Expanding the Role of Carbon Fiber Manufacturers

Expanding the role of carbon fiber in a world that demands change as much as it loathes it depends on the capacity and ingenuity of carbon fiber manufacturers. While the current trajectory is positive, how rapidly the use of carbon fiber grows depends on the capabilities of carbon fiber manufacturers. It’s not enough to dream about the possible uses of this incredibly strong yet lightweight material in the modern world; carbon fiber manufacturers have to be brave and innovative. They must push the bar on manufacturing to increase capacity, to raise carbon fiber from a novel idea into a substance that becomes the structural component of the future.

Carbon fiber manufacturers have to create a culture change, not just within their own industry, but within commercial construction, foundry, industrial manufacturing, and consumer products. While industries might recognize the need for change, embracing the move from traditional materials to carbon fiber might cause skepticism and unease. Carbon fiber manufacturers will need to rely on solid marketing skills, but also on their own commitment to the products they provide. To do this, carbon fiber manufacturers will need to embrace:

• Ideating and creating new uses for carbon fiber
• Innovative technology that continues to lower the costs of manufacturing
• Long-term planning, not weeks and months or years, but decades into the future
• Understanding the needs of the supplier and adapt a fluid strategy
• Market knowledge: Who needs carbon fiber, why do they need it, and what do they plan to do with it?
• Sharing industry best practices and innovations to ensure market growth

Carbon fiber manufacturers are the wave of the future—together. Their competitors include traditional building material manufacturers. Working to further the field, rather than the individual, will ensure that carbon fiber products reach the pinnacle of their growing potential and realize their valuable role in the future of our world.