CONTENTS NEWS WORLDWIDE Companies The advances in manufacturing and environment: a priority 8 Hexcel to build prepreg facility in China 9 BUSINESS Trends The global market for PAN-based carbon fibre 18 FEATURE BIOCOMPOSITES Properties High-performance natural fibres? 34 MR. MICHEL BRISSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR, SOFICAR Toho Tenax expands its capacity 9 AGY expands S-2 Glass capacity by 50% 9 DuPont to increase aramid capacity by 25% 9 Victrex opens new technology centre 10 SGL Group plans to triple its capacity 10 O-C completes acquisition of Saint Gobain’s reinforcement 11 New DSM sizing plant in China 24 Market survey: China CCE 2007 – JEC Innovation Awards: moving upmarket 20 Materials Guidelines for mechanical design with biocomposites: properties, weight and cost process 37 A flexible technology for biocomposite concepts 40 Agenda of events 12-13 Innovations Custom-engineered overwrap tubing equipment 14 New poly-urethane foam 14 AN INTERVIEW WITH MR. JOHN VAN OSCH, BUSINESS UNIT DIRECTOR DSM COMPOSITE RESINS HNew compounds deliver one-pellet solutions for enhanced effects 14 Weatherability of mold-in-color SMC components 15 New carbon fibre composite for medical sector 15 Natural fibre reinforced thermoplastics for injection moulding 15 Composites coating system 16 New resins for RTM and pultrusion 16 Composites laminates for ballistic applications 16 Gurit follows customers to produce in China 26 Initiative Sporaltec, a unique initiative in the French sports & leisure industry 28 Niche markets Reusing packaging in the production of plastic wood materials 30 Human capital Adapting and reusing product 32 JEC Composites Magazine / No37 December 2007