus for its eighth education congress. The
event was dedicated to the mega trends shaping the fashion industry and impacting
professions from design to production.

Over fifty representatives from among the most important fashion schools in Germany, Canada, China,
USA, France, Hong Kong, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Sweden, participated
in this biannual meeting between industry experts and teaching professionals.

Fashion professions are evolving as companies make their first steps towards Industry 4.0, adopting 3D
and rationalizing the lifecycle management for their collections thanks to PLM. Lectra’s congress enabled
schools to discuss the developing role of designers and patternmakers, and the new elements to be
integrated into training programs.

Lectra illustrated future changes through presentations on design, patternmaking, 3D prototyping, and PLM.
“It is fundamental to bring innovation experts in the industry together with fashion schools, because
students will drive the evolution of this industry,” stated Pascal Denizart, Managing Director of the Centre
européen des textiles innovants (CETI).

Working with schools to design courses which meet the needs of fashion companies has always been at
the heart of Lectra’s education program. During the event, the company presented collaborative
experiences between partner schools and fashion brands, such as the competitions organised by Lectra
with Missoni, Balenciaga, and Armani in Italy, as well as Peacebird in China and JC Penney in the United
States.

In the United Kingdom, Lectra collaborated with COS (H&M group) and the Arts University Bournemouth
(AUB) for a competition centred on the design of a collection with zero waste.
“The process was totally digital, from design to the creation of a virtual prototype in 3D. Our students learnt
to optimize each stage of the process. By leveraging the use of Kaledo®, Modaris® and Diamino®, the
collaborative work between AUB, COS and Lectra is exactly the type of project that enormously motivates
our students. Live briefs developed with leading fashion brands and Lectra offer excellent opportunities
which directly inform industry currency and student employability,” explained Penny Norman, a lecturer at
AUB.

The event also shone the spotlight on China and its major role in the evolution of the fashion industry.
Li Min, Vice-Dean of the fashion and design faculty at Donghua university in Shanghai spoke of the event,
organized by Lectra, which brought together major Chinese companies, experts, and representatives from
the biggest schools in China.

“Exchanges on the impact of the Made in China 2025 plan on the fashion industry can better prepare
students for tomorrow’s professions, where digital and automation will occupy a far more central position
than today,” testified Li Min.

"The fashion industry is evolving so fast that sharing insights and best practices with experts and other
fashion schools has become vital to ensure we offer the best learning experience and technology tools to
our students", said Dr. Trevor J. Little, Professor of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management in
the College of Textiles at NC State University.

“Lectra’s eighth education congress confirms the company’s commitment to our partner schools. We
shared our analysis of the market, the digitalization of the eco-system, and how Industry 4.0 principles can
be applied to the fashion industry. We also discussed mass customization and the role of PLM. While these
are key subjects for our customers, many schools are only now approaching them. We are preparing
tomorrow, today: Lectra is supporting our customers, and schools to play an essential role,” concludes
Céline Choussy Bedouet, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Lectra.

The AZL will continue its collaboration on composites in buildings and infrastructure after completing an initial market and technology study which identified new potentials for composite technologies in buildings and infrastructure markets. The aim of the new AZL Workgroup which will meet for the first time on January 25th, 2018 is to jointly develop new applications and to support the business development for composites in these two growing markets. The meeting is open to interested companies from the composite industry as well as the building and infrastructure markets.

The aim of the initial workgroup meeting will be to turn insights from the study into a long-term workgroup collaboration and to define topics and initiatives for the joint cooperation in the field of process and manufacturing technologies, fire safety regulations, materials as well as standards and norms. Industrial keynote presentations will introduce these action fields and will provide an insight into building and infrastructure applications for composites. The meeting will furthermore provide a platform to network with companies along the entire composite value chain.

Dr. Amer Affan, CEO and founder of AFFAN Innovative Structures based in Dubai is in charge of various composite projects for buildings such as the Museum of the Future in Dubai: “We have been utilizing structural composites in construction since 2010. Composites is a truly high-tech material compared with the traditional building materials (steel, concrete, timber and aluminum) but it is still to be recognized as such in the conservative and price-sensitive building industry. AZL, particularly its location at the RWTH Aachen University and its partner companies, offers a good platform to progress the use of composites in construction.”

