From the Sector

The global composites community reunited at JEC WORLD 2022 on May 3rd to 5th for three days of innovation, networking and knowledge sharing. The industry was excited to reconnect in Paris after three years and the show exceeded all expectations in terms of product launches, content, business activity and attendance. Overall, the event welcomed 32,000+ professional visits, in Paris and online, from more than 115 countries and featured 1,201 exhibitors and 26 pavilions, whilst the JEC World Connect platform offered an additional way to explore the show this year.

While fewer Asian participants were able to join the show this year due to travel complexities, the attendance of a high level of decision makers from 117 countries and all key players along the value chain resulted in a dynamic environment for networking and business. As a consequence, companies were keen to confirm their presence next year; by the time the show closed its doors, 50% of JEC World 2023 exhibition space had already been booked.  Exhibitors and attendees have expressed very positive feedback about the quality of the exhibition and such a successful come-back of JEC World as the pinnacle event of the industry.

Innovations at JEC World
With more than 500 product launches during this year’s show, JEC World remains a popular venue to introduce new products to the global market.

The JEC Composites Innovation Awards celebrated 10 collaborative projects, reflecting the dynamism and the resilience of our industry, and two Innovation Planets displayed 80 impressive applications.

Celebrating its five-year anniversary, the JEC Composites Startup Booster competition is now established to discover startups in the advanced composites sector.

JEC World contributing to a more sustainable world
JEC World’s conference program shone a light on this year’s theme and most impactful topic: Composites for a Sustainable World. Sustainability continues to rise as a key growth driver for the composites industry, enabling diverse application sectors to achieve ambitious sustainability goals, from energy and transportation, to building and infrastructure, and so many more. JEC World highlighted how the growing application of composites will open up exciting new horizons for human activities, improving people’s lives and leading to a better, more sustainable world.

International community
Three Country on Stage presentations showcased the structure and strengths of the composites industries of South Korea, the Netherlands and the United States. The program featured keynote presentations and business cases which demonstrate the countries’ composites expertise  in hydrogen, in sustainable excellence, and innovation in building and mobility, respectively.

Ministers, ambassadors and official representatives from 16 countries also visited the show as part of dedicated official delegation tours from the United States, Turkey, Hungary, Taiwan, Portugal, Croatia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, North Macedonia, Germany, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Belgium, Sweden and Spain.

Thus, JEC World was the opportunity for government representatives to meet the leading composites actors of their respective regions or markets and show their support. Official inaugurations also took place on the Dutch, American and British pavilions.

Nonwovens line specialist Reifenhäuser Reicofil presented its portfolio of high-performance and sustainable nonwovens under the slogan "Living Nonwovens" at IDEA 22 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Florida from March 28 to 31, 2022.

In terms of sustainability, Reicofil offers various approaches to save fossil raw materials, such as the processing of bio-based raw materials as an ecological alternative - for diapers, for example. Here, the topsheet material, made of bulky, soft, and industrially compostable High Loft nonwovens, meets maximum hygiene requirements. For industrial applications, high-strength nonwovens can be processed even from up to 90% PET flakes from post-consumer waste.

Another highlight was the so-called BiCo technology. In this process, two different raw materials are combined in one fiber in the spunbond process, creating a bimetal effect and causing the fiber to crimp. This opens the door for manufacturers to completely new product properties that are unattainable with monofibers.

Nonwoven-film composites with low grammage
For the medical sector, Reicofil showcased its leading solutions for high-barrier medical protective clothing and - together with its sister business unit Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating - the pioneering Ultrathin Coating production process, which enables customers to produce film-nonwoven-composites more cost-effectively and thus competitively.

Smart digitization
With the c.Hub, the new data platform of the Reifenhäuser Group, Reicofil offers its customers a digitization solution that is tailored to the requirements of nonwovens production.

The JEC Composites Startup Booster rewards innovations with a great potential market impact and promote them to an influential audience of decision-makers. In 5 years, it became a reference for entrepreneurship in the composites industry worldwide, shining a light, each year, on 20 finalists from all over the world, giving them the opportunity to pitch their project on JEC World’ stage before a panel of expert judges.

