Successful business meetings opportunities at JEC Forum DACH 2023

JEC Forum DACH 2023 gathered the local composites community for the first time in Salzburg, Austria. Appointement was settled for any supplier or buyer willing to make new connections or strenghen existing ones at Imlauer Pitter hotel, along with an extensive program of conferences and two awards ceremonies.

Three years ago, JEC Forum DACH was launched by JEC in partnership with AVK with a major goal to support the bustling composites industry of the DACH region. The event aimed to be rotating to different cities in Germany, Switzerland and Austria every year: after Frankfurt and Augsburg, it is in Salzburg that this third edition settled, a city surrounded by a dynamic composite industry that is continuously innovating and pushing boundaries.

“Inspiration, innovation, and connections were at the heart of JEC Forum DACH 2023. This event has once again proven that when the composites community of the DACH region comes together, remarkable things happen. We’re proud to have provided a platform for new collaborations and celebrated excellence in the industry. The future of composites in DACH looks brighter than ever”

Anne-Carole Barbarin, regional Events Director, JEC

Brilliant networking opportunities

To optimize company’s participations, JEC Forum DACH offered a customized program to match attendees needs and schedule meetings during the two days.
Attending suppliers and buyers undoubtly made the most as more than 870 business meetings took place during the two days of the Forum wether at the booths, during lunches or at the evening networking event that was held at Stiegl Keller, Salzburg.
Many global companies joined the program: Airtech, AZL, BMW, Chomarat, FK Group, Magna, Persico, Saertex, SGL Carbon and many more.

Composites main trends, recycling and digitalization

JEC Forum DACH offered a rich program of conferences with the participation of 30 speakers from and across Europe, including experts from companies such as 9T Labs, Airborne, Volvo, WindEurope, …

“In the forum’s lecture program organized by AVK, we addressed the pressing issues facing the composites industry: market developments, sustainability/recycling, digitalization and innovations. This year the forum has established itself as an important event for the composites industry in the DACH region. The participants – both suppliers and buyers – were very satisfied with the organized business meetings and the technical supporting program. We look forward to continuing the very good cooperation with JEC in the coming years.”

Dr. Elmar Witten, Managing Director, AVK

“ I am very proud of our partnership with JEC. The DACH region represents almost 40 % in value of the European Composite industry. Salzburg was a great networking event despite the difficult business climate with many good business opportunities. Our new focus should be the Building and Infrastructure market with many new applications as well as new recyling technologies and business models for managing the recyle streams for wind turbine rotorblades as well as for marine industry.”

Dr. Michael Effing, Chairman of the AVK

Innovation and entrepreneurship rewarded

Sourcing and fostering innovation is JEC’s first ambition, the renowned JEC Startup Booster competition held, once again, a “local” competition to shine a light on innovative composites projects in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. 5 finalists were invited to pitch their project in front of experts and leading industry players.

Among them, CARBOCON was designated as the winner. The startup is a service provider in the innovative field of the carbon reinforced concrete. It operates in different areas of business, from civil engineering to introducing new products and processes to the market, with one aim though: to advocate progress and sustainability in the building industry.

Right after, on October 24th, the AVK Innovation Awards also awarded 9 companies and projects, highlighting their outstanding work in science and research with a special focus on sustainability.- Here are the winners in the three categories:

Products & Applications category

1st place: “Insulating Coupling Shaft for Rail Vehicles” – Leichtbauzentrum Sachsen GmbH and partner KWD Kupplungswerk Dresden GmbH
2nd place: “Electric Car Battery Housing Components Based on Innovative Continuous Fibre-Reinforced Phenolic Resin Composites” – SGL Carbon
3rd place: “High Performance Recycled Carbon Fibre Materials (HiPeR)” – Composites Technology Center GmbH (CTC GmbH) and partners Faserinstitut Bremen e. V, Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V., C.A.R. FiberTec GmbH; partners Japan: Faserinstitut Bremen e.V., Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V., C.A.R. FiberTec GmbH; Partner Japan: CFRI Carbon Fiber Recycle Industry Co., Ltd., IHI Logistics and Machinery Corporation, ICC Kanazawa Institute of Technology

Innovative Processes & Methods category

1st place: “Chopped Fibre Direct Processing (CFP)” – KraussMaffei Technologies GmbH and partner Wirthwein SE
2nd place: “CIRC – Complete Inhouse Recycling of Thermoplastic Compounds” – Fraunhofer Institute for Production Engineering and Automation (IPA) and partners Schindler Handhabetechnik GmbH, Vision & Control GmbH
3rd place: “CarboScreen – Sensor-Based Monitoring of Carbon-Fibre Production” – CarboScreen GmbH, and partner Institute of Textile Technology at RWTH Aachen University

Research & Science category

1st place: “Development of a Stereocomplex PLA Blend on a Pilot Plant Scale” – Faserinstitut Bremen e. V.
2nd place: “Fibre-Reinforced Salt as a Robust Lost Core Material” – Technical University of Munich, Chair of Carbon Composites and partners Apppex GmbH, Haas Metallguss GmbH
3rd place: “VliesSMC – Recycled Carbon Fibres with a Second Life in the SMC Process” – Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. (STFI) and partner Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT)

For this 3rd edition, JEC Forum DACH gathered, in the heart of Salzburg, Austria, the main composites actors of the area in a new type of venue where business meetings, conferences and inspiration could all take place in the most optimized way. A format that was appreciated by all attending suppliers and buyers that will be renewed in 2024.

See you soon at our next events !

PRESS CONTACT

JEC
Alix Lenne
[email protected]

About JEC  
JEC Group is a non-profit organization entirely dedicated to promoting composite materials and fostering their applications globally.
Publisher of the JEC Composites Magazine, the industry’s reference magazine, JEC organizes several events around the world, including JEC World, the leading international exhibition dedicated to composites and their applications, which takes place annually in Paris. JEC media, events and digital channels connect a global community of professionals from the composites industry and beyond, to enable knowledge transfer, create networking opportunities, and highlight innovation.
JEC: Connecting the World with Composites

AVK
Birgit Förster
Tel.: +49 (0) 69 27107713
[email protected]

About AVK
AVK, the German Federation of Reinforced Plastics, is the professional German association for fibre-reinforced plastics and composites. It represents the interests of manufacturers and processors both in Germany and at the European level. Its range of services includes specialised workgroups, seminars and conferences as well as the provision of market-specific information (www.avk-tv.de). In Germany, AVK is one of four support organisations of GKV, the General Association of the Plastics Processing Industry. Within Europe, it is a member of the European umbrella association for composites, EuCIA (European Composites Industry Association). AVK is a founding member of Composites Germany.
www.avk-tv.de