The last issue of the magazine for 2010 has just gone to print. Has it been a better year for the composites industry than 2009? In general, it would seem so.
Looking back through this year’s news, there are certainly several markets where activity is good:
- wind energy remains a strong, but volatile, market, attracting a plethora of new composite products this year;
- carbon fibre demand is picking up and several car makers (most notably BMW) are investing in carbon composites;
- Boeing is testing its 787 Dreamliner but deliveries have been pushed back into 2011, while production on the Airbus A350 XWB is getting underway.
Suppliers are investing in China, India, Turkey and Brazil, while regular price increases continue to ripple through the supply chain.
The European industry is showing signs of recovery, but could recently-imposed anti-dumping duties on Chinese glass fibre productsimpede this?
With a focus on productivity and quality, interest in manufacturing and modelling software and automation techniques is growing. Sustainability is high on the agenda for many organisations.
What will 2011 hold? Follow all the news on ReinforcedPlastics.com ...
