Syensqo and Airbus teams meet at Farnborough Airshow 2026. Source | Syensqo 

Syensqo (Brussels, Belgium) has secured a new long-term supply agreement with Airbus (Toulouse, France). Under the contract, Syensqo will continue to supply a broad range of advanced materials from its portfolio including prepregs, resin transfer molding (RTM) resins, adhesives and primers to support Airbus programs across commercial aircraft, space and defense, and helicopter platforms.

The aerospace and defense market is experiencing unprecedented growth, driven by increasing demand for advanced materials that enable efficient manufacturing processes and support ambitious production rates (several related announcements were made at Farnborough 2026). With its global manufacturing network, application development capabilities and deep industry expertise, Syensqo is confident that it is well positioned to partner with OEMs and Tier suppliers to meet these evolving market needs.

Aerospace continues to be an important growth driver for Syensqo, with sustained demand in civil aviation expected to support volume growth in its Composite Materials business throughout 2026. The company is planned to support the MV-75 Cheyenne defense aircraft, while it broke ground at a site in Maryland focused on aerocomposites production support.

Source | Sonaca Group

Sonaca Group (Gosselies (Charleroi), Belgium) announces the signing of a multiyear contract with Otto Aerospace (Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.) for the development of the Phantom 3500 business jet.

At the heart of the program is a concept known as natural laminar flow, which helps reduce aerodynamic drag by maintaining a smoother airflow over the aircraft’s surfaces. While the principle has been known for decades, applying it successfully to a large aircraft wing remains a major engineering challenge.

Under this partnership, Sonaca will be responsible, in close collaboration with Otto Aerospace, for the design, industrialization and manufacturing of the prototype’s wings, fixed leading edges and empennage. The group will also support certification activities.

While the Sonaca announcement doesn’t explicitly state materials use in describing the wing, previous coverage verifies the aircraft’s use of carbon fiber composites to achieve efficiency targets. Sonaca itself maintains established composites manufacturing capabilities, in addition to its more widely known metallics expertise, with dedicated composite sites internationally — including a Spanish facility that specializes in the manufacture of aeronautical components from composite materials, including large structural parts. Materials the prototype wing will leverage will likely be detailed further down the line.

Around 50 engineers from Sonaca’s Belgian and Brazilian development teams are currently involved in the Phantom 3500 program, with the first deliveries scheduled for 2027. 

Beyond its improved environmental performance, the Phantom 3500 is expected to offer greater operational flexibility, enabling access to a wider range of airports than conventional business jets. For Yves Delatte, CEO of Sonaca Group, the program reflects the type of technological challenge that aligns with Sonaca’s expertise. “Industrializing a 20-meter laminar flow wing with the level of precision required for aircraft certification is a challenge,” Delatte says. “This is exactly the kind of engineering challenge that defines Sonaca’s expertise.”

The agreement is also part of a broader collaboration with Otto Aerospace and supports Sonaca’s strategy of expanding its presence in innovative, technology-driven programs alongside its commercial aerospace, defense and space activities.

Source | Getty Images

Strata Manufacturing PJSC (Strata, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates), a wholly owned company of Mubadala Investment Co., and Embraer (São José dos Campos, Brazil), have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that establishes a framework for evaluating Strata’s potential supply of advanced composite material aerostructures for Embraer’s commercial aircraft programs. Under the agreement, the companies will collaborate on evaluating work packages for the E2 family of commercial jets, following a structured schedule of technical, commercial and contractual goals.

In addition to the E2 program, the MOU outlines the joint intention to explore cooperation opportunities in other Embraer aircraft platforms.

The agreement reinforces Strata’s continued expansion in the global aerospace sector and aligns with its strategy of strengthening long-term partnerships with leading aircraft manufacturers. The initiative also supports the company’s vision of positioning the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a globally competitive hub for advanced aerospace manufacturing.

