THE DACH COMPOSITES INDUSTRY
RESUMED BUSINESS
AT JEC FORUM DACH 2021
JEC Forum DACH closed its doors after two exciting days for this new format of event enabling prequalified buyers to meet with sponsors of the DACH region. On the menu of this first edition: business meetings, conferences, kenotes, awards ceremony… A rich program, living evidence that the composites industry has not stopped innovating in many fields and is actively resuming business.
Global brands as well as young startups gathered in Frankfurt, and online, sharing the same spirit of innovation, knowledge, and networking and showing once again the enthusiasm for the composites industry despite the recent anti-Covid measures applied in the DACH region. A limit of participation to 500 persons as well as strict distanciation measures were implemented at the event.
JEC Forum DACH was launched by JEC Group in partnership with AVK In Frankfurt, with a primary aim to support the bustling composites industry in this region and resume business after a challenging, yet complex period of time. Unique in its format, the event will be rotating to different cities in Germany, Switzerland and Austria every year, with a second edition taking place in Ausburg, on November 29-30, 2022.
JEC FORUM DACH 2021 MAIN HIGHLIGHTS
• An exciting introduction to the Forum
Eric Pierrejean, JEC Group CEO and Michael Effing, President of the AVK and Composites Germany, gave a welcome speech to ring up the curtain on JEC Forum DACH.
“We are very proud to have been able to organize this hand in hand with AVK and we thank all the participants for their trust. It is always a challenge to launch a new event, unique in its format and content, but it was our objective to offer local industry leaders the opportunity to build strong business connections with one-to-one meetings and get a full picture of the latest innovations. With this in mind, and considering the even bigger challenge that represents the pandemic, JEC Forum DACH was a success. A success that would not have been possible without the buyers’ and sponsors’ will to resume business in a context of great upheavals and without the spirit of innovation that continuously drives the industry,” stated Eric Pierrejean, CEO of JEC Group.
Michael Effing added: “Focussing on matchmaking, this event represents a very important platform, in this important geographical region DACH that represents almost 45% of the composites industry in Europe: networking and supporting the industry with new impulses is crucial, particularly in the key markets e-mobility, wind energy, building and infrastructure and also the next generation of aircraft”.
• Gathering for business
To optimize company’s participations, the official Business Meetings Program was available on JEC Forum DACH: a customized program to match attendees needs and schedule meetings during the two days. Many global companies joined the program: Airbus Group, BMW, Daher, Faurecia, Lavollée, Magna, Polynt, Teijin Carbon Europe, Vestaro (…) over the two days, meetings were organized onsite and happened online to answer to the recent sanitary measures taken in the DACH region.
• Very robust and high level conferences program
JEC Forum DACH offered a rich program of conferences with the participation of 25+ speakers from and across Europe. These gatherings were held physically in Frankfurt but were available to all attendees via a digital platform, allowing them to attend keynote presentations on composites applied to various application sectors: e-mobility, aeronautics, hydrogen, and sustainability. Experts from global companies such as AOC , Airborne, AZL, BMW, Menzolit and Lorenz, Plastic Omnium and Pontis, as well as Mr Werner Loscheider, the Head of the division that looks after construction, lightweight and resource efficiency at the Federal Ministry Economic Affairs and Energy, were welcomed on stage.
• Rewarding composites innovation and entrepreneurship
Sourcing and fostering innovation is JEC group’s first ambition, the renowned JEC Composites Startup Booster competition was held in Frankfurt to shine a light on innovative composites projects. 5 finalists, from Germany, Austria or France, were invited to pitch their project in front of experts and leading industry players. Among them, Fibrecoat was designated as the winner, for its process for direct coating of inorganic fiber materials, enabling low-cost bi-component materials to be used in lightweight construction, in the field of electromagnetic shielding and industrial filtration.
One aim of the AVK Innovation Awards is to support new products, components and applications made from Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (FRP) and to promote new processes and methods for the manufacture of FRP products. This year’s focus, in all categories is on sustainability, a key topic for the composites industry which constantly challenging itself to develop more environmentally friendly products and processes. At the show, 9 companies and projects were welcomed on stage and rewarded for breaking new grounds in the field of composites:
Category “Innovative Products/Applications”
1st Place: “Traffic signs from Nabasco (N-BMC)”
Nabasco Products BV and Lorenz Kunststofftechnik GmbH
Partners: Pol Heteren BV and NPSP BV
Category “Innovative Processes”
1st Place: “In-mould wrapping” off-tool, film-coated, fibre composite components for exterior applications – BMW Group
Partner: Renolit SE
Category “Research and Science”
1st Place: “Bondline Control Technology (BCT)” German Aerospace Center (DLR)
And finally, the ITA from the RWTH Aachen University was hosting the innovation session with 8 impulse presentations form start-ups and research institutes.
In 2021, JEC Forum DACH gathered the main actors of the composites industry in a brand new kind of rotating event, dedicated to networking and business meetings, a new platform for companies to develop in this thriving geographical region, hinting for a bright future ahead of the composites sector!
Save the date for JEC Forum DACH 2022
Ausburg – November 29-30, 2022
www.jec-dach.events
See you soon at JEC World in March 2022 !
PRESS CONTACTS
JEC Group
Alix Lenne
Tel: 01 58 36 43 99
[email protected]
AVK
Birgit Förster
Tel.: +49 (0) 69 27107713
[email protected]
About JEC Group
JEC Group is the world’s leading company dedicated entirely to developing information and business connections channels and platforms supporting the growth and promotion of the composite materials industry. Publisher of the JEC Composites Magazine – the industry’s reference magazine, JEC Group drives global innovation programs and organizes several events in the world, including JEC World (the top and world-leading international exhibition dedicated to composite materials and their applications), which takes place every year in Paris.
www.jeccomposites.com
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 the five support organisations of GKV, the German Association of the Plastics Converters. 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
