JEC/SAMPE Europe Preview

Under the banner "Together, composing the future of composites,"the JEC Group will launch its 42nd trade event, the 2007 JEC Composites Show, on April 3, for a three-day run at the Paris Expo, in Porte de Versailles, Paris, France. In keeping with the "togetherness"theme, JEC predicts a more international event than ever before, continuing a trend that, in 2006, resulted in almost 65 percent of the visitors coming from outside France. Show organizers say the ratio has improved each year since 2003 when 43 percent of attendees hailed from France.

Although JEC has released no figures for the number of exhibiting companies in 2006, show organizers report that 900 "brand names"were exhibited in 2006, and they expect an equal number to be represented at the 2007 event. The exhibition floor (see facing page) will again feature the wider aisles and broad diagonal aisleways introduced last year, and floor space will be increased by 10 percent to 40,000m² (about 430,550 ft²) to accommodate an expected 12 percent increase in exhibitors' average stand area.

Honoring a decade of innovation

The show marks the tenth year for the JEC Innovation Awards Competition, which has welcomed, since its inception, more than 800 submissions from composite parts manufacturers. Seventy-seven of them have received awards, which were shared with 295 development partners. The 2007 awards program will confer honors in eight categories: Aeronautics, Automotive, Energy & Industry/Construction, Ground Transport, Marine, Process, Sports & Leisure and — new this year — Medical Applications. Entries will be reviewed by a panel of 15 judges. Award winners will be selected based on the technical interest and originality of the composites application, the successful interaction of the collaborating molder, materials suppliers and other product development partners, and the innovation's potential for commercial production and implementation. The 2007 JEC Innovations Awards presentation ceremony will take place at the JEC  show, on Tuesday, April 3, 2007.

JEC also plans to showcase 40 composite projects that won awards in the 2nd International Composites Design Competition and subsequently went on display in select European and Asian cities as part of Composites-on-Tour-2, a traveling exhibit in which the JEC Group is a partner. The Composites & Design display will be located near the show's entrance.

SAMPE Europe: EMPHASIS ON ENERGY

Concurrently, the 28th SAMPE Europe International Conference (SEICO 07) will take place again this year at the nearby Hotel Mercure Paris Porte de Versailles Expo (36 Rue du Moulin). Conference organizers expect more than 400 participants and have approved more than 80 technical papers for presentation.

While the event will feature its traditional coverage of new advanced materials and processes and will examine the use of polymer composites in aerospace, marine, automotive and infrastructure markets, there also will be an intensive examination of the show's theme: "The Use of Composites in the 21st Century to Save Energy and Weight."Conference organizers have arranged for four of the 10 session subjects to center on energy-related topics: Energy Generation, Energy Exploration, Energy Transportation and Distribution and Optimization of the Use of Energy — the latter demonstrating ways to conserve energy resources by taking advantage of the inherent weight reduction potential of advanced structures. All papers will be available to attendees on CD-ROM.

SEICO will open one day earlier than the JEC event, running April 2-4, to give conference attendees the opportunity to visit the JEC Show on its final day without missing any of the conference sessions. Shuttle bus service will be provided April 3-4 between the hotel and the main gate at the Paris Expo, during show hours. A complementary lunch will be served on April 2, and the Conference Gala Dinner will be held the same evening at a Parisian restaurant yet to be selected.

For more information about the 2007 JEC COMPOSITES Show, contact JEC, Tel.: +33 1 58 36 15 18, E-mail: visitors@jeccomposites.com; Web site: www.jeccomposites.com.

For more information about SEICO 07, contact Sabine Kauer, SAMPE Europe Business Office (SEBO), Feldenendstrasse 2, D-52449 Eschweiler (Aachen), Germany, Tel.: +49 2421 808 58 00; Fax: +49 2402 34 759; E-mail: sebo@sampe-europe.org; Web site: www.sampe-europe.org.