Source | CW

National Composites Week (NCW), the annual industry-wide celebration of composite materials and manufacturing, returns Aug. 24-28, 2026, built around the theme “Composites are built to scale.” This year’s observance ties into trends that have increasingly defined composites coverage over the past year, including the push toward automation and high-rate production as manufacturers scale composite part output to meet demand across aerospace, defense, infrastructure, energy and other markets.

Founded in 2019, NCW gives fabricators, manufacturers, suppliers and partners a shared platform to raise public awareness of composites’ role in manufacturing, with each year’s theme tracking a shift in industry focus — from 2024’s “Composites Reinvent the World” to 2025’s “Composites — Performance With Purpose.”

This year’s theme follows what CompositesWorld’s own reporting describes as a decisive shift toward high-rate production. While aerospace and defense programs have driven much of that automation push, the built-to-scale theme is broad by design, framed to cover manufacturing efficiency gains across every end market NCW touches, not aerospace and defense alone.

“While the quest for high-rate production solutions isn’t new, it has certainly intensified over the past year,” says CW editor-in-chief Scott Francis. “The composites industry is constantly working to find new ways to meet growing demands in a host of markets. Anticipation of next-generation commercial aerospace programs, the growing demands from defense, the rapid expansion of data center infrastructure, and the increased cadence of space launches and the proliferation of constellation satellite programs are just a few examples of areas driving demand for composite solutions. It’s truly an exciting time to be part of this industry.” 

Companies across the composites supply chain are encouraged to participate by hosting a digital plant tour or open house, sharing success stories and unique part applications through their own websites and social channels, engaging local STEM students and equipping employees to share their work with family and friends. Need ideas or resources to get started? Download our NCW Toolkit here for promotional materials, planning tips, press release templates and more.

Participants are also encouraged to document their events with photos or video for use with local media and social platforms, and to post using hashtags #NationalCompositesWeek and #CompositesBuiltToScale. Make sure to tag CW on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X as well so we can reshare! 

Companies participating in this year’s NCW can also be featured on the NCW website. Interested companies are encouraged to email a high-resolution version of their logo to press@compositesworld.com.

Source | Getty Images

Lincoln Composite Materials Inc. (LCM, Huntington Beach, Calif., U.S.), a manufacturer of prepregs and structural film adhesives for aerospace and defense applications, contends that the Pentagon’s current speed-to-scale push has centered on prime contractors and Tier 1 part producers while overlooking the qualified specialty material suppliers that ultimately determine how fast production can expand. In an article on the subject, the company argues that acquisition policy must recognize where defense production capacity actually originates, which is further upstream rather than final assembly.

LCM points to the war in Ukraine as evidence that modern conflict consumes munitions faster than the U.S. and its allies can replace them, an experience it says has accelerated acquisition reform and industrial mobilization efforts. Still, the company notes that current reforms rarely extend to the point of origin for production readiness, which include prepregs, structural film adhesives, bonding primers, specialty metals, rare earth materials, batteries and electronics.

“In many aerospace and defense applications, materials are not interchangeable commodities,” LCM says. Because many of these inputs are governed by engineering drawings, qualification histories and certification requirements rather than treated as interchangeable commodities, adding capacity often requires engineering validation well before new production becomes available.

To close that gap, the company recommends that acquisition teams evaluate upstream material readiness during the materiel solution analysis and analysis of alternatives phases, alongside cost, schedule and technical performance — essentially assessing qualified second sources, lead times, shelf-life constraints and a supplier’s ability to expand capacity. The company also argues that small- and mid-sized specialty material manufacturers cannot responsibly invest in additional capacity based on generalized urgency alone, and instead need predictable demand signals to justify workforce, equipment and inventory investments. 

The full article is available for download here.

Source | CompSTLar

The EU-funded CompSTLar project has reached a manufacturing milestone, with partner Aimplas (Valencia, Spain) successfully producing continuous graphene-enhanced unidirectional (UD) carbon fiber tapes at laboratory scale. The consortium sees this as a step forward in the development of multifunctional thermoplastic composites (TPC) for aerospace applications.