The competition has been organized in three different regions (Europe, USA and Asia) and has already fostered the emergence of 600+ innovative projects from 50+ countries, 80 finalists and 30 winners, including Arevo, Continuous Composites, ComPair, Fortify and Vartega.

Five former winners or finalists share their experience in a series of interviews available on JEC Web TV.

SmartERZ wird bis Ende 2025 weiter durch das Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) gefördert. Mit einer Fördersumme von 6 Mio. EUR startet das Bündnis mit seinen Partnern, den laufenden Vorhaben und den neu eingereichten Projekten in die zweite Phase der Umsetzung.

Die Vorbereitungen für die zweite Förderphase des WIR!-Bündnisses „SmartERZ: Smart Composites Erzgebirge“ starteten im Juli 2021 mit dem Aufruf an alle 197 Bündnispartner (Stand: 01/2022) zur Einreichung von Onepagern. 22 dieser einseitigen Projektskizzen gingen insgesamt bis Ende August 2021 beim Verbundkoordinator Wirtschaftsförderung Erzgebirge GmbH (WFE) ein. Abgebildet wurden darin innovative Ideen und Projekte in den Bereichen Technologieentwicklung (z. B. Oberflächenfunktionalisierung), der Entwicklung von Applikationen (z. B. in den Bereichen Automotive und Bauwesen) sowie Innovationen bei der Organisations-, Fachkräfte- und Regionalentwicklung. Nach der Begutachtung durch den SmartERZ-Beirat wurden 13 innovative Projektideen für die Abgabe von vollständigen Projektskizzen ausgewählt. Diese ergänzen die Strategie des Bündnisses SmartERZ. Mit zahlreichen Partnern aus Wirtschaft, Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft soll das Erzgebirge durch Innovationen im Maschinenbau, der Elektrotechnik, Kunststoffverarbeitung, Oberflächentechnik und Textiltechnik zu einem zukunftsfähigen Wirtschaftsstandort entwickelt werden. Ziel ist die Transformation der Region Erzgebirge zu einem führenden Hightech-Standort für neuartige, funktionalisierte Verbundwerkstoffe, sogenannte Smart Composites. Diese Materialien haben ein großes Innovations- und Wachstumspotential. Sie gelten als Schlüsseltechnologie und ermöglichen langfristig eine hohe regionale Wertschöpfung.

Im Ergebnis der Forschungs- und Entwicklungsprojekte entstehen funktionalisierte Textilien, die mit Sensoren, Aktoren oder Leiterbahnen ausgestattet werden, um beispielsweise Körperfunktionen oder Transportschäden messen und melden zu können, oder funktionalisierte Matrizen, z. B. Formgedächtnispolymere, deren Form nach vorheriger „Programmierung“ thermoreversibel geändert werden kann, oder funktionalisierte Oberflächen mit Selbstheilungseigenschaften bzw. optischen und haptischen Effekten. Darauf aufbauend können funktionsintegrierte Leichtbauelemente (auch: Adaptronikleichtbau), wie Kunststoffräder mit erweiterten Funktionen, z. B. elektrische Radnabenmotoren, entwickelt werden.

Auf Basis des im Oktober 2021 beim Projektträger Jülich (PtJ) eingereichten Konzepts, der Präsentation am 25. Januar 2022 beim BMBF und der anschließenden Diskussion wurden der bisherige Fortschritt, die weitere Planung für die Umsetzungsphase und die Aussichten für eine Verstetigung des Bündnisses von der Expertenjury positiv mit folgendem Statement bewertet. „Das Bündnis ist wirtschaftsgetrieben und stark regional verwurzelt, was eine hohe Anwendungsorientierung und spätere Verwertbarkeit der Ergebnisse sowie konkrete Effekte in der Region erwarten lässt.“ In den kommenden Wochen wird sich der SmartERZ-Beirat erneut beraten, um die endgültige Entscheidung zu den eingereichten Projektskizzen zu treffen. Der Start in die zweite Förderphase, die konkrete Planung mit Timeline und das gemeinsame Ziel bis 2025hat die WFE bereits fest im Blick. Um auch die Bündnispartner und interessierte Unternehmen aus Wirtschaft und Wissenschaft mit einzubeziehen, gibt das SmartERZ-Managementteam am 7. April 2022 in der Online-Veranstaltung SmartCONNECT ein Update zu Neuerungen, Zeitplan und geplanten Projekten.

