From the Sector

Successful SMCCreate 2023 Design Conference in Prague

With over 60 participants from Europe and the USA the second edition of the SMCCreate Design Conference took place from November 7th to 8th in Prague. The conference was jointly organized by the AVK – Federation of Reinforced Plastics and the European Alliance for SMC BMC, promoting the use of SMC and providing design tools to designers for applying these versatile materials.

During the SMCCreate 2023 conference topics covered the wide spectrum of the design with fiber composite/composite components in SMC and BMC technology, from conceptual design, development, and scale-up, with a special emphasis on recycling and sustainability solutions. 18 speakers from various European countries showed how they address important market trends and changing customer needs, and which solutions their companies offered in terms of materials, performance and much more.

As an introduction, speakers - including CTC/Airbus and Teijin - presented different possible applications for SMC and BMC components, including aircraft interiors, bicycle boxes, and applications in e-mobility. The topic of sustainability was broadly covered, highlighting recycling solutions and experiences (Siemens, IDI, OC, AOC), the use of renewable raw materials, as well new LCA models developed by the SMC BMC Alliance (LCS),

Specifically for designers, the use of the SMC flow and curing modelling was presented (ESI, OC), SMC positioning vs. aluminium (Spartners). The second day concluded with contributions on process optimization options for component production, including speeches by Dieffenbacher, Netzsch and EBG.

The European textile and apparel industry welcomes the organisation of the EU-US Summit in Brussels, and hopes that political leaders will launch a new era of closer cooperation across the Atlantic. Both the Covid19 pandemic and recent geopolitical tensions call for global solutions; the EU and the US should take a leadership role in developing that new global framework.

EU-US trade in textiles and apparel have dropped by nearly 20% in 2020 (just under €6 bln), while imports from other countries, in particular China, have increased spectacularly (+45% into the EU). At the same time, global supply chains came under pressure, and access to certain raw materials for the industry became difficult and costly.

Against this background, EURATEX does not call for protectionism, but a better functioning of global supply chains, with common rules which are applied by all. The EU and US authorities should put their full influence to establish a level playing field for our industry across the globe, promoting environmental and social standards. Sustainable and circular textiles should become the norm, thus contributing to a greener planet and creating high quality jobs.  

At bilateral level, the EU and US should resume their work on mutual recognition of standards and certification procedures, thus saving considerable costs for our companies while maintaining the highest safety standards. Custom procedures can be simplified on both sides, and joint research, e.g. in smart textiles, should be promoted.

EURATEX welcomes the recent progress in provisionally eliminating additional duties on several American and European products due to the Airbus-Boeing trade dispute. It is a very positive sign that EURATEX would like to highlight in a particularly difficult context for the textile and clothing industry at European, American and even global levels. EURATEX calls on both US and EU institutions to eliminate such duties permanently and build on a common positive agenda for the benefit of EU and US companies and consumers.

EURATEX Director General Dirk Vantyghem commented: "Both the EU and US are developing a new business model for their industry. We should make sure these models can complement and reinforce each other. If not, we risk losing global leadership, not just in terms of market share but also in terms of values and standards."