JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #77 - December 2012 - 12

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JEC Americas 2012:
An inaugural session beyond expectations
After three days of Composites networking and Knowledge sharing, the first JEC Americas Composites Show and Conferences closed its doors last November 9 on an excellent note.
for its lightweight concept, main body material mix, carbon composite & joining technology, front crash energy absorption, etc. During the Ceremony, Professor Brian L. Wardle, associate Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Director of Nano-Engineered Composite aerospace Consortium, performed a remarkable speech about ‘the MIT and the Boston Region’s contributions to Innovation in Composites – Focus on Nanomaterials”. The Innovation Showcase displayed a dozen of innovative composites parts, 65% of them from North America. Aero Structural parts, Wing sections, Cars, Building technologies, Sports & leisure, Bicycles …many sectors were represented to every attendees pleasure. The live Demo Zone “Automation”, in partnership with Roctool, Tencate and Wabash, was also the meeting point of the visitors eager to find new reinforced thermoplastic technologies and experience Live Heat & Cool Process. This constitutes a major innovation, since it allows creating a low-cost part within a time cycle of about 2 minutes 30 seconds. Tablets covers were produced and offered to the participants. The Technical University of Munich and the University of Stuttgart presented an integrated process chain for high volume production of carbon composite parts through posters and video presentations.

ccording to interviewed exhibitors and visitors, the show was highly beneficial to their development in the Americas, not only by the quality of the Innovative content, but also by its variety of stakeholders representing the whole Composites value chain from Raw Materials producers to End-user companies. The colocation with the Industrial Fabric Association International (IFAI) expo turned out very well, since visitors from both shows could benefit from a wide offer covering the Composites Industry and the Industrial textiles sector. Indeed, 306 participating companies at JEC Americas welcomed more than 10,000 visitors (JEC + IFAI) from 53 countries, confirming the interest of the International Composites Industry in the American market worth $ 34 billion of revenue out of $ 77 billion worldwide in 2011.

Innovation in the limelight
As one of JEC’s motto, Innovation was the center of discussions and exchanges during JEC Americas 2012. JEC President and CEO Frédérique Mutel explains: “The Americas promote a culture of innovation. Composites professionnals open new ways with passion. For example, wind energy was a remarkable outlet in the last decade in North America.” The Opening and Innovation Awards Ceremony, presented by Gene Lavanchy, awarded nine companies. A “Special Prize” was awarded to Toyota and its Lexus LFA

JEC Americas Innovation Awards Winners pictured here with Ms. Frédérique Mutel (left of center), JEC’s President and CEO, together with M. Gene Lavanchy, lead anchor for Boston FOX25 Morning News (far right).

12 jec composites magazine / No77 December 2012

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #77 - December 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #77 - December 2012