AZL together with more than 25 companies just completed the Joint Market and Technology Study on “New Potentials for Composite Technologies in Buildings and Infrastructure” establishing a broad knowledge on business opportunities for composite technologies in these two growing markets. In a structured approach, the study determined the key segments as well as the technologies/applications with the highest market and technological potential. Analyses of 20 market segments, investigation of 438 applications, technology analyses of 25 highlight components and 11 detailed business cases were elaborated throughout the study. Additional to requirement analyses for materials and production technologies, new concepts for efficient profitable production technologies and cost engineering analysis were developed. With the workgroup, the AZL will take this initiative a step further with the aim to build a long-term cooperation platform for composites in buildings and infrastructure markets.

Justin Jin, CEO of the Korean company AXIA Materials participated in the study and is part of the AZL Partner Network: “As producer of large thermoplastic composite sheets and composite SIP (Structural Insulated Panel), we are eager to drive composites in B&I applications with the best efficient way. The AZL study on Buildings and Infrastructure provided us a great networking with key players in this business field and opportunities to strengthen our products with the key elements from partners. The study also gave us a proper market understanding including market size/volume in numbers to prove the value of this technology to building industry. We are looking forward to following up on these first insights and to realize applications with the AZL and its partners.”

Besides the networking options, the meeting will offer the opportunity to get an insight into the activities of the AZL Network consisting of nine research institutes at the RWTH Aachen Campus and more than 80 companies from 21 countries. During an optional guided tour, participants will visit selected institutes at the RWTH Aachen Campus. The meeting is open to all interested companies and free of charge.

More Information on Meeting and the Study
Information on AZL activities in the field of buildings and infrastructure:
www.azl-lightweight-production.com/composites-buildings-infrastructure
Details and registration to first Workgroup Meeting on January 25th, 2018:
http://www.azl-lightweight-production.com/termine/1st-workgroup-meeting-buildings-infrastructure

• Lectra contributes to Faurecia Seating Business Group Industry 4.0 readiness and “digital enterprise” transformation initiative

Paris, September 26, 2017 – Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using fabrics, leather, technical textiles and composite materials, is pleased to announce the renewal of its partnership with Faurecia through the signing of a global agreement for its Seating Business Group.

The cutting process for the production of seat covers, headrests and interiors is an increasingly strategic part of Faurecia’s Seating activity. Faurecia Seating supplies vehicle complete seats, frames, mechanisms and trim covers to major carmakers worldwide, whose manufacturing processes are gradually evolving toward Industry 4.0.

Faurecia Seating aims to double the production of its existing manufacturing facilities by reinforcing operations with advanced manufacturing technologies. The company’s extended partnership with Lectra entails focusing on operational excellence initiatives across its automotive seating division.

Standardization of the Vector® fabric-cutting solution—endowed with preventive and predictive maintenance capabilities and the highest-performance cutting system available on the market to date—will be instrumental to the implementation of these initiatives throughout the division’s fabric cutting facilities. Faurecia currently has more than 60 Vector fabric cutting solutions in production worldwide.

“More than ever, we face major challenges in terms of flexibility, agility and productivity—producing more while reducing costs,” observes Hagen Wiesner, Executive Vice President, Faurecia Seating. “Our cutting processes have become strategic in reaching these goals. Faurecia’s ‘digital enterprise’ project aims to achieve operational excellence in virtually every aspect of our organization. Together with Lectra, we will make this a reality in the cutting room, with smart automation and predictive maintenance”.

“Given the profound transformations gripping manufacturing, helping our customers ready their operations for the Fourth Industrial Revolution has become without question our core mission,” remarks Daniel Harari, Lectra Chairman and CEO. “Faurecia is among the automotive suppliers at the forefront of this movement. Digital technologies and industry expertise are the business enablers that will allow manufacturers to connect inside and outside the value chain in the near future.”

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.

