JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #43 - September 2008 - 3

SEPTEMBER 2008 No43 EDITORIAL MAGAZINE 45th year President and CEO/Publisher: Frédérique Mutel mutel@jeccomposites.com Rising oil prices, a real opportunity for composites! Stating that higher oil prices constitute an opportunity for composites might seem contradictory and difficult to prove. It is true that the initial result of a more expensive barrel of crude is a nearly automatic increase in the price of the raw materials that go into composite materials, and of all chemicals in general. It is also true that rising costs are not necessarily an aid to gaining a position in a highly competitive market. All this is perfectly obvious and no one would think to deny it. But there is also a more or less immediate reaction to higher crude prices, which is to save on energy by all possible means. And here, composite materials are in a rather good position. Their properties and main advantages – especially lower weight – make them practically indispensable in a large number of applications. Because a logical step to save on energy is to lower weight, the potential provided by the use of composite materials is considerable. The search for ways to eliminate weight is on in sectors like land, air and sea transportation, to mention only a few that are particularly affected. There isn’t a car builder or aircraft manufacturer around who wouldn’t like to decrease the weight of their products to reduce the energy factor. It would be logical to think that demand for composite materials will rise, and the statistics are leaning in that direction. Wind energy is another field where the higher oil prices can have a positive impact. The more expensive the barrel of crude, the more that wind energy will develop. Wind energy is a genuine complement to other energy sources, and it is already growing world wide at a phenomenal pace. Here again, composite materials are in a very good position, not to say indispensable, and all the more so because rotor blades just keep on getting bigger and bigger. These two examples out of many illustrate well that increasing oil prices can provide real growth opportunities for composite materials. So we have good reason to be optimistic. Editor-in-chief: Frédéric Reux Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 11 reux@jeccomposites.com Assistant editor: Franck Glowacz Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 04 glowacz@jeccomposites.com Technical topics: Pierre Lissac info@jeccomposites.com Copy-editor & Graphic designer: Marylène Guéret - gueret@jeccomposites.com Antoine Morel - morel@jeccomposites.com Advertising managers: Judith Blacker Africa, Asia Pacific, Benelux, Europe, Italy, Middle East, North America, Scandinavia & UK Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 74 blacker@jeccomposites.com Austria, Eastern Europe, France, Germany, Russia, Spain, Switzerland & South America Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 74 blacker@jeccomposites.com Circulation/Partnerships: presse@jeccomposites.com Sandrine Dumarquez dumarquez@jeccomposites.com Subscriptions: www.jeccomposites.com/magazine-subscription/ Fax: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 19 Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 08 dumarquez@jeccomposites.com Unit price: €20 (8 issues a year) Marketing/Communication: Patrice Sinthon, sinthon@jeccomposites.com Printing: SPEI - Pulnoy (54), France Legal registration: ISSN 1639-965X - CPPAP: 1007 T 82488 Dépôt légal : 3e trimestre 2008 Photos & illustrations: All rights reserved, unless mentioned. JEC Composites Magazine is published by JEC. 19, Bd de Courcelles 75008 Paris - France Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 01 Fax: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 14 www.jeccomposites.com The reproduction, even partial, of articles and illustrations is forbidden, unless prior permission is obtained from JEC Composites Magazine. The management of JEC Composites Magazine reserves the right to refuse advertising. Frédéric Reux Editor-in-chief Total average Circulation: 25,711 copies* 23,483 copies BPA average qualified circulation 2,228 BPA average non qualified circulation *(BPA June 2008 Statement) No43 September 2008 / JEC Composites Magazine

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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #43 - September 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #43 - September 2008