Call for partners: Study on composites in buildings & infrastructure

In November 2016, Aachener Zentrum für integrativen Leichtbau (AZL), translated as the Aachen Center for Integrative Lightweight Production, in cooperation with AVK, the German Federation of Reinforced Plastics, will start a joint market and technology study on “New Potentials for Composite Technologies in Buildings & Infrastructure.” Companies along the value chain of the composites as well as the buildings & infrastructure markets are invited to join.

Buildings & infrastructure (B&I) are markets with enormous and growing potential for lightweight materials and related technologies. The new construction but also the rehabilitation and the renovation of existing buildings & infrastructure components will play a decisive role.

“In 2015, 34% of glass fiber-reinforced plastics on the European market were used in buildings & infrastructure composite applications. This market share is comparable with the largest sector for composites – the transportation sector which represents 35% of the European glass fiber-reinforced plastics market. The buildings & infrastructure market has a big potential for growth and will offer new business opportunities for composites,” says Elmar Witten, managing director of the AVK.

Based on the demand of AZL's international partner network, an expert team will reveal new potentials for composite technologies in buildings & infrastructure within a joint market and technology study. Drawing on technical expertise, but also a well-grounded knowledge of market specific information, AZL is determining where and with which applications, products, materials and production technologies new business opportunities will open. Therefore, AZL is creating and rating new scenarios for high potential applications and will provide necessary information to support product and service development of participating companies.

The six-month study is designed as a joint study involving players along the value chain. This approach allows participants to benefit from the knowledge of all study partners and experts who are involved into the project. Study participants will be a direct part of the study and will be able to influence the progress according to their specific demands. The study is the first step to initiate long term cooperation between players from the composite industry and buildings & infrastructure.

In two prioritization workshops, AZL together with the study partners determine the key segments as well as 100 technologies/applications with high market potentials. Ten of these will be investigated in detail including cost analyses. Michael Emonts, Managing Director of AZL Aachen GmbH summarizes the overall outcome of the study: “The study will comprise application analyses of 12 market segments, investigation of 100 applications, technology analyses of 25 highlight components and 10 detailed business cases. Besides requirement analyses for materials and production technologies, new concepts for efficient profitable production technologies are developed including cost engineering analysis.”

After completion of the study, a new workgroup with regular meetings will be implemented to enhance business cooperation and to realize applications with the highest market potential.

This approach has been successfully implemented within a branch independent joint study in 2013 with 34 participating international companies along the entire value chain. As a result from this first study, AZL set up its actual partnership network, various joint and bilateral development projects on the identified challenges as well as topic-related industrial workgroups with regularly semiannual meetings.

The buildings & infrastructure study will start with a kick-off meeting on Nov. 21, 2016 and is open for all companies along the value chain of the composites as well as buildings & infrastructure market. AZL partners and members of AVK companies will benefit from special conditions.

Interested companies can join before the kick-off meeting on Nov. 21st, 2016. Details on the study procedure and outcome as well as options for joining at this brochure are giving at this link: http://lightweight-production.com/buildings-infrastructure-study/