JEC World 2023 : Innovation

On 25 April, JEC World, the world’s leading trade fair for composite materials and their applications, opened its 2023 edition.JEC World is «the place to be» for composite materials, with over 1,200 exhibitors and 36,000 visitors.

Professionals from China, India, Japan and South Korea have returned to Paris. The countries most represented among the exhibitors are France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, the USA and China.

JEC World is attracting more and more successful Chinese companies. Jiling Group made its debut this year.

Jiling Group,

One of China’s most innovative groups

Jiling Groupe is one of the ten largest companies in the chemical fibres industry in China. The company has extended its activities to new materials in order to give new impetus to its development.

The company has successively obtained certification for the ISO9001:2000 quality management system, the ISO14001 environmental management system, and the GB/T28001 occupational health and safety management system.

The Group is the first in the sector to obtain certification for the integration of quality, environmental and occupational health and safety systems.

The products have obtained the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and Oeko Step certification, the international environmental protection standards for textiles.

Adhering to the corporate spirit of «Innovation and Excellence», Jilin Group aims to fully implement the strategy of development of differentiation, internationalization, and sustainable development through modern business management, excellent product quality and quality customer service.

The group has been engaged in carbon fibre research and production for 15 years, and has a number of patented technologies.

Their carbon fibre and composite materials are widely used in wind energy, photovoltaics, aerospace, rail transport, sports and leisure, building reinforcement and other areas.

Carbon fibre is not just for industrial use. It can also be used to make aesthetic objects.

Artist Jean-Charles Pigeau has come up with the idea of incorporating the fibre into his designs and developing artistic projects in partnership with the Group.

Composites Auvergne Rhône-Alpes

is a network built on the combined

expertise of 4 competitiveness clusters.

Composites Auvergne Rhône-Alpes defines itself as an “Open Innovation” model, from materials to processes, which takes into account the economic realism of projects.

It offers a collaborative approach bringing together public and private players, using recognised skills to serve businesses, local authorities, competitiveness clusters and academics.

SOPARA is a structured network of expertise focused on the development of hybrid composite products. It draws on skills in the development of composite materials (fibres, reinforcements, resins), and on transformation processes with integrated industrial players.

SOPARA

SOPARA specialises in infrared radiation heating. Our expertise in the design and manufacture of infrared heaters and ovens means we can offer solutions that can be integrated into a wide range of sectors.

Our recognised know-how has enabled us to develop our export business, which now accounts for 40% of our sales.

MARDUEL

The company is 150 years old. Today, the 4th generation bearing the MARDUEL name runs the company and perpetuates its twisting expertise.

High-tenacity technical yarns are processed for industrial applications requiring flexible reinforcements, such as plastics, composites and many others.

JEC Composites Startup Booster

JEC Composites Startup Booster is the largest international competition for start-ups in the field of Composites and Advanced Materials. The competition is open to entrepreneurs with innovative projects, SMEs and universities.

Cobratex is one of the finalists in 2023. The founder, Édouard SHERWOOD, worked in the aeronautical industry where he set up and developed successful activities, a specialised technical team and innovative projects.

He then turned his attention to a number of projects, with the aim of linking engineering with environmental issues.

Bamboo is a Gramineae naturally composed of a reinforcement and a matrix, so by definition it is a composite material. Cobratex combines modern engineering techniques with the excellent natural performance offered by bamboo.

The company now offers a complete range of reinforcements and composite solutions. The range can be 100% bamboo or more complex, in the form of sandwiches or multi-reinforced monoliths.

Enthusiasm at JEC World

This year, the primary mission of the show is to promote the composite materials industry and support its growth by developing channels and platforms for know-how and business relations.

The Chinese composites market remained very dynamic in terms of R&D, innovation and production. For this 2023 edition, Chinese companies are back with 115 exhibitors.

A meeting with

Yohann Cailleau, international sales manager,

Zhulin, head of the Chinese market

to better understand the evolution of Chinese companies.

Are Chinese companies very present at JEC?

Before the COVID crisis, China occupied the 3rd place in terms of number of exhibitors. So yes, Chinese companies play a very important role in our exhibition. Today, many Chinese companies are willing to innovate. For example, Jilin Carbonne, they make very interesting products. This is the first time they have exhibited here.

Does China suffer from this negative «Made in China» image?

China is trying to improve its performance. China itself no longer wants to be «Made in China». In fact, many factories have left China. China’s strategy is to go from quantity to quality. It is innovation that comes first. A few years ago, people came to meet Chinese companies to find good prices. Now the situation is changing. Some Chinese companies now really have highly developed technological capabilities.