Als einwohnerstärkster Landkreis Ostdeutschlands hat das Erzgebirge eine solide Entwicklungsbasis. Mit der zweithöchsten Industrie- und Handwerkerdichte in Sachsen ist die Region in zahlreichen B2B-Zulieferketten etabliert und kann eine ausgeprägte Branchenvielfalt vorweisen. Auch die Arbeitslosenquote ist im Erzgebirge eine der niedrigsten in ganz Deutschland mit einem Höchststand an sozialversicherungspflichtigen Arbeitnehmern. Dem gegenüber stehen kleinteilige Firmenstrukturen mit geringer Produktivität, die Abhängigkeit vom Metall-Automotive-Sektor mit geringen Margen in Transformation und das niedrigste Lohnniveau auf Basis des Medianentgeltes. Hier setzt SmartERZ an: Das Netzwerk verbindet kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen und bezieht auch aktuelle Forschungsprojekte ein, so dass sich Kooperationen finden und die Innovationskraft der Region durch Wissenstransfer und Zusammenarbeit voll ausgeschöpft werden kann. Unter den 197 Bündnispartnern befinden sich 152 Wirtschaftsunternehmen, 30 wissenschaftliche und 15 gesellschaftliche Einrichtungen, die gemeinsam aktiv werden können. Der Fokus auf Smarte Composite verhilft dem Erzgebirge und der geballten Technologiekompetenz der ansässigen Unternehmen zu einer überregionalen Sichtbarkeit, was wiederum zu Aufträgen mit größerem Volumen beitragen soll. Basierend auf dieser erwünschten Entwicklung können Fachkräfte gehalten und neue Stellen zu besseren Konditionen geschaffen werden.

Die digitale Innovationsplattform innovERZ.hub wurde im Hinblick auf die projektübergreifende Innovationsentwicklung im Erzgebirge, den vorbereitenden Austausch und weitere Kooperationsvorhaben im November 2020 von der WFE ins Leben gerufen. Wirtschaftsunternehmen, öffentliche Institutionen und wissenschaftliche Einrichtungen können hier online Kooperations-, Umsetzungs- und Fertigungspartner suchen und finden.

Shawmut Corporation hosted Deputy United States Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi at the company’s headquarters and state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in West Bridgewater, Mass., as part of the ambassador’s inaugural visit to textile manufacturing facilities in the New England area.

Ambassador Bianchi’s visit comes at a pivotal time for the U.S. textile supply chain, which produced $64 billion in output in 2020 and employed nearly 530,000 workers. Shawmut Corporation is part of the broader U.S. textile industry that has been at the forefront of a domestic production chain that has collectively manufactured over one billion personal protective equipment (PPE) items during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ambassador’s visit to Shawmut included a tour of the company’s manufacturing facility and a roundtable discussion highlighting the critical need for policies supporting a domestic supply chain and the innovative nature of the modern textile industry and its important contribution to the U.S. economy. Shawmut, a fourth-generation, family-run global advanced materials and textile manufacturer, is a global leader in automotive textile composites, innovative technical fabrics and custom laminating services, employing more than 700 employees worldwide with 10 global manufacturing plants and seven commercial offices. The company has also contributed greatly to U.S. PPE efforts, investing $20 million in a new state-of-the-art facility, which can produce up to 180 million NIOSH-approved N95 respirators and other PPE annually and created hundreds of new local jobs.

