Advanced Materials: How New Materials Are Improving Industrial Performance

For manufacturers, material innovation is opening up new ways to improve products, production processes and environmental performance.

Lighter components can reduce energy consumption. Low-carbon metals can help manufacturers address the footprint of their products. Recycled and bio-based materials are expanding the options available to engineers while meeting demanding industrial requirements.

As these solutions move into industrial production, material selection is becoming an increasingly strategic decision — and an important area for manufacturers looking for new technologies and suppliers.

Lightweighting can deliver benefits across the value chain

Reducing the weight of a component can have an impact far beyond the material itself.

In mobility, lighter parts can improve energy efficiency and contribute to greater electric-vehicle range. Across other industrial applications, lightweighting can simplify handling and assembly, reduce transport requirements and make it possible to integrate several functions into fewer components.

Expanded polypropylene (EPP) is one example. Knauf Industries, among the companies confirmed for Global Industrie 2027, develops EPP solutions for mobility and other industrial applications. Its foam structure is approximately 95% air, combining low weight with mechanical strength, thermal properties and design flexibility. In mobility applications, EPP can be used for components ranging from battery protection to lightweight floor systems.

This illustrates a wider shift in material engineering: manufacturers are increasingly looking at how the material itself can contribute to the performance of the final product.

Carbon footprint is becoming part of material selection

Manufacturers are also looking further upstream at how the materials they purchase are produced.

Aluminium provides a clear example. Hydro Extrusion Albi, confirmed for Global Industrie 2027, is part of Hydro's aluminium value chain. Hydro's low-carbon aluminium has a carbon footprint below 4 kg CO₂e per kilogram of aluminium. Its low-carbon primary aluminium is produced using renewable energy sources, including hydropower, alongside efficient electrolysis technology.

Steel producers are addressing the same challenge through greater use of recycled material and electric production processes. Swiss Steel France, also confirmed for GI27, belongs to a group that produces steel exclusively using electric arc furnace technology. Swiss Steel Group reports that approximately 92% of its raw material is recycled scrap.

For industrial buyers, comparing materials therefore increasingly means looking beyond technical specifications to understand how they are produced and what they contribute to the footprint of the final product.

Circularity is moving into material design

Another development is taking place before a product even enters production: recycled and bio-based inputs are increasingly being engineered directly into materials for demanding industrial applications.

Hutchinson, another confirmed Global Industrie 2027 exhibitor, has developed its revea® range using recycled and bio-based raw materials across rubber, thermoplastics and thermoplastic elastomers.

One automotive application shows how this can translate into measurable results. Hutchinson developed two thermoplastic elastomers containing 37% and 29% bio-based or recycled ingredients respectively. According to the company, the first reduced carbon emissions by 25% compared with traditional materials, while the second achieved a 16% reduction compared with existing alternatives, without compromising the required performance.

For manufacturers, this points to an important evolution: environmental performance is increasingly being considered alongside mechanical properties, durability and manufacturability when materials are developed and selected.

Finding the right material is becoming a strategic sourcing decision

There is no single material capable of answering every industrial challenge. The opportunity lies in identifying the right combination of properties for a particular application — whether the priority is weight, strength, durability, carbon footprint, recyclability or production efficiency.

For international manufacturers, that makes access to a broad range of materials expertise particularly valuable. Comparing different technologies, processes and suppliers can help identify solutions that might otherwise remain outside an established sourcing network.

Global Industrie 2027 will bring this ecosystem together in Lyon, connecting France's industrial base with technology and solution providers from across Europe and beyond. International visitors will be able to explore materials and manufacturing expertise, compare solutions and identify potential partners for their own industrial challenges.

Looking for new materials, technologies and manufacturing partners? Discover the companies already exhibiting at Global Industrie 2027.