JEC Innovation Awards winners announced

The 11 winners of the 2019 JEC Innovation Awards with the jury. © JEC Group

During the second day of JEC World, the world's largest composites exhibition that takes place in Paris this week, the winners of the JEC Innovation Awards were announced.

JEC Innovation Awards celebrate the fruitful cooperation between players of the composite community. Over the past 15 years, the JEC Innovation Awards have brought in 1,800 companies worldwide. 177 companies and 433 partners have been rewarded for the excellence of their composite innovations. The JEC Innovation Awards reward composites champions, based on criteria such as partner involvement in the value chain, technicality or commercial applications of innovations.

The ceremony was opened by Bertrand Piccard, the founder and visionary behind Solar Impulse, the first zero-fuel aircraft with perpetual autonomy.

The jury then announced the ten composite innovation champions selected among 30 finalists, from more than a hundred entries, and the public awarded its prize.

“JEC Group supports innovation and has created the Composites Reference Prize to reward industry champions and promote their innovations. Every year, we receive more than a hundred applications from all over the world,” explained Franck Glowacz, Composites Expert at JEC Group.

The 11 winners awarded include:

• Aerospace application: Herone – injection forming of gears on CF-PAEK drive shafts
• Aerospace process: Profactor – zero-defect manufacturing process
• Automotive application: Polyscope Polymers – composite guide for a roller-blind sunroof
• Automotive process: Evopro Systems Engineering – fast manufacturing of complex TP composites
• Construction and infrastructure: Arkema – bendable TP composite reinforcements for concrete
• Sustainability: Technical University of Denmark – Bio4self, self-reinforced PLA composites
• Sports and healthcare: KTM-Technologies – FMC for the KTM carbon skid plate
• 3D printing: Continuous Composites – continuous-fibre 3D printing
• Land transportation: Stratiforme Industries – ACCUM: universal composite catenary cantilever
• Industry and equipment: AZL Aachen – ultra-fast consolidator machine system
• Public prize: Cecence – fully FST compliant 16g composite aero seatback

A prestigious international jury included Anurag Bansal, Manager Global Business Development, Acciona Infraestructuras; Christophe Binetruy, Professor, EC Nantes; Robert Buchinger, CEO, Sunlumo Technology; Grahame Burrow, Global President, Magna Exteriors; Dominique Dubois, CEO, Carboman Group; Karl-Heinz Fueller, Manager Hybrid Materials, Concepts and AMG, Daimler; Sung Ha, Professor, Hanyang University; Murat Oguz Arcan, COO, Composites, Construction and Business Development, Kordsa; Henri Shin, Director – R&D Composites Innovation Center, Kolon; and Kiyoshi Uzawa, Professor/Director (PhD), Innovative Composite Center.

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