While visiting the 2013 JEC Show in Paris, it was clear this annual event, which was mainly dealing with thermoset applications and processors just a few years ago, is now an annual event where both materials co-exist, and of course — compete. When looking at the JEC Innovation Award categories, it is not a surprise to now see two Innovation Awards focused on Thermoplastic Innovations. The increased importance of thermoplastics was further proven by the winner of the JEC Innovation Award in the Aeronautics category. The winner, Fokker Aerostructures based in The Netherlands, developed and produced the first thermoplastic-based composite horizontal tailgate (horizontal stabilizer) for a helicopter.