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MOTORINDIA
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May 2012
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JEC Europe consolidates composites
market leadership
JEC Europe 2012, a platform
for the composites industry,
attracted almost 1,200 exhibi-
tors from all over the world. It
had 32,256 visitors this year as
against 29,867 in 2011, testifying to
the appeal of the global meet.
At the core of the event was auto-
mation of production and the inves-
tigation in sector-specific composite
solutions. Indeed, one out of every
two visitors was a user seeking solu-
tions for aeronautical, marine, auto-
motive, construction, infrastructure,
energy or sports & leisure applica-
tions.
Said JEC Group President and
CEO Frédérique Mutel: “Europe
can be proud of its leading posi-
tion in the global market in terms of
composite products manufacturing.
Technologically, the continent oc-
cupies the top slot in the sector, and
the dimensions of JEC Europe 2012
reflected this leading role”.
In Europe, every effort is being
channelled into the automation of
production. It is also a key challenge
for the global composite industry.
As Frédérique Mutel explains: “52%
of the composite patents filed in Eu-
rope for the period 2010-2011
concerned ‘process’ innova-
tions. This proportion is un-
paralleled anywhere else in the
world. In the US and Japan, the
equivalent proportion is 23% and
16% respectively. We are well on
track to ensuring the satisfaction of
today’s worldwide mass production
needs.”
With its 10-year track record, JEC
is pursuing a unique strategy, and
continues to attract more and more
buyers. One out of every two visi-
tors is a user seeking solutions for
aeronautical, marine, automotive,
construction, infrastructure, energy
or sports & leisure applications.
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events
IERA Award nominees
Five finalists have been nominated by the IERA
Award Committee to present their story of the gen-
esis of a successful innovative product in robotics
and automation at a special session on May 23 at
Automatica in Munich. The Award ceremony will
take place the same day during the IERA Award Net-
working Dinner.
The nominees finalised are Mario E. Munich, Evo-
lution Robotics, USA – “Mint - The First Intelligent
Mopper and Sweeper Robot”; Dr. Michele Guarnieri,
HiBot Corporation, Japan – “Expliner - Robot for In-
spection of very high Voltage Transmission Lines”;
Torsten Kroeger, Reflexxes GmbH, Germany – “The
Reflexxes Motion Libraries”; Gino De-Gol, Robo-
Coaster Ltd., UK – “Passenger Carrying Industrial
Robotics”; and Thomas Visti, Universal Robots Aps,
Denmark – “UR5 - a flexible and eco-friendly robot
arm”.
The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) and
the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (IEEE/
RAS) are the sponsors of the Invention and Entre-
preneurship in Robotics and Automation Award. The
purpose of the Award is to highlight and honor the
achievements of the inventors with value creating
ideas and entrepreneurs who propel those ideas into
world-class products. At the same time, the joint dis-
position of the award underlines the determination of
both the organizations to promote stronger collabora-
tion between robotics science and robotics industry.
The selected finalists must verify their products in
terms of innovative and entrepreneurial aspects.
The ultimate winner will be chosen by the Awards
Committee, and a prestigious plaque and a $2,000
prize will be awarded to the winner during the Award
Networking Dinner.
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