For the Fourth time already, nova-Institut GmbH is organising the German WPC congress, on the 13th and 14th December 2011. It will take place at the great hall in the Maritim hotel in Cologne. A large exhibition, the awarding of two innovation awards and activities of trade associations are framing this biggest european WPC-event. The congress predominantly picks up topics of the German-speaking WPC industry, but the speakers, exhibitors and participants are international – all talks will be translated simultaneously. 300 participants from several countries visited the “3rd German WPC congress” in 2009 and made it the biggest meeting point for the industry in Europe.
WPC in brief
WPC or “Wood Plastic Composites” are composites that are typically made from wood flour (up to 80%) and plastics such as polypropylene or polyethylene plus additives like adhesive agents, UV-protectors and pigments. The most important market for WPC are deckings, where WPC currently hold a market share of about 6%, with a high potential for growth, especially as a substitute for tropical wood. A significant rise has also taken place in applications for the furniture industry where for example several chairs and shelving systems are available already.
The production in Europe has now grown to 120.000 t/a in the building and furniture industry alone, plus 50.000 t per year for use in the automotive industry. This makes WPC one of the most important and successful new biomaterials. Leading WPC-producing countries and regions are Germany, Austria, The Benelux and Scandinavia.
Source: http://www.wpc-kongress.de |