CompSTLar, coordinated by Aimen Technology Centre (O Porriño, Spain), is a Horizon Research and Innovation Actions project that is advancing the design, manufacturing, maintenance and recycling of high-performance composite aerostructures for next-gen aircraft (February 2025 – July 2028). Within that broader effort, Aimplas is developing the UD tapes using graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), graphene/carbon nanotube hybrid nanofillers and a Victrex (Cleveleys, U.K.) LMPAEK matrix, with the goal of producing multifunctional composites with enhanced electrical conductivity and susceptibility to laser irradiation.

According to the project’s latest LinkedIn post, processing temperature proved to be a critical variable during manufacturing trials. At approximately 400°C, the material became too viscous for adequate fiber impregnation. Reducing the temperature to approximately 330°C yielded a stable process with acceptable fiber wetting. Partners note that elevated temperatures may affect the polymer matrix — particularly in the presence of graphene-based additives — and that understanding this behavior is considered key to eventual scale-up.

Now at technology readiness level (TRL) 3-4, the project’s next steps include evaluating higher nanofiller contents, assessing their impact on electrical performance and conducting automated tape placement (ATP) trials.

For more information, Pablo Romero Rodríguez, Aimen project coordinator, summarizes the last 18 months of the project in this Q&A. Also read more about the project on CW.

Hexcel VP is appointed to ACMA board of directors

Source | Hexcel

The American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA, Arlington, Va., U.S.) and Hexcel Corp. (Stamford, Conn., U.S.) have announced the appointment of Imad Atallah, vice president of product management and commercial growth, Americas and Global Fibers at Hexcel, to the ACMA board of directors.

Atallah brings more than 30 years of experience in aerospace and advanced materials, with leadership roles spanning product management, engineering and business strategy. In his current role at Hexcel, he leads the commercial aerospace growth customer business team and product management for Hexcel’s carbon fibers, reinforcements and matrix portfolio — core technologies enabling next-generation aerospace, defense and industrial applications.

As a member of the ACMA board, Atallah will contribute to advancing the association’s strategic priorities, including expanding the adoption of composite materials, strengthening industry advocacy and supporting workforce development across the composites value chain.

“Our board of directors play a critical role in shaping ACMA’s strategic direction and advancing the long-term success of the composites industry,” says Cindy L. Squires, Esq., president and CEO of ACMA. “Composed of leaders from across the composites value chain that bring diverse expertise and perspectives that help strengthen industry advocacy, guide key initiatives and support innovation, workforce development and market growth.”

Atallah’s career includes senior roles in product and program leadership, with a focus on accelerating market adoption, supporting customer innovation and advancing high-performance materials across aerospace platforms. His experience spans both OEM and supplier environments, providing a broad perspective on the composites ecosystem.

Passenger markets director brings broad perspective to Hybrid Air Vehicles 

Source | Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV)

Jonathan Sumner has joined Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV, Bedford, U.K.) as its new passenger markets director. With a background spanning airlines, private aviation and emerging mobility ventures, Sumner brings a broad perspective on changing passenger expectations and where Airlander fits in the market. 

His role within HAV’s commercial team is focused on understanding global passenger markets, building new customer opportunities for Airlander and supporting the sale of Airlander into markets where it will transform regional connectivity and offer new passenger experiences. To date, these markets have already generated the majority of current aircraft reservations for the Airlander 10.

“My focus is on identifying clear use cases, developing the right value propositions around those use cases and engaging with operators and businesses where there is a strong commercial and scalable fit,” says Sumner. “I’m most looking forward to identifying new prospects in major global markets. While responses will vary across different markets and operators, I believe that all will share that realization that Airlander brings a unique and flexible solution that creates new possibilities, well beyond the reach of conventional aircraft or the majority of future AAM designs.”