Ambassador Bianchi said, “Today’s tour of Shawmut’s manufacturing facilities and the roundtable discussion with textile industry executives was an invaluable opportunity for me to see innovative U.S. textile manufacturing first-hand, to learn more about the challenges that U.S. textile manufacturing faces, and to explore ways in which the Administration and industry can cooperate to support a worker-centric trade policy.”

During the visit, U.S. textile executives spanning the fiber, yarn, fabric, and finished product textile and apparel industries participated in a roundtable with the ambassador at which they discussed the innovative achievements and competitiveness of the domestic industry and outlined priority issues in Washington, such as the importance of Buy American and Berry Amendment government procurement policies, maintaining strong rules of origins in free trade agreements and the need to address larger systemic trade issues with China.

Première Vision - Each year, since its creation more than 20 years ago, the JEC Composites Innovation Awards celebrate successful projects and cooperation between players of the composite industry.
The competition has especially shined a light on some 203 companies and 499 partners, awarding them for the excellence of their composite innovations.

After pre-selection of the finalists, one winner is selected in each category:

• Aerospace – Application
• Aerospace – Process
• Automotive & road transportation – surface
• Automotive & road transportation – structural
• Building & Civil Engineering
• Design, Furniture & Home
• Equipment & Machinery
• Maritime Transportation & Shipbuilding
• Sports, Leisure & Recreation
• Renewable Energy

The international jury representing the entire composites value chain includes:

• Michel COGNET, Chairman of the Board, JEC Group
• Christophe BINETRUY, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, EC Nantes
• Kiyoshi UZAWA, Professor/Director, Innovative Composite Center, Kanazawa Institute of Technology
• Jiming Sung HA, Professor, Hanyang University
• Brian KRULL, Global Director of Innovation, Magna Exteriors Inc
• Karl-Heinz FULLER, Manager Future Outside Materials, Mercedes Benz AG
• Deniz KORKMAZ, CTO, Kordsa Teknik Tekstil AS
• Henry SHIN, Head of Center, K-CARBON
• Véronique MICHAUD, Associate Professor/ Director, EPFL – Laboratory for Processing of Advanced Composites
• Alan BANKS, Lightweight Innovations Manager, Ford Motor Company
• Enzo CRESCENTI, Technical Authority and Composite Expert, Airbus

Discover the finalists in each category here.

After thorough consultation with the exhibitors and partners of the event, JEC Group has decided to postpone the 2022 edition of JEC World. The world’s leading composites event will now take place from May 3rd to 5th, 2022, at the same venue Paris Nord Villepinte, as well as online via the JEC World Connect digital platform.

JEC World gathers the whole value chain of the composite materials industry in Paris, France every year and is “the place to be” for composites professionals from all over the world. The event brings together not only all major global companies, but also innovative startups in the field of composites and advanced materials, experts, academics, scientists, and R&D leaders. JEC World is also the “festival of composites”, offering a unique showcase of what composites can offer to various application sectors, from aerospace to marine, from construction to automotive, and an unlimited source of inspiration for participants from these industries.

“We are fully dedicated to supporting the composites industry and to fostering its development via our events and media activities. Exhibitors and partners are strongly supporting JEC World, their leading event and want to meet in person in 2022 to activate business, share knowledge and highlight innovations. Postponing from March to May is a way to offer improved conditions to satisfy the industry requirements for such a trade fair as JEC World”, says Eric Pierrejean, CEO of JEC Group.

The JEC World team has decided to postpone the event after conducting a survey of its exhibitors and partners, confirming that a large majority is in favour of the new dates in May. As already planned, for three days, the event will offer for the first time a digital platform, JEC World Connect, in parallel to the in-person event in Paris for an augmented digital experience. Even after the show, via the JEC Web TV, unique content will be available to extend the reach of the event.

“Our main concern is to create the best possible conditions for our participants for successful networking, inspiration and business success. With a postponement of eight weeks we can enable this and offer to the industry the event it deserves. Taking the decision now, after consultation of all exhibitors, was necessary to give them planning and preparation visibility,” adds Thomas Lepretre, VP Events, Sales and Operations.

