As the global composites industry gathers in Paris this week for JEC World 2026, Burnley-based Velocity Composites plc will be showcasing how digital supply chain control is becoming central to the next phase of aerospace manufacturing growth.
Exhibiting on the Composites UK Pavilion in Hall 6, Stand T62, Velocity will be represented by Chief Operating Officer Oliver Smalley and Chief Customer Officer James Eastbury, who will be meeting aerospace manufacturers navigating one of the sector’s defining challenges: how to increase composite-intensive production while maintaining efficiency, cost control and supply chain stability.
For Smalley, the conversation around composites has evolved significantly in recent years.
“Composites are now fundamental to modern aircraft design,” he explains. “The challenge for manufacturers isn’t whether they use composites, it’s how they manage them efficiently as production rates increase.”
That challenge is becoming more pressing as aerospace demand accelerates. Manufacturers already spend more than $6.5 billion annually on composite materials, a figure expected to rise sharply as next-generation aircraft incorporate higher levels of advanced composites to improve weight, fuel efficiency and environmental performance.
Yet while composite usage is increasing, the operational complexity surrounding those materials has also grown. High-value materials, strict certification requirements and unpredictable production ramps mean manufacturers must carefully balance material availability with cost, waste and inventory risk.
This is the operational space Velocity Composites was created to address.
The company pioneered a fully outsourced composite material kitting model that integrates raw material procurement, precision cutting, inventory control and shop-floor delivery into a single managed service. Operating across the UK, Europe and North America, Velocity works with major aerostructure manufacturers to simplify the movement of composite materials through the production process.
“Our customers don’t want to hold excess stock, but they also can’t afford shortages,” says Eastbury. “Our role is to sit between those pressures — ensuring materials arrive exactly when they’re needed while removing waste and inefficiency from the system.”
At the centre of that approach is VRP, Velocity’s proprietary digital platform, which provides real-time visibility of composite materials from supplier through to the production line. By digitally tracking material flow, the system helps manufacturers improve traceability, reduce scrap, optimise kit utilisation and minimise working capital tied up in inventory.
“In aerospace, the margin for error is extremely small,” Smalley says. “Digital material control allows manufacturers to maintain absolute confidence in what material is being used, where it came from and how it moves through production.”
The importance of that control will only increase as composite usage continues to grow across both civil and defence programmes. With aircraft production expected to expand significantly over the coming decades, manufacturers will need supply chain models capable of scaling efficiently without introducing new operational risk.
Velocity believes outsourced kitting and digital material management will become a core part of that transition.
“Growth in composites is inevitable,” Eastbury says. “The manufacturers that succeed will be the ones that combine advanced materials with advanced supply chain thinking.”
For Velocity, JEC World provides an important opportunity to engage directly with the global composites community, bringing together OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, material innovators and technology providers from across the aerospace ecosystem.
Visitors to Hall 6, Stand T62 will be able to meet Smalley and Eastbury to discuss how digital material traceability, outsourced kitting and leaner supply chain models can support the next phase of aerospace production growth.
As the industry enters a more composite-intensive era, Velocity’s message for JEC World is straightforward: the future of aerospace manufacturing will depend not only on advanced materials, but on the intelligent systems that manage those materials from source to structure.
