JEC’s mission: to promote the composites industry worldwide
Created in the 1960s as a non-profit association, the JEC group (for “Journées Européennes des Composites”) has become over the years the reference in the promotion of composite materials in the world and their various applications. With a clear mission to develop the global composites industry, the JEC board of directors is composed of more than ten executives from major composites companies, such as AOC, Coriolis, Hexcel, Huntsman, Polynt Composites…
JEC has developed a real ecosystem around this industry: media, events, innovation awards, conferences, allowing the development of knowledge and innovation in this sector:
- JEC Composites Magazine: the leading magazine on trends and news in the composites industry.
- The JEC Innovation Awards: prestigious awards to highlight innovative solutions. In 2015, Compositadour, ESTIA’s technical and robotics platform in the Basque Country, received the JEC Innovation Award in the “Aeronautics” category, for its participation in the “Design and manufacture of a self-stiffening fuselage panel” project in partnership with the companies Hexcel, Stelia and Coriolis Composites
- The JEC Composites Observer: a report produced every year, in which market trends, the economic situation and the outlook for the coming years are analyzed
- The JEC Composites Startup Booster: one of the largest competitions dedicated to industrial start-ups.
- JEC Composites Conferences: debates and presentations on the problems and challenges of the industrial sector.
- JEC Forums and Summits: events all over the world, in a specific city or online, allowing to participate in conferences and business meetings.
- Finally, JEC World, a major trade fair held in Paris in April, which has the distinction of being the largest industrial event in the world.
JEC World, the world’s largest trade fair for the composites industry
JEC World 2023 will take place in the heart of the Paris Nord – Villepinte Exhibition Centre from 25 to 27 April. Bringing together all the players in the value chain, companies in the composites, aeronautics or mechatronics sectors have the opportunity to meet the world’s leading companies in this sector, as well as innovative start-ups, experts, speakers and R&D (Research & Development) managers from major brands. Visitors from a wide range of industries can use this event to get inspired, look for innovative alternatives for their companies and discover the composites of tomorrow.
Indeed, composites companies regularly seek to renew themselves and work on their technological research and development. By being at the heart of the innovations of the sector, this is what JEC allows: to discover, understand and exchange around the new processes, materials and composite solutions developed throughout the world.
For the 2022 edition, more than 1,200 exhibitors were present, representing 112 different countries in the 26 pavilions of the Paris Nord Exhibition Centre, i.e. over 72,000 m2 of exhibition space. More than 33,000 professional visitors came to the show, and some 5,400 business meetings were organized by the JEC teams.
In 2023, JEC World visitors will be able to discover solutions and innovations for the following markets :
- Automotive and transport
- Aeronautics
- Building & civil engineering
- Defence & security
- Home furnishings & design
- Electronics & telecommunications
- Machinery & equipment
- Maritime transport
- Gas & oil
- Health & medical
- Water & Waste Treatment
- Railway infrastructure
- Renewable energy
- Sports & leisure
For all these sectors, the following will be presented: raw materials, consumables, manufacturing machines, design/manufacturing software, recyclers of raw materials or intermediate products, semi-finished products, or different production processes for composite parts.
The circular economy, a concern of composites companies at the heart of this 2023 edition
For this 2023 edition, many conferences will honor one of the major challenges of the industry: the circular economy, sustainability and recyclability of materials.
Indeed, among the sixty or so conferences/debates organized over the three days of the show, at least half of the lecturers, academics, professional speakers and experts will address subjects related to eco-responsibility in the composite industry: lightweight materials in the aerospace industry and their impact in terms of environmental sustainability, eco-design in construction through composites, decarbonisation of manufacturing processes, new bio-based composites based on flax and hemp fibers, sustainable and competitive composite production, integration of eco-design in shipbuilding, waste and energy reduction in manufacturing, recyclable resins and biocomposites… Many decisive subjects are at the heart of the current concerns of companies.
The composite sector is very well represented in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region and in the Basque Country, and is booming, particularly in the automotive, aeronautical and nautical sectors. The Technocité site, located in Bayonne, is home to around thirty companies in the composites and advanced materials industry. We can mention among them: Pika Composites, Akira Technologies, or Compositadour. The presence of these composites companies in the Basque Country attests to the professionalism and high level of qualification of the subcontracting industry in our region, particularly in the aeronautical sector: some of the aeronautical programmes of Airbus, Boeing, Eurocopter, Mirage and Rafale are developed in the Basque Country.
As a structure that accompanies the establishment of companies in the Basque Country, and as an expert in the local ecosystem and market trends, it is essential for Basque Invest to attend the JEC and JEC World events. This event is an opportunity for us to keep up to date with market trends and upcoming international innovations, to meet major industrial players, to develop our network in the composites sector, but also in our other sectors of excellence such as aeronautics, mechatronics, digital, the circular economy, or the health sector.
