FACT Composite Manufacturing Process

Fergusson’s Advanced Composite Technology Ltd (FACT) is a start-up focussed on
manufacturing processes for fibre-reinforced composites. The proposed project aims to
understand the commercial implications of a new process developed by FACT.
The project will investigate the opportunity within the existing composites markets. The work
will include market sizing, segmentation, price sensitivity, buying criteria, and trends, as well
as an appraisal of the advantage that the FACT process might have for specific applications.
This work is particularly pertinent given that the composite market is split along product lines
with very different commercial and technical requirements. This means that the serviceable,
available market will be spread over a large number of products with varying appropriateness
for the FACT process.
The understanding of the various markets developed in the project will allow FACT to
effectively focus its resources. More specifically it will allow FACT to decide on a small
number of specific products where the FACT process has the greatest advantage over
incumbent processes and where the market is accessible. This will greatly improve the
chances of successfully commercialising the technology, the benefits of which are twofold:
1. The process has the potential to service a niche in the global composites market.
Given the potential advantages of the process this demand could be met by supply based in
the UK;
2. The process is more environmentally friendly than some of the existing processes.
Furthermore it should facilitate the move from heavier materials to composites. This “lightweighting”
dramatically reduces lifetime CO2e emissions in some applications.