SCMEP Composites Initiative Helping Create a Competitive New Niche

As Apart of its efforts to promote the growth of South Carolina's manufacturing base, the South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (SCMEP) is continuing to pursue its Composites Industry Initiative to expand and foster technical advancement in composites manufacturing in the state. As much of South Carolina's composites industry is a direct result of its textile heritage, SCMEP sees significant opportunity for many South Carolina textile companies in the fast-growing composites, fibers, and reinforcements marketplace.

So far, SCMEP has enjoyed some success with textile producers and is looking to achieve more. SCMEP has visited and assessed numerous manufacturing facilities; implemented detailed business assessments and improvement programs at facilities; exposed companies to leading-edge innovation and top-line growth methodologies; and even found new markets for some companies, resulting in significant revenue, earnings, and employment increases.

A detailed SCMEP-sponsored study of South Carolina's composites industry showed that the state is 17th in the nation in the number of employees working in composites. By co-chairing a statewide Composites Cluster to foster industry networking, economic development, awareness building, and work force development and training, SCMEP is helping pull together organizations across the state to work toward growing South Carolina's composites industry.

"What is unique about composites as a clustering opportunity is that the composites industry embraces multiple markets and supply chains. Also, the industry is more geographically diverse - actually spread throughout the state - when compared to more traditional clusters, such as aerospace in Charleston or automotive in the Upstate," explained Ed Maier, SCMEP's composites program manager. "It's a unique clustering opportunity and could very well become a linking agent for textile, automotive, and aerospace industry growth efforts. We're already seeing it. It's a significant opportunity and one we hope to see South Carolina benefit from."

Although the initiatives are geared toward any manufacturer who is or wishes to be engaged in the composites industry, SCMEP is particularly interested in helping textile companies because textiles remain the state's largest manufacturing sector in terms of number of jobs and one that has experienced the largest downturn over the past five years. In addition, the state is the second-largest textile-producing state in the country. SCMEP hopes to leverage this strength in transforming textileproducers to composites industry competitors - an avenue to produce higher margin, albeit lower volume, products.

Composites manufacturing is one industry in which the United States has a distinct technology advantage over overseas competitors. The industry represents the fastest-growing segment of manufacturing, with global growth rates reaching as much as 105 percent in recent years. Industries such as aerospace and defense, transportation, and infrastructure are increasingly transitioning from traditional materials to composites to deliver lightweight, high-quality, and cost-effective components and structures. Other industries, such as those producing marine products and sporting goods - early adopters of composites - are moving to increase the amount and sophistication of composite materials used in their products.

For details about the S.C. Advanced Composites Program, visit www.compositessc.com. The Web site allows manufacturers, OEMs, government, and education partners to input their information into the new Advanced Composites Industry Member Directory, which is provided online to help companies search and connect with suppliers and purchasers, as well as to learn about composites training courses in South Carolina.