Visitor numbers rise 30% at Composites Europe 2013

"With these figures, COMPOSITES EUROPE has now definitely established a firm position for itself among European lightweight construction fairs", says Hans-Joachim Erbel, CEO with trade fair organizer Reed Exhibitions Deutschland GmbH.

The leading producers and processors of composite materials, mechanical engineering companies and research institutions had come to Stuttgart for the eight edition. The focus of the trade fair, the lecture programme and the accompanying AVK conference this year were new materials systems, integrated production technologies and innovations for the application markets.

"Composites are a key technology for Germany as an industrial location. That is also evident at COMPOSITES EUROPE", says AVK Chairman Dr. Michael Effing.

The significance of Germany as a location for the composites industry and its application sectors is also reflected in the strong participation of international key players in the trade fair. The large national pavilions with leading companies from France, Italy, the Netherlands, the USA and China emphasize the international importance of COMPOSITES EUROPE.

Being held at the trade fair location Stuttgart - in the heart of Southern Germany, Europe's largest market for lightweight construction - COMPOSITES EUROPE is closer to its application markets than any other event. One in two trade fair visitors came from the automotive sector, followed by the aviation and mechanical engineering segments.

Composites market continues to pick up speed

The mood at COMPOSITES EUROPE demonstrated: the sales markets for composite materials continue to pick up speed. The future prospects for the industry, while varying according to sector, are generally good. This is evident from the Composites Market Report 2013 published jointly by AVK and CCeV. In the largest segment - glass-fibre reinforced plastics - experts expect a slight growth of 1 percent in Europe.

"The trend is in keeping with the overall economic situation", says AVK Managing Director Dr. Elmar Witten. With respectable increases, Germany is the largest market and driving force in this field and has now for the first time become the largest producer in Europe, he says.

Prospects for the CRP market are promising, according to the Market Report: here the experts of the Carbon Composites e. V. (CCeV) industry network see a sound market with minimum annual growth rates of 13 percent. Currently, the potential for growth is in the large mass segments of wind power plants, aerospace and sports, as well as in the automotive segment which is considered the strongest driving force with the highest potential.