Sumner’s background spans aviation and aerospace, with additional experience in software as a service, climate change technologies and marketing services. He spent around 10 years in the airline sector with United Airlines, Star Alliance and Delta Air Lines, before moving into a more entrepreneurial career working with a series of startups and new ventures. This included work with air taxi company Farnborough Aircraft, private aviation platform FlyVictor and Earth-i, where he worked on satellite data solutions.

A defining moment came while working with smallholder coffee farmers in East Africa, using satellite-based data analytics to help them combat the impact of climate change on their crops and their communities. Since then, Sumner has combined his passion for all things aviation with a new passion for tackling climate change.

Toray Advanced Composites appoints managing director for Europe

Source | Toray Advanced Composites

In early July, Toray Advanced Composites (Nijverdal, The Netherlands) announced the appointment of Dr. Jan Nowacki as its managing director, Europe. Nowacki succeeds David Bernard, who is retiring after a distinguished 40-year career in the advanced composite materials industry.

Nowacki joins Toray Advanced Composites with more than two decades of experience in aerospace and advanced manufacturing. He has led complex manufacturing operations and global supply chains, with a strong track record of driving operational excellence, business growth and innovation. Nowacki holds a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Kaiserslautern and a Ph.D. in composite materials from the Institut fϋr Verbundwerkstoffe – Kaiserslautern.

“Jan brings a wealth of knowledge, leadership experience and industry expertise that will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our position in key markets,” says Scott Unger, CEO. “His appointment reflects our commitment to investing in the future of our European business. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to David for his many years of dedication, leadership and contributions to the company. We wish him every success in his well-deserved retirement.”

Nowacki’s appointment follows the recent addition of Guillaume Coustaud as commercial director for Europe.

Umoe announcements CCO appointment

Umoe Advanced Composites (UAC, Kristiansand, Norway) has appointed Frode Grøvan as chief commercial officer (CCO), effective Sept. 1, 2026.

Grøvan joins UAC with more than 15 years of commercial and leadership experience from the industrial, maritime and environmental sectors. He is currently serving as CCO at Lindum AS and has previously held senior commercial leadership roles at Mandals AS, Norsafe Group and Cargotec. He has also worked as an offshore projects broker at Pareto Shipbrokers.

“This appointment is an important step in strengthening our commercial organization and preparing UAC for the opportunities ahead,” says Lars Erik Lunøe, CEO of Umoe Advanced Composites. “Frode’s combination of technical expertise and commercial leadership experience will be instrumental as we continue to develop our customer relationships and strengthen our position in the renewable energy market.”

Grøvan looks forward to building on UAC’s strong sales team and deliveries to customers in more than 40 countries. “I will be expanding our market presence and helping customers realize the benefits of UAC’s composite expertise, optimal total cost of ownership, high safety standards and globally approved solutions.”

Grøvan holds a Master of Science degree from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

Carbitex hire brings biomechanics in-house

Carbitex (Kennewick, Wash., U.S.), the company developing flexible carbon fiber materials used in performance footwear, announces the appointment of Dheepak Arumukhom Revi, Ph.D., to the newly created role of principal scientist.

Arumukhom Revi’s career has focused on translating movement science into practical technologies that improve mobility, comfort and performance in healthy individuals and people with neurological impairments. Prior to joining Carbitex, Arumukhom Revi held research and engineering roles at REEV, Harvard University and Boston University, where he developed wearable sensing systems, robotic assistance technologies and data-driven approaches for understanding human movement. He earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Boston University in 2025 and has authored numerous scientific publications and patents in the fields of biomechanics, wearable sensing and neurorehabilitation.

“Having Dheepak on board at Carbitex brings biomechanics capabilities in-house and strengthens our science-led product and technology development,” says Junus Khan, president and founder of Carbitex. “While we’ll still collaborate with external labs, our internal capability will allow us to advance our development significantly faster and conduct more fundamental research.”

