JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #111 - March 2017 - Special JEC World - o - 3

EDlTORlAL

Composites, a niche sector
or a full-fledged industry?

54th year

President and CEO/Publisher:

Frédérique Mutel - mutel@jeccomposites.com

Editor-in-chief & Media director:
Frédéric Reux - reux@jeccomposites.com

Senior editor:

By

Stéphanie Viallefond - viallefond@jeccomposites.com
Franck Glowacz - glowacz@jeccomposites.com

Writer & Conference manager:

Cécile Lagoutte - lagoutte@jeccomposites.com

Contributor:

Marie-Hélène Corbin - corbin@jeccomposites.com

Deputy-editor & Graphic designer:
Antoine Morel - morel@jeccomposites.com

Graphic designer:

Candice Herbreteau - herbreteau@jeccomposites.com

Development Director:

Anne-Carole Barbarin - barbarin@jeccomposites.com

Marketing Director:
Sandrine Dumarquez - presse@jeccomposites.com

Technical & Business manager:
Thierry Saint-Martin - saintmartin@jeccomposites.com
Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 73

Technical & Business developer:
Kim-Oanh Truong - kim@jeccomposites.com
Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 74

Mediakit: www.jeccomposites.com/Mediakit
Subscriptions:
www.jeccomposites.com/magazine-subscription/

Printing: Chirat, Saint-Just-la-Pendue (42), France
Legal registration: ISSN 1639-965X
Dépôt légal : 2eme trimestre 2017

Photos & illustrations:
All right reserved, unless mentionned.

251, Bd Pereire
75117 Paris - France
Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 00
Fax: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 14
www.jeccomposites.com

JEC Composites Magazine is published by JEC.
The reproduction, even partial, of articles and illustrations
is forbidden, unless prior permission is obtained from JEC
Composites Magazine. The management of JEC Composites
Magazine reserves the right to refuse advertising.

Total Average
Qualified Circulation:

38,239 copies
BPA December statement 2016.
Print circulation of 23,203 and
electronic circulation of 15,036.

"

Frédérique Mutel

JEC President & CEO

Since their emergence in the midtwentieth century, polymer composites
have gradually gained ground to make
their way into nearly all industrial
sectors. It is a fact that today's world
is in pursuit of strength, low weight,
shapes, textures, easy maintenance and
energy efficiency. The global market for
composites is now worth 74 billion euros
and has been growing at around 5% per
year for several decades. In 2017, global
production of composites will amount
to a bit more than 11 million metric tons
(MT). If you compare with the other
materials, however - 4 billion MT of
concrete, 1.5 billion MT of steel, 300
million MT of plastics and 50 million
MT of aluminium - the market share for
composites is much smaller. Composites
are still generally looked on as a niche
sector.
Current trends do point to a promising
future, of course. New, better formulated
resins and increasingly high-performance
fibres, ingenious technologies, automation, robotics, mass production,
and even additive manufacturing are
anticipated. The market for composites
was previously characterized by custom
applications and single parts (often
prototypes) made by craft industries.
It is now in the process of being
industrialized, with the production of
large series. But it takes time, and we are
still waiting for composites to catch on in
some sectors.
Let's ask ourselves, what can be observed
in the end market? Are users speculating
much about composites? The answer
is no. Users do not know much about
No111 March 2017 /

composites. They are even not fully
aware of them, and are unable to imagine
everything composites could contribute
to their quest for solutions.
The composite industry can improve
on the way it presents itself to the end
market, and owes it to itself to become
more visible. It needs to open up more to
end customers. JEC Group has created
the tools for effective communication,
and is helping composite manufacturers
to better understand the different target
markets. JEC's teams are studying these
new realms of use, which have their
individual ways of thinking and their own
methods and vocabulary. JEC Group
wants to focus on professionals like
designers, creators, architects, and auto,
aircraft and boat builders. At JEC, our
activities are organized to meet the goal
of bringing composite manufacturers
and users together for dialogue. For
example, at JEC World 2017, the Planet
areas will illustrate the requirements
in each user realm. In these huge areas,
each dedicated to a specific market,
we create the conditions for meetings
between composite professionals and
the principals to help give them a better
grasp of what composites can accomplish
in each realm.

"

Technical editor:

We believe there is a need to make an
all-out effort to reach users and increase
their knowledge on composite solutions.
This will accelerate the growth of the
market. We also want to help build an
environment-friendly, resilient and
sustainable world by endeavouring to
promote composite materials more
effectively.

jec composites magazine

3
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #111 - March 2017 - Special JEC World - o