Strict protective measures will make the industry meeting possible at the International Conference on Cellulose Fibres in Cologne on February 2 and 3, 2022. The latest innovations will be shocased: from hygiene and textiles to non-wovens and carbon fibre alternatives to lightweight construction applications. Online participation is also possible.

Cellulose fibres show an increasingly expanding wide range of applications, while at the same time markets are driven by technological developments and political framework conditions, especially bans and restrictions on plastics and increasing sustainability requirements. The conference provides rich information on opportunities for cellulose fibres through policy assessment, a session on sustainability, recycling and alternative feedstocks as well as latest development in pulp, cellulose fibres and yarns. This includes application such as non-wovens, packaging and composites.

Live at the conference, host nova-Institute and sponsor GIG Karasek GmbH will grand the “Cellulose Fibre Innovation of the Year” award to one of six highly interesting products, ranging from cellulose made of orange and wood pulp to a novel technology for cellulose fibre production. The presentations, election of the winner by the conference audience and the award ceremony will take place on the first day of the conference.

The conference sessions reflect the current topics of industry and research. “Strategies and Market Trends” provides an overview of the rapid development of cellulose fibres and their technological progress across the fibre market. An analysis of the key cost components of these fibres to benchmark against current cost levels will highlight future opportunities and challenges for novel textile fibres. The session will conclude with an overview of the industry's recent strategies to defossilize the fibre market.

The session “New Opportunities for Cellulose Fibres in Replacing Plastics”, focusses on questions such as: “What impact does the ban on plastics in single-use products have on the industry?” and “What are the latest regulatory issues and policy opportunities for cellulose fibres?”. This part of the conference presents new opportunities for the replacement of fossil-based insulating materials with cellulose-based technologies suitable for use in a variety of applications, from aerospace to mobility and construction.
Institutefor Ecology and Innovation

“Sustainability and Circular Economy” highlights crucial issues with regard to the overall goal of keeping the environmental impact of cellulose fibres low. A core theme of the session is the responsible use of wood and forests. With this objective, the five speakers discuss the importance of circular concepts for cellulose feedstocks. Exciting insights into the important “Hot Button Report” are offered by Canopy. The “Hot Button” report enables the producers of cellulose fibres to better understand the impact their raw materials have on forests and the climate development worldwide.

The full conference programme is available at www.cellulose-fibres.eu/program.

• JEC Group announces theme for JEC World 2022 and reaffirms global leadership in composites innovation, business and networking

JEC World, the leading global trade show dedicated to composite materials, their manufacturing technologies and application markets, will take place in Paris from March 8-10, 2022, under the theme Composites for a Sustainable World. JEC World 2022 will be the industry’s most awaited international face to face event after the long pandemic period. Exhibition space is already 98% booked, a clear demonstration of the industry’s commitment to meet and resume business. Those unable to join in person will be able to experience the show via the JEC World Connect digital platform.

“We are looking forward to welcoming our exhibitors, partners and visitors back to Paris to resume business and promote innovation,” comments Thomas Lepretre, VP Events, Sales and Operations of JEC Group. “JEC World will bring the composites industry together to showcase the sustainability benefits of composite materials to a global audience, and to provide a stimulating meeting-place for the industry to pursue its sustainability ambitions by exchanging knowledge, forging collaborations, and imagining new concepts to protect our environment.”

• JEC World a unique get-together on sustainability throughout the product lifecycle
• JEC World a real composites “think tank”
• JEC World 2022 will demonstrate how sustainable thinking is at the heart of the innovative designs, technologies and business models driving the development of the next generation of composites applications.