“At Huntsman Textile Effects, we recognize our responsibility to not only create value for our stakeholders but to make a sustainable and vibrant world possible for future generations,” said Rohit Aggarwal, President of Huntsman Textile Effects. “Water is an essential resource and we are grateful for the opportunity to support and work closely with village leaders and local authorities with a sustainable solution to water issues faced by local villagers.”
Marking the inauguration of the storage facility at a ceremony in Luna village, Mr. B.R Naidu, Zonal Officer, Central Pollution Control Board said, “This initiative by Huntsman is a sustainable move as this will solve the perennial issue of water for Luna village for years to come. Huntsman has set an example for other companies to take similar initiatives in Baroda”.
The Luna village received water from Narmada water project but due to insufficient storage capacity, the water was drained away in nearby pond. In close consultation with major stakeholders like Sarpanch and Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Huntsman’s Baroda site management proposed the construction of a water storage facility as a long-term solution for the village.
The project was operated on a Public-Private-Partnership model and took close to two years to complete. Through a Memorandum of Understanding between Huntsman Textile Effects and Luna local administration, the project was scoped out with committees formed with assigned roles and responsibilities prior to work commencing. With construction complete and all final inspections successfully concluded, Luna village takes over the running and maintenance of the water tank. Huntsman invested and managed the construction of the tank, working hand-in-hand with the Gujarat Water Board who undertook the laying of pipelines, drilling of wells and other underground work required for a complete water solution.

Composites use in Building and Construction will be highlighted at JEC newest event dedicated to this specific Composites Industry next month in Chicago, IL, USA. The numerous and diverse benefits that these innovative materials bring to the Building Industry will help overcome the coming challenges such as, urbanization, increase of natural disasters (floods, storms, tsunamis, earthquakes…), along with the decrease of non-renewable raw materials and the high standard levels set by the society in terms of lightness and fluidity. Composites Materials bring answers and opportunities to tackle those issues in sustainable, durable and reliable manners. Solutions like ease of fabrication (Owens Corning), structures durability (Biteam), anti-seismic reinforcement (DowAksa), use of end-of-life products such as recycled bottles of water (Premier Composites Technologies), aerial forms (Optima Projects Ltd) or again energy saving (Armageddon Energy).

Following its strategy to address every Composites End-user, the JEC Innovation Awards will reward these 6 Composites Innovators in Building & Construction that will change the way we build.
If the majority of submissions relied on glass fibers, which is common in the Construction field, we see an increased interest in carbon fibers, especially for structural applications. And similarly to all sectors of the composite industry, thermoplastics are gaining in importance in Construction. Therefore, to promote the growing use of composites as a construction material, 6 categories are awarded, covering a large panel of applications and possibilities.

The world's leading trade fair for technical textiles, techtextil, will be held in Frankfurt from 9 to 12 May 2017. It is regarded as one of the leading international trade fairs for technical textiles and nonwovens, where decision-makers, developers and purchasers of the textile industry meet for exchange.
imat-uve will once again be exhibiting with its services around the design, development and testing of materials and textiles. At the booth G80 in hall 3.0, the visitors will find themselves in the middle of the imat-uve creative lab where the company presents itself with current projects. Among other things, this is a selection of innovative textile materials from the company's material library, which are developed further for specific requirements. Research projects show how textile innovations, for example at the car seat, ensure sustainable production and improved seating comfort.

Ten positions of the new Flex-6 concept for manufacturing polyamide 66 industrial yarns were recently commissioned at Sinowin Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd., China. Shortly before the exhibition Techtextil opens its doors in Frankfurt, Germany, from May 9-12, 2017 the Segment Manmade Fibers of the Swiss Oerlikon group has announced this project.
The benefits of the new machine concept include components that are optimized to the respective application, which considerably reduce the required space compared to conventional solutions and its optimized energy consumption. Oerlikon Barmag Sales Director Oliver Lemke: “With its new godet configuration, the Flex-6 concept promises an unparalleled price-performance ratio for the production of high-end yarns. Sinowin is therefore the first industrial yarn manufacturer in China to deploy our new technology.”

Sinowin is completely committed to creating value for its customers. Here, quality and innovative technologies are absolutely essential, confirms General Manager Sheng Jian Wang: “We are striving to become a leading ‘Made in China’ enterprise in the chemical fiber industry. For this, we require state-of-the-art technologies that manufacture quality products. Oerlikon Barmag has an excellent reputation – above all for the PA66 industrial yarn process. To this end, there was no other partner for us.”