Material demand drives show growth

Increased demand for high-performance, lightweight materials is being reflected in the growth of the 2012 Composites Engineering Show, according to organisers. Building on the success of last year's (2011) Composites Engineering show, held at NEC Birmingham, the 2012 event promises further significant growth and to again bring together all sides from this rapidly expanding technology sector, around the event which will this year be moving to Hall 1 at the NEC on 7-8 November, 2012. Ian Stone, managing director of show organiser UK Tech Events comments: "Year on year we are seeing very strong growth in both the volume of speciality exhibitors from the UK and overseas as well as expanding and more diverse industry attendee groups." With the show seeing major growth in both its footprint and the number of exhibitors, the 2012 composites show floor is already attracting a major influx of new international and domestic exhibitor names, including: Azelis Composites; AIM Composites; LAMILUX-Heinrich Strunz; PECOLIT Composites; Matrix Composite Materials; Axson Technologies; Ipeco Composites; Zotefoams; Natural Performance Materials; Cygnet Integrated Solutions; Mirka (UK); Cutwel; Permabond Engineering Adhesives, Hydromar, Engis UK and Intrinsys to name but a few. With an increase in international exhibitors signalling a growing desire to reach the UK's developing composites market, plus a high proportion of repeat exhibitors increasing stand space for larger displays, it is likely that the show will see total composites exhibitor numbers reach 200+, representing an impressive 35% growth. Stone continues: "The demand across product design and development teams for lightweight, high performance composite materials solutions is growing at an unstoppable rate and the show is, uniquely and importantly, positioned to showcase the diversity of composites materials, design, processing and fabrication capability as well as supporting infrastructure available to harness for the successful execution and delivery of current and future composites engineering programmes." Reflecting the growing importance of the show as the UK composite industry's biggest networking and technology transfer opportunity, CompositesUK, headline industry partner for the event, will in 2012 host its annual Composites UK awards alongside the event on the first evening, acknowledging key advances and innovation made by UK companies over the past 12 months. Supporting the 2012 awards, the show floor is to feature a showcase of award nominated composites engineering excellence with supporting project insight presentations, as part of the two day open forum programme. Furthermore, CompositesUK is again committed to hosting a selection of on the show floor open technology sessions, drawing on expert contributions from across the industry in processing innovations, new technology and developing applications. In parallel will again be the daily 'UK composites industry overview' sessions hosted by Composites UK. These will highlight advances in and priorities for UK composites capability, crucial 'by sector' market outlooks, skills outlook and latest developments in the UK's composites industry support structure – including the launch of the UK Composites Hub, the UK's integrated infrastructure support harnessing the collective resources of the National Composites Centre (NCC), Composites Skills Alliance , and CompositesUK. Dr Sue Halliwell, Secretary for CompositesUK observes: "Over the past few years, Composites UK has worked closely with Composites Engineering to promote and raise the profile of the UK Composites industry and ensure the show continues to develop and grow to reflect our homegrown capability and expertise. The 2012 show promises to be bigger and better than ever and sends a clear statement that the UK composites industry is open for business." As part of Advanced Engineering UK group of events, one of the fastest growing B2B industry events in the UK, the 2012 Composites Engineering Show will again co-locate alongside the UK Aero Engineering show, providing perfect synergy, given the enormous importance of the aerospace composites market in the UK. This was reflected in 2011 with excellent numbers of attendees from major players including Airbus, GKN, BAE Systems, Bombardier, EADS Astrium, GE Aviation, Rolls-Royce and Honeywell. Furthermore, 2012 sees the introduction of the UK Automotive Engineering Show into the Advanced Engineering UK group of events. This addition will support a further exciting synergy, driving an exponential rise in the numbers of volume, niche and motorsport engineering teams attending the show and building on the already impressive 2011 Composites Show automotive and motorsport sector attendance. This event saw attendees from the likes of Toyota, Honda, Ford, BMW Group, Team Lotus, Mercedes GP, Red Bull, Williams F1, Bentley Motors, Force India, Aston Martin, MIRA and Ricardo, to name but a few. Stone summarises the importance of this co-location: "Automotive is one of the crucial growth sectors for the composites industries with lighter weight and increasing performance advantages being sought by both volume and niche vehicle manufacturers alike, not to mention the burgeoning ultra-low carbon vehicle development community." The group of events is further consolidated with the UK Plastic Electronics show and the integrated Wind Power Engineering showcase, providing yet more strategic profile into a key vertical composites market. Stone continues: "With three of the most important vertical markets occupying the same networking space as the Composites Engineering Show, the business development and technology transfer opportunities are infinite." With an attendance approaching 7,000 in the 2011 group of events, and an anticipated 9,000-plus attendees for 2012, the Composites Engineering Show is bracing itself for another record turnout and to consolidate its credentials as a meeting point for all sides of the UK composites industries.