JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #91 - August/September 2014 - 3

51th year

Healthy competition

President and CEO/Publisher:
Frédérique Mutel
mutel@jeccomposites.com

Media director & Editor-in-chief:
Frédéric Reux
Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 11
reux@jeccomposites.com
Franck Glowacz
Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 04
glowacz@jeccomposites.com

Writer & Conference manager:
Cécile Lagoutte
Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15.13
lagoutte@jeccomposites.com

Deputy-editor & Graphic designer:
Antoine Morel
morel@jeccomposites.com

Technical & Business manager:
Thierry Saint-Martin
Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 73
saintmartin@jeccomposites.com

Technical & Business developer:
Kim -Oanh Truong
Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 74
kim@jeccomposites.com

Marketing/Circulation:
presse@jeccomposites.com
Sandrine Dumarquez
dumarquez@jeccomposites.com

Subscriptions:
www.jeccomposites.com/magazine-subscription/

Printing: Chirat, Saint-Just-la-Pendue (42), France
Legal registration:
ISSN 1639-965X
Dépôt légal : 3eme trimestre 2014

Photos & illustrations:
All right reserved, unless mentionned.

25, Bd de l'Amiral Bruix
75116 Paris - France
Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 00
Fax: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 14
www.jeccomposites.com

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Total Qualified
Circulation:
33,927 copies
BPA December statement 2013.
Print circulation of 22,158 and electronic
circulation of 11,769.

Frédéric Reux

Editor-in-chief
reux@jeccomposites.com

This year again, the automotive sector
was a high-profile presence at the JEC
Europe and Americas trade shows, both
on the floor and in minds. Of course, that
sector is one that everyone dreams of,
and it represents a significant potential for
advanced materials like composites. The
potential there is so great that we haven't
seen the last of other materials - aluminium in particular. Take the example of
the Tesla Model S, an electric car with an
exceptional 390-500 kilometres of range,
for which the builder opted for an allaluminium platform. The choice appears
to have been a convincing one, since close
to 25,000 of these vehicles sold last year,
according to our colleagues at Auto-Moto
magazine. Still, the choice of aluminium
is a surprising one for this brand name, as
its image has always been associated more
with composite materials. But no one is
going to complain about some healthy
competition, since it drives innovation!
And composite materials do put up a
good show when it comes to innovation
- all you have to do is turn the pages of
our report to be convinced of that. This
pertains to all sectors, from design to raw
materials, process and applications. I'll
say no more, you have the issue in your
hands.
To get back to our subject, we are struck
by two new high-powered cars (you
might call them the essence of technology), the new Porsche 918 Spyder and
the new BMW i8. Both are just off the
production line, with a very good use of
composites. We're not talking here about
trim parts, but structural ones. These two
hybrid cars are built mostly of compo-

sites, and can hold their own against the
new Airbus A350's 55% content. For
the Porsche, the composites are used in
particular for the all-carbon monocoque
structure; both the BMW i8 and the i3
have a carbon-fibre composite passenger
cell.
These are definitely luxury cars, and the
sales price shows it. They may not be
mass-produced, but they aren't individually manufactured, either. The BMW,
especially, is likely to accommodate to a
broader following. What is more important, the use of composites is spreading,
and the processes have the capability to
meet - albeit gradually - the requirements for mass production.
For communication and exchange on the
subject of the latest composite developments in the automotive sector, we invite
you to rapidly sign up for the "Outlook for
Carbon Composites Usage in Automotive" conference in Boston on 29 October
(1:00 pm to 4:00 pm), where Jorge Arinez from General Motors, among others,
will share his expertise on Manufacturing
Challenges & Opportunities. You will also
be able to hear representatives from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT), Dieffenbacher, the University of
Stuttgart, and the Technological University of Munich (TUM). The conference
is part of the two-day JEC Americas Fall
event on 28-29 October. I invite those
who are unable to join us to come meet us
in Singapore on 17-19 November for JEC
Asia, where we will also have the opportunity to discuss the automotive sector.
Hoping to see you soon!

No91 August - September 2014 /

Conference & Technical editor:

jec composites magazine 3

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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #91 - August/September 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #91 - August/September 2014