The 2017 edition of Composites Europe in Stuttgart welcomed 8.342 visitors, more than 40% coming from outside Germany, representing a total of 63 nations. Along with 406 exhibitors from 28 Countries, covering the entire manufacturing process from raw materials to semi-finished goods to finishes components, the fair showcased the strong moment for the fibre composites industry in Europe, with leading sectors such as automotive engineering, aerospace and construction being the main drivers propelling the market.
Production quantities of glass-fibre reinforced plastics (GFRP), which represent 95% of the whole market, increased last year by 2%, and by 3% in Germany, while 1,12 million metric tonnes were produced in 2017, according to the current report by the German federation of reinforced plastics AVK. Very well welcomed was the decision to definitely move the fair to Stuttgart, where the proximity to the automotive industry and aerospace sector will represents a further driver for the future growth of the event.
During the fair, the Lightweight Technologies Forum presented the market study ‘Lightweight construction as innovation driver’, focusing on the combination of light weight, stability, corrosion resistance and reduced maintenance offered by fibre composites. In particular, the AVK and the industry association Composites Germany indicates lightweight construction as specially important for the international competitiveness of German industry, also pointing out that benefits of fibre composites are most impactful in multi-material lightweight construction, because the demands of modern lightweight construction can no longer be met by a single material.
Composites Europe will be back in Stuttgart from 6 to 8 November 2018.