The organizers of Composites Europe say that the show experienced lower demand from both exhibitors and visitors this year. In total, organiser Reed Exhibitions registered 310 exhibitors, down from 354 in 2018, and 7,581 visitors, down from 8,148 from 64 countries, a decrease of 7%.
This was reportedly due to a downturn in the automotive industry, which is suffering from declining sales and proposed trade barriers, and the plant and mechanical engineering sector affected by the economy.
However, there is increased demand for composites in the aerospace and construction sector, Composites Europe said.
According to AVK – Federation of Reinforced Plastics’ report, presented at the show, after years of growth, the market for glass-fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) in Europe stagnated in 2019. Total production volume in 2019 is on track to remain flat compared to the prior year, at 1.141 million metric tonnes. The current sales crisis in the automotive sector, which responds more quickly than the construction industry, shows up in the market developments expected by the GFRP industry. ‘Due to market shifts, the future market prospects of the construction/infrastructure sector must be seen for the first time as greater than those of the transport sector,’ said Dr Elmar Witten, managing director of AVK.
The 15th Composites Europe will take place in Stuttgart from 10 to 12 November 2020.
This story uses material from Composites Europe, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