In his new role, Arumukhom Revi will accelerate product integration with brand partners by translating biomechanical insights into practical solutions and driving research that will support product innovations, concepts, and performance benefits for the footwear industry. Arumukhom Revi will contribute to the scientific foundation behind Carbitex’s recently launched educational hub, the Center for Better Flex, helping expand the collective understanding of footwear flex and movement.

Beyond athletic and casual footwear, Arumukhom Revi will help explore Carbitex applications in work, medical and other specialized categories where engineered biomechanics can create meaningful value.

Cevotec welcomes GTM engineer

Source | Cevotec

Cevotec (Munich, Germany) welcomes Patrick Schwarz to its team as its new GTM engineer. With a background in sales, marketing and go-to-market strategy, Schwarz will help strengthen the company’s go-to-market activities, streamline processes and drive scalable growth for fiber patch placement (FPP) technology.

Schwarz brings experience at companies including Salesforce and Publicis Sapient, and has worked independently as a freelancer. With an apprenticeship as a packaging technologist and studies in sports, culture and event management, he combines practical know-how with a strong understanding of communication, organization and market-driven thinking.

At Cevotec, Schwarz is focused on building a powerful sales and marketing machine to help strengthen its go-to-market activities, streamline processes and drive scalable growth for FPP.

When asked why he joined Cevotec, Schwarz shares that he missed working for a company that builds a real product. At Cevotec, he sees the opportunity to contribute to tangible innovation at the intersection of hardware, software, automation and advanced composites.

Source | nlcomp

More than 4,000 square meters of indoor and outdoor spaces, and an ambitious pipeline of projects are already underway following the inauguration of the rFactory, Northern Light Composites’ (nlcomp, Monfalcone Italy) first production plant, located in the Monfalcone industrial zone along the Lisert navigable canal.

For the company — founded as a startup in 2019 and today part of the Samer Group, with Samer & Co. Shipping S.p.A., CDP Venture (through the Cleantech Accelerator), Tasci Srl and Ocean S.p.A. (the latter having recently entered the shareholder base) — it marks a strategic step in the growth and development of its activities.

“We take a further step needed to start a real industrial journey, inside a facility that has been built in our image,” says nlcomp CEO Fabio Bignolini, on behalf of the founding partners Piernicola Paoletti, Andrea Paduano and Alessandro Stagni. “There are many thanks to give: To the Samer Group and all our shareholders for their support, to the local community that welcomed us and to the people who are part of our project. We look forward to future challenges — the first being the recruitment of specialized personnel to meet our market’s demands.”

The nlcomp plant is dedicated to the production of sustainable composite materials. Currently inside the facility, the fit-out of the Offshore 34 is already underway. Offshore 34 is a sailing yacht designed by Gianluca Guelfi and Fabio D’Angeli, marketed under the Northern Light brand and built entirely with nlcomp’s sustainable composites technologies, with its official launch scheduled for October 2026.

“We are not inaugurating a space that needs to be filled, but one that is already highly dense,” Bignolini says. “We have numerous projects running across different markets, and we keep pushing our R&D. RFactory will allow us to work more efficiently and shorten our time to market.”

Following the Offshore 34, the plant will begin production of the first two units — already sold — of its new 30-foot vessel launched with the support of Studio Cossutti Ganz, another hull designed for offshore sailing that marks a further evolution: the combination of wood with composite materials.

Projects from other sectors are also based at rFactory. In the coming weeks, production will begin on rComposite sails for the wind propulsion segment in maritime transport. The initiative is part of a project developed in partnership with two other regional players, and aims to help spread innovative technologies for reducing fuel consumption and emissions from ships. In parallel, in partnership with international companies, production of components for electric outboard motors has begun. 

Nlcomp has also announced that it is taking part in an international program run by Amazon. As one of the companies selected, nlcomp will be developing sustainable components for the sports sector, starting with surf, wing and SUP boards, plus accessories for skiing and cycling.

