Composite Repair Market by Type (Structural, Semi-Structural, Cosmetic), Process (Hand Lay-Up, Vacuum Infusion, Autoclave), End-Use Industry (Aerospace & Defense, Wind Energy, Automotive & Transportation, Marine), and Region - Forecast to 2028

The composite repair market is estimated to be USD 18.6 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 34.2 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 13.0% between 2023 and 2028. The increasing demand for composite repair in wind energy, automotive & transportation, aerospace & defense industry is one of the most significant factors projected to drive the growth of the composite repair market. 

Rising investment in the rehabilitation of old structures to drive the composite repair market

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers 2018 Report Card, The U.S. requires USD 3.3 trillion to repair the country’s infrastructure by 2020. It states that one out of nine bridges is structurally deficient and the average age of 607,380 bridges is 42 years. According to estimations of The Federal Highway Administration, the country needs to invest USD 20.5 billion annually, with addition to the current investment of USD 12.8 billion by 2028.

The Grow America Act will increase investment in aging bridges. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, highways and bridges face a USD 808.2 billion backlog of investment needs, including USD 479.1 billion in critical repair work. Also, 11% of the bridges are classified as structurally deficient. The financial year 2016 proposes USD 478 billion funding for six years to modernize the infrastructure and transportation systems. This includes the repair and maintenance of bridges. Under the U.S. President’s Fix-it-First initiative, 25% of the USD 29.4 billion funding will be directed to improve structurally deficient interstate bridges.

In Europe, approximately 70% of the metallic bridges are older than 50 years and 30% are older than 100 years. Germany will be spending USD 292 billion on the construction and modernization of bridges, roads, railways, and waterways. Out of this funding, 70% will go to repair work.

Introduction of self-healing composites to restrain for composite repair market

Research is being done on composites to provide additional functionalities to composite structures such as self-healing, sensing morphing, lightning protection, and energy storage. Examples of self-healing composites are hollow fibers, lost wax process, and Sheffield solid-state healing.

Sensing: For self-healing, composites need to be able to detect damage on their own. For this, many approaches are under development, such as fiber optic/Bragg gratings, carbon, nanotubes or graphene, Ferromagnetic microwires, and acoustic emission.

Morphing: Morphing refers to a structure that can change shape and does not require repair techniques that add weight. For example, tow-steered composites with variable stiffness to form bi-stable structures, morphing corrugated structures, and prestressed bistable composites.

Lightning protection: Lighting causes damage in the composite structures in aircraft. It can either physically damage them or cause indirect effects due to induced voltage and current. Few methods are already available to prevent aircraft from damage caused by lightning such as copper foils & meshes in the outer piles, insulation caps on collars, nuts and fasteners, conductive paints, nickel-coated carbon fibers, and aluminum foil strips for shielding, among others. In addition, few more new innovations are being carried out, such as an integral woven SMA/carbon fiber preform developed by MAST Consortium (U.K. MoD program). This program improves damage tolerance and provides lightning protection. Carbon nanotube (CNT) coating is also one of the new innovations to protect the structure from lightning.

Although these technologies are at the research stage, after the commercialization of these technologies in the long term, the composite repair technology may become outdated and could be replaced by these methods.

Increasing use of composites in end-use industries to provide an opportunity for the composite repair market

The increasing use of composites from aerospace to pipe & tank is going to provide huge opportunities for the composite repairs market. In order to increase fuel efficiency and to produce lightweight parts in the aerospace industry, the use of composites is increasing with the new models introduced in the market. For example, earlier aircraft such as Airbus A320 and Boeing 777 were made up of 10%-15% composites of their total structural weight; but the recent models such as A350, A350 XWB, A380, and Boeing 787 contain 50%-53% composites.

So, with the increasing usage of composites in these models, the requirement of repair will be increasing in the years to come. The composite repairs market is expected to follow the growth of transport aircraft production in the long-term forecast period.

Lack of standardization on material; and testing to be a major challenge for composite repair market

The market lacks in standardization when it comes to the material used for building the composite structure, the repair material, and the repair process. For example, the repair processes for Boeing and Airbus aircraft are totally different. Apart from this, the repair process further varies with industry to industry such as wind turbine, automotive, pipe & tank, and others.

