Anshu Awasthi takes a look at the growing superiority of composites in the construction and infrastructure industry in India Composites, the wonder lightweight materials with high strength-toweight ratio and stiffness properties, have come a long way in replacing the conventional materials like metals and woods in construction. The technology of reinforcing a matrix with manmade fibres such as glass, Kevlar, carbon, etc. has successfully met the challenges of the aerospace sector and now has cascaded down for application in the industrial and domestic sector. Strong economic growth continues to spur composite developments in Asia, with significant growth in the major markets of China and India, as well as in the Middle East, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. The current composites market amounts to more than $26 billion in Asia, and the growing use of advanced composites materials in India is slated to be one of key drivers for the composites market in the Asia-Pacific region. Composite materials have long provided an advanced material for building and construction, mass transportation and wind energy in India. The fibre reinforcements and resin matrix in composites reduce the weight of the structure by almost 27 per cent and bring flexibility to the metal. According to a survey of the composites market, the use of composites in industrial applications in India is poised to grow at an annual rate of 15 per cent through 2013.  With the fast pace of growth being set in Asia, there is a strong demand for leading-edge composites applications across a broad spectrum of industries, especially construction. Their dimensional stability and excellent corrosion resistance can replace wooden and heavy metallic parts in transportation (automobiles and railways) thus directly contributing to energy savings. Composite materials also provide an advanced material choice for wind energy, electronics and other growth industries in the Asia-Pacific region, such as pipes and tanks, offshore and waterfront solutions, sports and leisure applications. Acknowledging this fact and the growing demand for composites in construction industry, JEC, a leading company promoting composites internationally through knowledge transfer and exchanges between suppliers and users, has come up with ‘The JEC Show Asia 2010 conference and exhibition’ to be held soon in Singapore. The event will bring together science, technology and business of composites under one roof. This is the third instalment of the show, and, as composites production continues to increase in the region, JEC Show Asia is expected to grow in terms of exhibitors and visitor participation. This year, the show is set to welcome major players in all segments of the value chain, more than 300 exhibiting companies and 10,000 visitors. Frédérique Mutel, President and CEO, JEC, said that the JEC Show Asia 2010 aims to build on the enormous growth potential of the composite industry across the region by introducing innovative, market-ready solutions enabled by composite materials. Last year’s exhibition attracted 7,000 trade visitors from 56 countries.
Spotlight on Process Automation As the Asian production of composites doubles by 2015, the focus of the market will shift from North America and Europe to Asia in general and India in particular. The Indian infrastructure and automobile markets have been growing at an annual rate of 18 and 10 per cent respectively and are attracting the attention of many global vehicle manufacturers, which has presented a tremendous business opportunity in India. The large and fast-growing construction sector in India is expected to spearhead composites growth as well.
 The demand for improved manufacturing processes is set to grow steadily across different market segments as well, especially for highvalue-added applications such as the aeronautics and wind energy sectors. While Europe currently has the highest rate of automation, with 83 per cent of processes being automated as compared to 68 per cent in Asia, there is great potential for manufacturers in the Asia-Pacific region to leverage the innovative advantages of process automation to achieve cost reduction, improved productivity and higher product quality. There is an urgent need to spearhead technology development, demonstration and diffusion of novel composite products to increase awareness, technology adaptation, technology sourcing and subsequent transfer. There exists a considerable capability in India in the technological knowledge-base and adequate manpower to develop composite technology development. This effort will lead to substitution of scarce natural resources with synthetic and renewable composite materials and revolutionise material application technologies thus embarking into newer and more improved application for construction sectors. |