Stay up to date on nlcomp developments on CW, from its work with sustainable composite materials to its sailboat development and maritime industry support.

Source | SPE ACCE

Justine Johnson, Michigan chief mobility officer of the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME), Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC), is presenting “The Next Generation of Mobility Starts in Michigan” as the 2026 SPE Automotive Composites Conference & Expo’s (ACCE) fourth keynote. The event takes place Sept. 9-10 in Novi, Michigan.

Johnson will explore how Michigan is building on its legacy of innovation, manufacturing excellence and the ability to adapt as the industry evolves to lead the next generation of transportation. She will discuss Michigan’s approach to accelerating electrification, supporting advanced mobility technologies, strengthening domestic supply chains and creating the workforce needed to compete globally. Attendees will gain insight into how collaboration across industry, academia and government is helping position Michigan as the nation’s proving ground for the future of mobility.

As chief mobility officer for the state of Michigan, Johnson leads the state’s OFME in working across state government, academia and private industry to enhance Michigan’s mobility ecosystem, including developing dynamic mobility and electrification policies and supporting the startup and scale-up of emerging mobility technologies and businesses. She plays a critical role in driving a first-of-its-kind partnership between the MEDC, Department of Labor and Opportunity, Department of Transportation, Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the Governor’s Office.

Johnson is an accomplished economic development and mobility executive with more than 10 years of experience in external affairs, strategy and government and community relations. Prior to joining Team Michigan, she was appointed to the Los Angeles County Aviation Commission to advise the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on the operations and development of the county’s five airports. In addition to this role, she served as the director of member engagement at the California Mobility Center (CMC) which is a nonprofit that promotes commercial interactions with new mobility companies and industry-leading entities to deploy new products, programs and services in clean mobility in the state of California, and beyond.

Previously, Johnson served as the head of mobility engagement for the SoCal/Southwest Region at Ford Motor Co. This promotion was a result of her successful tenure as Ford’s mobility strategist. During her time in New York City, she served as VP of government and community relations for the New York City Economic Development Corp., managing government and community relations for Mayor de Blasio’s innovative commuter ferry system. However, her impact on transportation initiatives within NYC was initially established during her time with the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission where she worked on the “Boro Taxi” project, also known as the Green Taxi program, which created a new for-hire vehicle and driver classification.

Source (All Images) | Teijin Ltd.

Teijin Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) has developed a long carbon fiber-reinforced (CFRP) thermoset composite that combines a heat-activated, self-healing function with high recyclability and equivalent mechanical properties to conventional CFRP.

The novel material has shown that damaged areas can be repaired via heat for a short time at a specified temperature. The goal here is enabling repair rather than replacement, thus helping to extend product lifetime and reduce resource consumption. An ability to exhibit flowability after molding makes it possible to recycle the material through compression molding and other methods and to reclaim it via a simple chemical decomposition process — i.e., soaking the CFRP in a specific chemical solution to easily separate the long carbon fibers from the thermoset resin, reclaiming the materials with low environmental impact and optimal efficiency.

Teijin says it will begin providing samples of this developmental CFRP product in 2028, and will continue to advance R&D — from material formulation and component design to recycling processes — in collaboration with universities and research institutions; the company is currently seeking opportunities for joint development projects. 

Teijin also seeks to eventually expand the use of the healable, recyclable CFRP in a wide range of applications, focusing primarily on aircraft, automotive, industrial machinery and other use cases where there is strong demand for weight reduction, improved durability and reduced environmental impact.

To date, Teijin has worked to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and cut waste through initiatives such as the development of Tenax Next, its carbon fiber brand based on circular feedstocks. Now, Teijin has leveraged its renowned polymer material design technologies, cultivated over many years, to develop this latest healable and recyclable resin.

Results were obtained, in part, through the Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP) “Building a Circular Economy System” of the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI), Cabinet Office (implementing agency: Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency, Independent Administrative Institution) (JPJ012290).