Representatives from across the composites supply chain, including major end users, research organisations and technology developers, are coming together in the Composites Forum at the Advanced Engineering Show 2026, taking place at the NEC Birmingham on 4 and 5 November.
As the headline industry partner for Advanced Engineering, Composites UK has curated a programme designed to look beyond individual technologies and address the bigger questions facing the UK composites industry, from where future markets are emerging and what customers will need, to how composites can be manufactured at scale and made more sustainable.
The programme brings together three perspectives: the customer, with major end users from sectors including aerospace, automotive and renewable energy; the composites supply chain, spanning materials, manufacturing and engineering; and the wider innovation ecosystem, including universities, research organisations and technology developers.
Across the two days, delegates will explore five overarching questions:
- Where is the market going?
- What do future customers need from composites?
- What are the biggest challenges to industrialising composites?
- What new technologies and materials can address those challenges?
- How can the industry make composites more circular and sustainable?
Each session will feature a series of short presentations followed by a panel discussion, providing opportunities for delegates to put questions directly to industry experts and encouraging discussion rather than simply a series of presentations.
The first day takes a strategic, market-facing approach, exploring the opportunities ahead for advanced materials and the requirements of future markets.
Sessions will look at the role of advanced materials in delivering real-world industrial advantage, whether the UK can capture a greater share of the global composites opportunity, and what the next generation of aircraft and propulsion systems will require from composites.
The programme will then turn to one of the industry’s key challenges: moving from successful demonstrators to high-rate, cost-effective production. Digitalisation will also be explored as an enabler for making composite manufacturing faster, more predictable and competitive, before the day concludes by considering emerging mobility markets including electric vehicles, advanced air mobility and autonomous systems.
The second day focuses more closely on technology, innovation and sustainability.
The programme will examine how manufacturers can detect and prevent quality problems earlier, alongside collaborative innovation in aerospace structures and the development of next-generation composite materials.
Sustainability is a major theme throughout the day, with a particular focus on whether composite recycling can move from promising technology towards viable industrial infrastructure. The final session will consider the wider role composites can play in enabling more sustainable products and systems across different markets.
Dr Sue Halliwell, Operations Manager at Composites UK, said: “We wanted to create a Composites Forum that reflects the conversations the composites industry needs to be having now and the questions our customers and future customers will be asking. It is not simply about showcasing individual technologies; it is about connecting market opportunity with customer requirements, manufacturing capability, innovation and sustainability.
“Across the two days, delegates can explore where the industry is heading, what we need to deliver to remain competitive, and how new technologies and approaches can help us get there. We are particularly pleased to bring together voices from across the value chain, giving visitors the opportunity to hear directly from end users as well as the companies, researchers and innovators developing the solutions.”
The programme includes contributions from organisations across the UK composites and advanced manufacturing ecosystem, with speakers and panellists representing aerospace, automotive, renewable energy, materials, manufacturing, digitalisation, recycling, academia and research.
The Composites Forum is free to attend and takes place on the showfloor at Advanced Engineering 2026 (NEC Birmingham on 4 and 5 November). Registration is required, via the organiser’s website: www.advancedengineeringuk.com, with the full programme available to view, here.