#Composites

2019-09-19

COMPOSITES EUROPE generates momentum in a difficult market environment

Light and darkness are close together in the composites industry right now. This overall economic climate left its marks on COMPOSITES EUROPE, too – positively and negatively. The leading trade fair in the DACH region (the German-speaking countries) for fibre-reinforced plastics – sold mainly to customers in the automotive, aerospace, and plant and mechanical engineering industries – suffered from lower demand from both exhibitors and visitors this year.

In total, organiser Reed Exhibitions registered 310 exhibitors (prior year: 354) and 7,581 visitors (prior year: 8,148) from 64 countries, a decrease of seven per cent.

Two industries – both key buyers of glass-fibre reinforced plastics (GFRP) – created most of the trade fair’s challenges: the automotive industry, which suffers massively from declining sales and fears trade barriers, and the plant and mechanical engineering sector, where the current economy has similarly depressed the numbers and the mood. Positive signals, meanwhile, are coming from aerospace and increasing demand in the booming construction sector.

“Trade fairs are seismographs of their industries – this is true as well for COMPOSITES EUROPE, which in an economically heterogeneous environment showed its importance for bringing new ideas and innovations to market”, says Michael Freter, managing director of Reed Exhibitions Deutschland GmbH..

European GFRP market stagnates

The same conclusion is reflected in the market report presented in Stuttgart by AVK – Federation of Reinforced Plastics e.V. After years of growth, it found, the market for glass-fibre reinforced plastics in Europe has stagnated in 2019. Total production volume in 2019 is on track to remain flat compared to the prior year, at 1.141 million metric tonnes.

Construction/infrastructure and the transport sector still are the two main application areas for GFRP. The current sales crisis in the automotive sector, which responds more quickly than the construction industry, shows up directly in the market developments expected by the GFRP industry. “Due to market shifts, the future market prospects of the construction/infrastructure sector must be seen for the first time as greater than those of the transport sector”, says Dr. Elmar Witten, managing director of AVK.

„Process live“ shows progress in the process chain

A special focus of this year’s COMPOSITES EUROPE was on the digital process chain. Joining forces in group exhibits in the “Process live” area, mechanical and plant engineering companies showed how their technologies interact – and they did so while operations were ongoing in order to demonstrate the individual processes in a larger context. Three exhibitors had participated in the debut of the area last year – this year there already were 16 companies.

LTF – The interface between metal and fibre-reinforced composite technologies

One of the overarching emerging themes that’s captured the attention of the entire composites industry and virtually all user industries is multi-material solutions. Once again this year, the Lightweight Technologies Forum at COMPOSITES EUROPE showed how lightweight multi-material engineering can be implemented in an economic and resource-efficient way – in the automotive industry, aerospace and mechanical engineering. “In the lightweight construction landscape, COMPOSITES EUROPE and the Lightweight Technologies Forum serve as an important interface for metal and fibre-reinforced composite technologies”, says German Economics Minister Peter Altmaier, underscoring the significance of the forum.

5th International Composites Conference (ICC)

Organized by AVK on behalf of Composites Germany, the International Composites Conference (ICC) took place concurrently with COMPOSITES EUROPE for the first time. The trade fair and the conference converged thematically, too. One example were the themed guided tours of the exhibition area that complemented the conference presentations. “Bringing together the conference programme and the trade fair is an important step in our quest to align the event even more strongly with the current challenges faced by processors and the user industries of fibre-reinforced plastics”, says Dr. Elmar Witten.

Up next, the 15th COMPOSITES EUROPE will take place in Stuttgart from 10 to 12 November 2020. To celebrate this little anniversary, Reed Exhibitors are already exploring innovative ways of working with partners and exhibitors to stage the trends of the future and generate business.

DYNEEMA® and NP Aerospace advance personal protection for military servicewomen

Dyneema®, owned by Avient Corporation, an innovator of materials solutions, is supplying its high-performance unidirectional (UD) materials to world-leading armor manufacturer NP Aerospace, enabling the production of armor systems designed specifically to fit the female body. With 2,000 new armor systems, including 4,000 plates, made in the United Kingdom (UK) and delivered in June 2026, this collaboration addresses a long-standing lack of high-quality personal protection specially built for female defense and security personnel.

JEC World 2026 confirms its standing as the unmissable event for composites and their applications

JEC World 2026 confirms its position as the leading global event for the composite materials industry and its applications across multiple sectors, bringing together the entire composites ecosystem in Paris for three days of business, innovation, and collaboration. True to its Pushing the Limits motto, the 2026 edition delivered outstanding results despite travel disruptions worldwide. The numbers speak for themselves: more than 1,400 exhibitors from over 50 countries, including over 150 first-timers, presented a global panorama of products, equipment, and services across the entire composites value chain.

KARL MAYER strengthens partnerships in the composites industry at JEC World 2026

KARL MAYER further strengthened its role as a reliable and competent partner to the composites industry at JEC World 2026. The global market leader in textile machinery manufacturing used the trade show to meet key customers, establish numerous new contacts, and engage in in-depth technical discussions.

Kordsa showcases its global expertise in material technologies at JEC World 2026

Kordsa, a subsidiary of Sabancı Holding, shared its global expertise in material technologies with participants at JEC World 2026, held in Paris. The company’s solutions developed for a wide range of industries—particularly aviation, energy, and automotive—stood out among its key innovations at the exhibition. Throughout the event, Kordsa also presented its vision for sustainable growth and its strategic transformation in composite technologies to international stakeholders.

New spinning package with two-step filtration for recycled yarns and more

At the ITM in Istanbul, BB Engineering unveiled its new, patented ValuePack spinning package for the first time, which features a two-stage filtration system. This is particularly beneficial for re-cycling processes. Until now, spinning packs have used either metal powder (“sand”) or filter candles as filter media. Both options are suitable for differ-ent applications, and each has its own specific advantages and dis-advantages.

ITMA 2027 gains strong momentum

In line with the theme "Co-creating the future of textiles", ITMA continues to strengthen its support for start-ups, recognising their role in driving innovation and shaping the future of textile and garment manufacturing. Through the Start-Up Valley, emerging companies gain access to a global marketplace where they can connect with industry leaders, potential partners, investors and customers.

Mongolia: Workshop on Italian textile technologies kicks off in Ulaanbaatar

The workshop dedicated to Italian textile technologies will kick off in Ulaanbaatar from 21 to 23 June 2026. Focused on the most advanced innovative solutions for the textile industry, the initiative will bring together 13 Italian textile machinery manufacturers, confirming the growing interest in strengthening industrial cooperation between the two countries and highlighting Mongolia’s strategic importance for Italian textile machinery producers.