The market also lacks in standard materials to be used in the composite repair. So, the repairers have to keep separate expensive materials, such as prepreg, in stock for Boeing aircraft repair, and a separate set of materials for Airbus aircraft repair. Moreover, due to the limited shelf life, on average 90% of the material are get wasted. Due to these limitations, a group called the Commercial Aircraft Composite Repair Committee (CACRC) was formed in Europe to adapt some standardization of materials, equipment, repair techniques, and repair training.

Asia Pacific to be the dominating region in composite repair market in terms of both value

Asia Pacific led the composite repair market, in terms of value, in 2022 and is projected to register a CAGR of 13.0% between 2023 and 2028. The growth of the region's market is driven by increasing wind energy installation and the growth of the aerospace industry in the region. The demand for composites in the Asia Pacific region is increasing due to the nature of developing economy. Increasing expenditure in the aerospace industry and constant investments from governments towards wind energy generation has led to this increased consumption of composites in the region. the governments in the region are considering aircraft part manufacturing and MRO industry development is strategically important for their growing economies in the region, as a part of value-added manufacturing activity. These actions by the governments and various other end-use industries is driving the consumption of composites in the region, which will increase the demand for composite repair in the region.

This study has been validated through primary interviews with industry experts globally. These primary sources have been divided into the following three categories:

• By Company Type: Tier 1 - 60%, Tier 2 - 20%, and Tier 3 - 20%
• By Designation: C Level - 33%, Director Level - 33%, and Others - 34%
• By Region: North America - 20%, Europe - 25%, Asia Pacific (APAC) - 25%, Latin America - 10%, Middle East & Africa (MEA) - 20%

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of company profiles:

Prominent companies include Lufthansa Technik AG (Germany), Air France KLM E&M (France), and HAECO (U.S.), UpWind Solution (U.S.), Total Wind Group A/S (Denmark), and Technical Wind Services (Scotland), . Citadel Technologies (U.S.), Milliken Infrastructure (U.S.), and T.D. Williamson (U.S.), West Systems (U.S.) and WR Composites (U.K.), Fibrwraps (U.S.), and Concrete Repairs Ltd. (U.K.), among others.

Research Coverage

This report covers the global composite repair market and forecasts the market size until 2027. It includes the following market segmentation - by Type (Structural. Semi-Structural, Cosmetic), by Process (Hand Lay-Up, Vacuum Infusion, Autoclave, and Others), by End-Use Industry (Aerospace & Defense, Wind Energy, Automotive & Transportation, Marine, Construction, Pipes & tanks, and Others), and Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, Latin America). A detailed analysis of the key industry players has been done to provide insights into their business overview, solutions, services; key strategies; Contracts, partnerships, and agreements. New product & service launches, mergers and acquisitions, and recent developments associated with the composite repair market. Competitive analysis of upcoming startups in the composite repair market ecosystem is covered in this report.

Reasons to buy this report:

The report will help the market leaders/new entrants in this market with information on the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall composite repair market and the subsegments. This report will help stakeholders understand the competitive landscape and gain more insights to position their businesses better and plan suitable go-to-market strategies. The report also helps stakeholders understand the pulse of the market and provides them with information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities.

The report provides insights on the following pointers:

• Analysis of key drivers (Rising investment in the rehabilitation of old structures, Cost savings associated with composite structure repair), restraints (Low penetration of composites in end-use industries in the least developed countries, Introduction of self-healing composites), opportunities (Increasing use of composites in end-use industries, New and advanced technologies introduced in the market, automation of composite repair), and challenges (Skilled labor shortage, lack of standardization on materials and testing, financial loss during composite repair) influencing the growth of the composite repair market
• Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on upcoming technologies, research & development activities, and new product & service launches in the composite repair market
• Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative markets - the report analyses the composite repair market across varied regions.
• Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products & services, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the composite repair industry market
• Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market shares, growth strategies, and service offerings of leading players like Lufthansa Technik AG (Germany), Air France KLM E&M (France), and HAECO (U.S.), UpWind Solution (U.S.), Total Wind Group A/S (Denmark), and Technical Wind Services (Scotland), Citadel Technologies (U.S.), Milliken Infrastructure (U.S.), and T.D. Williamson (U.S.), West Systems (U.S.) and WR Composites (U.K.), Fibrwraps (U.S.) and Concrete Repairs Ltd. (U.K.), among others in the composite repair market