JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #47 - March/April 2009 - 3

EDITORIAL 46th year President and CEO/Publisher: Frédérique Mutel mutel@jeccomposites.com Editor-in-chief: Frédéric Reux Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 11 reux@jeccomposites.com Assistant editor: Franck Glowacz Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 04 glowacz@jeccomposites.com Increasing opportunities for composites The composites sector has enjoyed several decades of almost constant growth since the first composite materials appeared in the 1940s. Average world growth, which was in the order of +4.1% per annum by volume, has gained momentum over the past five years and now averages at 6.3%. In 2008, the value of our industry amounted to €63 billion for a volume of 8.2 million tons. For many companies in the sector, 2007 and 2008 were exceptionally buoyant years. 2009 has begun in an entirely different register. The economic slowdown has hit every continent, with one tale of woe after another. Some companies in composites are drawing in their horns but, more generally, the sector is on the offensive and is girding up its loins for the battle ahead. Creation and innovation are the buzzwords of the JEC Composites Show 2009. Over a total surface area of 46,000 m² and in eight halls (one more than last year), the show is a shining example of the successful industrialization of an entire sector. The three session topics: Automation, Subcontracting and Biocomposites, are generating a great deal of interest. The topic of automation, in particular, is drawing in many companies that work in the field of machines, equipment and robots. Many come from Germany, the special guest nation at JEC 2009. The creativity of the sector is reflected in no less than 74 forums and conferences addressing the state of progress in composites in the areas of construction, civil engineering, aerospace, marine, automotive, rail and wind energy applications. The Innovation programme and the Awards that go with it testify to the vitality of the sector as a whole, with the honours going to three particularly well-performing fields of application: construction, aerospace and energy/environment. These are hotbeds of new applications such as, for example, a new power generation system based on a sea-wave energy converter made out of composites. This all goes to show how the composites sector is leading from the front. The same might be said of the JEC Group. Faithful to its mission that consists in "Connecting Science, Technology and Industry", it looks forward to welcoming you, in 2009, to its two major trade shows: JEC Paris, followed by JEC Asia on 14-16 October 2009 in Singapore. Throughout the rest of the year you can keep up to speed via its range of publications and strategic studies. In these uncertain times, as you seek reliable information and an overview of what is going on in the world, more and more of you have turned to the JEC Composites Magazine which, thanks to you, has become the world's number one periodical by number of subscribers: 26,687 (BPA statement, December 2008). Thank you for your appreciation of our work! Technical topics: Pierre Lissac info@jeccomposites.com Copy-editor & Graphic designer: Marylène Pinault pinault@jeccomposites.com Advertising managers: Judith Blacker France, India, Italy, Luxembourg, North America, Scandinavia & UK Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 74 blacker@jeccomposites.com Saskia Millasseau Africa, Asia-Pacific, Austria, Belgium, Eastern Europe, Germany, Israel, Middle East, Spain, South America, Switzerland, The Netherlands & Turkey Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 73 millasseau@jeccomposites.com Circulation & partnership manager: presse@jeccomposites.com Sandrine Dumarquez dumarquez@jeccomposites.com Subscriptions: www.jeccomposites.com/magazine-subscription/ Fax: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 19 Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 08 dumarquez@jeccomposites.com Marketing/Communication: Patrice Sinthon, sinthon@jeccomposites.com Printing: SPEI - Pulnoy (54), France Legal registration: ISSN 1639-965X Dépôt légal : 1er trimestre 2009 Photos & illustrations: All rights reserved, unless mentioned. JEC Composites Magazine is published by JEC. 19, Bd de Courcelles 75008 Paris - France Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 01 Fax: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 14 www.jeccomposites.com The reproduction, even partial, of articles and illustrations is forbidden, unless prior permission is obtained from JEC Composites Magazine. The management of JEC Composites Magazine reserves the right to refuse advertising. Total average Distribution: 26,687 copies* 25,518 copies BPA average qualified circulation 1,169 BPA average non qualified circulation *(BPA December 2008 Statement) Frédérique Mutel JEC President & CEO No47 March-April 2009 / jec composites magazine 3

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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #47 - March/April 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #47 - March/April 2009