JEC World 2016 reflected the dynamic growth of the composites industries and provided international exhibitors and attendees with the best opportunities to grow their business.

JEC World, the largest international composites show, opened at the new Paris Nord Villepinte venue for the first time (March 8-10, 2016). Its content, design and scenery were the object of much admiration. New records have been reached this year, with a total surface of 62,000 sqm, 1,300 exhibitors and 36,946 professional visits in attendance. One of the show’s new features consisted of the “Planets”, four new display areas totalling more than 1,800 sqm.

A world of difference

According to JEC Group President and CEO Mrs Frédérique Mutel, the unanimous reaction to the show was pride in the composites industry and delight at JEC Group’s showcasing of it. “The JEC teams have indeed done a wonderful job at presenting composites to the world in the most impressive way,” she said. “An enormous range of products and technologies were presented, shared and showcased at JEC World 2016. Composite materials continue to become more widespread. In a world where energy savings and recyclability are sought, composites seem to stand out as one of the best answers. Innovative solutions must be found for current and upcoming challenges in terms of higher performance, lower weight, reduced costs and processing time, and of course, addressing the pressing matters of environmental concerns.”

This year’s event also featured the launch of four Innovation Planets, each one addressing a specific end-user market (the Aero Planet, the Auto Planet sponsored by Hexion, the Sports Planet and the Sustainable Planet). These areas were very popular ones, where attendees could see, touch and experience innovative composite parts, observe demos, and ask questions about the innovations.

New name, new venue

To truly reflect the global dimension of the exhibition, which included participants from more than 100 countries, the event has taken on a more suitable name, “JEC World” (It was JEC Europe earlier). For the convenience of exhibitors and visitors, it has also moved northward from the southern part of Paris, in order to be closer to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, train stations and many other connecting opportunities. The total surface has increased to 62,000 sq.m, offering visitors and exhibitors a bigger show with enhanced features to improve the visiting experience. These include a new mobile application, internet connections on the entire floor, a concierge service open to all, and digital touch screens.

High-level content

Over the three days, participants were able to gather a wealth of information from the 11 top-notch conferences, some of them organised in partnership with Inovev, Cetim, e-Xstream, Stanford University, Onera, Composites Innovation Cluster, AZL and Dassault Systemes. The 30 technical sales presentations and the 40+ presentations on the “Planets” also covered a vast range of current and future composite topics.

A large delegation of Korean visitors and exhibitors showed up to proudly represent the Republic of Korea, the event’s Country of Honour. They showcased their latest advances, particularly in carbon, proving to the world that they have become a key player in the composite industry.

Other noteworthy events included the JEC Innovation Awards with its 29 prize winners; the Automotive Composites Circle; the Live-Demo zones; the Composites in Action areas; and the 1,950 B2B Meetings that were organised.

The popularity of the event keeps on growing, which is very encouraging for next year’s session. Many exhibitors have already confirmed their participation. The composite industry employs 550,000 professionals worldwide, generating 61 billion euros worth of business in 2015.

With a network of 250,000 professionals, JEC Group is the largest composite organisation in the world. It represents, promotes and helps develop composite markets by providing global and local networking and information services. For the past 20 years, JEC has achieved continuous growth and acquired an international reputation. It has opened offices in North America and Asia.

(JEC WORLD 2017 – Paris Nord Villepinte, March 14-16, 2017. More information: www.jeccomposites.com)