High-Performance Composites is read by qualified composites industry professionals in the fields of continuous carbon fiber and other high-performance composites as well as the associated end-markets of aerospace, military, and automotive.
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ADVERTISEMENT NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA: AN INNOVATIVE LOCATION THANKS TO NEW MATERIALS New materials form an important basis for innovative products and applications. North Rhine-Westphalia is already one of the leading locations for materials technology in Germany. As a result of the intensive cooperation between industry and research, the federal state possesses excellent credentials. The performance, cost-effectiveness and resource efficiency of many industrial products depends to a large extent on the materials used. For example, innovations in the materials sector can conserve material and energy resources or reduce pollution. Their possible applications range from automotive engineering and optics through electronics, modern communications technologies and medical technology to architecture and the construction industry. For North Rhine-Westphalia the field of new materials is one of the most important future industries. Today, 40 percent of the North Rhine-Westphalian gross domestic product is already generated with products and services based on innovative materials. With 6,110 companies and research facilities, 726,000 jobs and approx. 200 billion euros in sales, North Rhine-Westphalia is one of Germany's leading locations for new materials. Internationally renowned players such as 3M, Bayer, Evonik Industries, Henkel, Hydro Aluminium, Saertex and ThyssenKrupp develop and utilize new materials here. Many companies in this sector have their headquarters in the Ruhr Metropolis and the Rhineland in particular. For example, Bayer MaterialScience is working at Chempark Leverkusen on manufacturing high-grade plastics from the climate-damaging waste product carbon dioxide. Besides large corporations with international operations, the industry in North Rhine-Westphalia is characterized by innovative SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises). Zoz GmbH in Wenden, for example, is a world market leader in nanostructured materials. The ‚Zentallium' product developed here is as light as aluminum yet stronger than steel. Success stories like these are possible only as a result of close cooperation between science and industry. North Rhine-Westphalia offers the densest research network in Europe and ideal conditions for technology transfer. More than 22 universities and nonuniversity research institutes, including 120 specialized professorships, conduct research in North RhineWestphalia into the development of marketable products and processes in the field of new materials. Muensterland – top location for materials in North Rhine-Westphalia Situated in the north of North RhineWestphalia, Muensterland offers a broad spectrum of materials competences. The companies and research institutes based here are particularly innovative when it comes to the development of technical textiles, paints and varnishes. The international corporations BASF Coatings and Brillux, for example, are based here. Companies in the region are also world leaders in the production and application of composites and high-performance plastic and metal materials. How existing competences – such as the manufacture of textile surfaces – become future-oriented technologies through innovative materials is demonstrated by Saertex. The company makes extremely resilient industrial textiles out of fiberglass, carbon and aramid – so-called non-crimp fabrics (NCF). These extremely lightweight materials are processed individually as components for aircraft, wind turbines, bridges, ships and automobiles. Ready to go with NRW.INVEST – the one-stop agency for investors For the successful launch of investment projects you need a good start and reliable partners. As a one-stop agency, NRW.INVEST offers you the expertise and proven network combining business, science, administration and politics. As a state-owned economic development agency NRW.INVEST provides its services free of charge to companies from Germany and abroad. Besides two subsidiaries in Japan and the USA, NRW.INVEST GmbH operates representative offices in China, India, Korea, Russia and Turkey.