JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #87 - March 2014 Special JEC Europe - 39

interview
Jos A. ter Laak & René M. Homan
presidents of VKCN (shared position)
(Dutch Association of Reinforced Plastic
Manufacturers)

JEC Composites Magazine: Could you give
us an overview of the Dutch composite
market in volume and value?

Jos ter Laak & René Homan :

The GRP industry in the Netherlands/
Benelux is similar to other countries in
Europe, although the Netherlands are
leading in track record and innovation.
According to AVK's statistics, the GRP
production volume was about 40,000
tonnes in Benelux in 2013.
In the Netherlands, there are approximately 350 companies involved in composites production. 30 of them have over
100 employees, 80 employ 10 to 100
people and 125 smaller companies work
with less than 10 people.
In addition, about 25 companies are only
assembling composite parts, and therefore
are not included in composite manufacturers. About 40 suppliers and producers
of raw materials are related to the Dutch
composite industry, as well as 15 research
institutes and 10 engineering companies
and R&D facilities.

to more challenging uses to (partly)
substitute existing materials. High growth
is noticeable in bridges, façade panels and
the high-tech industry. Quite a number
of Dutch companies are involved in the
global aerospace industry. The potential
for the Dutch market is very high.
JCM: Which markets are driving the composite sector's growth?

J. L. & R. H. : The Dutch composites
industry includes:
- large multinational manufacturers of raw
materials and chemicals;
- relatively large (component) manufacturers in the marine (shipbuilding),
aerospace, defence, oil & gas (including
piping) and automotive (transport, buses,
railway) sectors;
- mainly small or medium-sized (component) manufacturers in the building &
construction sector.
Growth is driven by an increased penetration of composites in the aerospace,
defence and oil & gas markets, and
especially the automotive sector with
many new applications. In addition, a new,
low-end market is opening up: infrastructure (bridges, lock doors, etc.). Literally
several thousands of bridges will be either
strengthened, replaced or newly built in
the coming years and a significant part
of them will be in composites, replacing
steel, concrete and wood. A growing interest in replacing traditional construction
materials with composites is also observed

in the sectors of machine building and
heavy moving/lifting/digging gear, but
whether this will result in new applications remains to be seen.
JCM: How do Dutch companies stand with
respect to export or international business?

J. L. & R. H. : Integrated production
technology is becoming essential for
high-wage countries such as the Netherlands and material and energy efficiency
are ever more important. The interaction
between business and research, as well
as investments in R&D and IP, are key
factors in the success and innovative
power of the GRP industry. The market
is highly dynamic, especially in the area
of manufacturing, which is dominated
by small- and medium-sized companies.
These companies are seeking new areas
of application for their products, diversifying their ranges and even the smallest
companies are increasingly internationalising both the purchasing and sales sides of
their business.
JCM: Is there a desire on the part of
the Netherlands as a country and of its
composite players to specialize in certain
segments, and if so, which ones?

J. L. & R. H. : For a company, focussing
on one segment is important to succeed
in new applications, although we don't
see much specialization in specific sectors
in the Netherlands. Most companies
continue in the segments where they
have been active for a long time. There

JCM: What role does the composite sector
play and how much weight does it carry in
the Dutch economy?

J. L. & R. H. : In the Netherlands,
people are strongly focusing on new
materials and new applications. In this
respect, composites are very important as
a relatively new material. At the moment,
the composite market is evolving from
penetrating obvious application markets

Inspiring Dutch composite projects: Seamless monolithic façade of Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (realised by Holland Composites BV) (left) & Nuna 7, built by Schaap Composites, winner of the World Solar Challenge 2013 (right)

No87 March 2014 /

jec composites magazine 39

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #87 - March 2014 Special JEC Europe

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #87 - March 2014 Special JEC Europe