Ahead of GOCarbonFibre 2021 conference, we grabbed 60 seconds with Laurie Calligaris the Director of Sales and Marketing, Toray Performance Materials Corporation, to get a sneak peek of what we can expect from her presentation. Here's what she had to say...
You will deliver a presentation focusing on “The Material Edge®: Introduction to Toray CFRT® composites, high-volume production capabilities, and designing with CFRT® “. Please could you please give us a quick overview of what you would be sharing with our audience?
Through this presentation we would like to introduce Toray CFRT® materials which are continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composite materials, components, and solutions. For over 30 years we’ve helped companies realize the advantages of thermoplastic composites as advanced structural reinforcements through the integration of engineered solutions and downstream processing. It's this vertical strength coupled with the advantages of thermoplastic composites that enables our customers to achieve innovations in their products - innovations that provide cost, performance and aesthetics advantages exceeding that of more conventional reinforcement solutions.
How does the carbon fibre industry market look today?
The carbon fibre industry is very competitive and at the same time there is a lot of growth. We are finding that innovation, sustainability, and performance are the key differentiators in the composites industry today. Companies that stand out are the ones who can reinvent themselves while doing so in a sustainable way and without compromising performance. We believe that Toray CFRT® materials can achieve exactly that.
What have been the most significant shifts in the carbon fibre and composites industry over the last couple of years?
The most significant shifts have been the movement towards a circular economy and sustainability. There is a large demand for more responsible products. The Toray Group has worked diligently to pursue a process of co-creation with every customer in the supply chain, while ensuring mutual collaboration between our inherent R&D, marketing and production strengths. Our goal is to become a Zero Discharge production facility.
The past year has been one of many challenges – how do you see the carbon fibre and composites industry overcoming these challenges and moving forward?
Certainly, the global pandemic has posed a challenge for everyone in the past year. In some ways, the pandemic has permanently altered the way we operate; However, we don’t see that COVID-19 has altered operations to the extent that we’re unable to adapt to this adversity. Moving forward, supply chain security and the ability to find alternative ways to safely operate, will play a key role in overcoming these challenges.
Why do you think people should attend Go Carbon Fibre 2021?
GoCarbonFibre 2021 is an excellent way to connect with professionals in the carbon fibre and composites industry. The unique virtual platform this year unlocks the opportunity for attendees to speak with industry experts and vice versa, on a more global scale as geographical location is no longer a barrier to attend. We would like to thank the GoCarbonFibre team for allowing us the opportunity to present at this event and we look forward to meeting attendees at the show!