Four conferences will be held over the three days, focusing on:

• Sustainability of Raw Materials for Composites: Fueling the Circular Revolution
• Rethinking Composite Materials Production: The Path to Sustainable Manufacturing
• Design for Circular Composite Products: Turning Waste, Recycling & Reuse into Opportunities
• Applications of Composite Materials for Circularity: Towards a Net-Zero World

Innovation is in JEC World’s DNA
One of JEC World’s objective’s is to promote the composites sector’s most innovative projects. More than 600 product launches are expected to be announced over the three days of the show, which will also feature JEC’s high-regarded innovation challenges and awards ceremonies :

• The JEC Composites Innovation Awards celebrate innovative global composite projects, as well as fruitful collaborations between different players in the value chain. Over more than 15 years, the JEC Composites Innovation Awards have highlighted collaborations between some 1,900 companies and recognized 203 creative projects. The winners will be announced on March 7th during a dedicated ceremony and their successful technologies will be on display throughout the show.

• The JEC Composites Startup Booster is the leading startup competition in the world of composites. In 2022, this competition will celebrate its fifth anniversary, with a special event to be organized onsite and the launch of a new “sustainability” award. And, with 20 finalists for 2022, it will recognize innovations with the greatest potential market impact and promote them to an influential audience of decision-makers. The finalists’ innovations will be displayed at JEC World’s “Startup Village.”

• For the first time, JEC World will host the 3rd edition of the SMC BMC Design Award organized by the European Alliance for SMC BMC. This international competition recognizes and promotes design excellence in the use of SMC and BMC materials. The theme of this edition is Sustainable Living, and the award is opento design students and young design professionals (less than 3 years of experience) living in Europe.

JEC Forum DACH will open its doors from November 23 – 24, 2021, the promise of a two-days gathering around business meetings and conferences. JEC Forum DACH will offer actors of the composites profession in the region the opportunity to exchange and learn about current and future developments of the industry through a rich program of conferences, the JEC Composites Startup Booster, and the AVK Innovation Awards. It also includes pre-arranged Business Meetings between sponsors and attendees as well as sponsors’ workshops.

CONFERENCES, KEYNOTES, AND MARKET OVERVIEW
JEC Forum DACH will feature cutting-edge live conferences with experts from the industry as well as
exclusive keynotes organized by the AVK.

MEETINGS PROGRAM
In  order  to  help  the  sponsors  to  save  time  and  establish  connections  with  real-interest business partners, JEC Group has developed a Business Meetings program: an efficient facilitator to connect precise needs to corresponding offers. These one-to-one meetings will be held on the sponsors’ booths during the two days of the event.

FEATURED SPONSORS’ WORKSHOPS
JEC Forum DACH will host 9 sponsors’ workshops during the two days: CMS SPA, Elantas Europe S.r.l., Kisling AG, Kroenert GmbH & Co KG, Maschinenfabrik Herbert MEYER GmbH, Netzsch Process Intelligence GmbH and Schwarzpunkt (part of Helvoet Group), Saertex GmbH & Co KG and SVT, Trima Spol Sro and Walter Mäder AG will present their know-how and technology during 30 minutes’ presentations in front of the attendees as well as in livestreaming.

FOSTERING ENTREPRENEURSHIP WITH THE JEC COMPOSITES STARTUP BOOSTER
JEC Composites Startup Booster is the leading startup competition in the world of composites.
It enables the community to find and assess innovations with a potential impact on their respective industries. The competition will be held at JEC Forum DACH for the first time with the pitches’ session on November 23rd at 2:15pm followed by the Awards ceremony at 6:15 pm.
The finalists are: ANYBRID (Germany), CARBON CLEANUP (Austria), CARBON-DRIVE (Germany), FIBRECOAT (Germany), and TOUCH SENSITY (France).

CELEBRATING INNOVATION WITH THE AVK INNOVATION AWARDS
This year at JEC Forum DACH, JEC Group and AVK will co-organize the AVK Innovation Award.
One of the goals of the AVK Innovation Awards is to give prominence to the innovations and the companies/institutions behind them, thus publicizing their performance throughout the industry. These awards will celebrate innovations in fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) / composites during the Awards ceremony on Tuesday 23rd, at 6:15pm.

Full program and speakers list here.