Composites Europe has become ‘Composites for Europe’. From November 10-12, the business summit for composite materials will take off in a new format and fresh ideas. In future, the event in Stuttgart will focus especially on small and medium-sized companies, innovative start-ups and strong composites market in D-A-CH region (Germany-Austria-Switzerland).  

“The market is changing – with composites for Europe we are opening up a new chapter and actively co-shaping current developments in the industry,” said Goetz-Ulf Jungmichel, event director at organiser Reed Exhibitions. The event wants to provide the industry with guidance especially on its way towards automation and for rising to the challenges of digitalisation on the continuously promising German-speaking markets.

“We deliberately centre on the D-A-CH region as the core market and one of the most innovative technology locations and strongest markets for the composites sector in Europe,” said Jungmichel. “This market is characterised above all by small and medium-sized firms whose engineering excellence generates important ideas and impulses for the whole composites sector and its buyers all over Europe. With the new event format ‘Composites for Europe’ we want to express exactly this and provide a platform for the innovative power of the D-A-CH region in particular.”

The new exhibition concept of Composites for Europe, which will initially centre on one exhibition hall in Stuttgart in 2020, will stage themed worlds. In central locations selected lighthouse projects (High Lights) from the areas of Mobility/Transport, Construction/Infrastructure, Circular Economy as well as Sports/Leisure will be showcased on dedicated special areas. The exhibitors’ stands will be grouped around these exhibits. The ranges on display will be complemented by lectures and keynote speeches delivered at two Impulse Forums – as well as by a Start-up Area, where young enterprises will present their innovative solutions and novel products.

The already long-established and well-known special areas entitled ‘Process Live’ where exhibitors demonstrate their connected machinery in live operation will be continued. “With Process Live we have created a unique format that allows the composites industry to illustrate the advances made in digitalisation and the connection of machines in the process chain and additionally point out to visitors how manufacturing processes can be automated,” said Jungmichel.

Since its premiere in 2006 the trade fair has developed into the most relevant industry meeting on the German-speaking market. “We aim to develop Composites for Europe scaling it up from a trade fair only to a business summit for processors, users, technology leaders and for composites research and development experts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Serving this same purpose is also the new catering area ‘Eat & Connect’ as a central point of contact for visitors to exchange, network and develop joint solutions,” said Jungmichel. 

This year Composites for Europe will again be co-located with Foam Expo Europe, the trade fair for the technical foam supply chain held in parallel at the exhibition centre in Stuttgart. These joint trade fair dates generate synergies for gaining an overview of lightweight construction materials especially for visitors from the automotive, aviation, construction industries and the sports and leisure sectors.

Composites for Europe is organised by Reed Exhibitions in cooperation with the European industry association EuCIA and the trade association Composites Germany, a coalition whose members include the composites associations AVK, Composites United and VDMA AG Working Group Hybrid Lightweight Technologies. A total of 200 exhibitors are expected at Composites for Europe.