Hey everybody,

4 years ago I did a training course at Easy Composites and straight away I knew I wanted to manufacture composite parts. I moved from Ireland to England to persue it. I am still in the industry but working for a pre pregging company, not laminating. I have been working up to start my own business manufacturing parts but I am trying to get as many opinions and insights from people as to what I should manufacture. Some think motorcycle parts (as I live in Lincolnshire, bike country), some say furniture, some say motorsport....what do all of you guys think?

Hey DavMilli,

that is a difficult question to answer. I think there are plenty non-composite things that exist already and that would make excellent composite parts. I guess the best advice that I can give you is to make something you yourself would want to use. Ideally you should be passionate about it and care deeply about the design of the product. I wouldn't necessarily recommend you to design bike parts if you don't own a bike or are not very passionate about it.

Thank you for your reply cumberdale, that is very good advice. I guess my concern has always been that others wouldn’t share my passion or interest in a product that I am passionate about. Maybe I need to have more confidence in myself. The challenge is to find the niche, or place in the market where I could set myself apart from others. I recently talked to the owners of a company in Scandinavia who are manufacturing prosthetic feet using a mix of UD and woven prepreg and it was fascinating to see their passion has led to big success and they love their product. That’s where I would like to be. But I do love to hear people’s opinions and advice so thank you again.
Please feel free to give more feedback everybody

That is a common misconception. If you manage to create a product you absolutely love, chances are that there are others that share the same passion. That is a neat way to design products as you are part of your own target audience. And, that way you don't need to extensively think about markets, niches, opportunities and so forth. Then, you yourself are proof that there is something worthwhile to be developed.  Good luck!

Guess your working with Steve an the boys ?
Don't take this the wrong way but I think you need to get out there an get more experience in the real world,somewhere like gtr or retrac.
Training courses at talk or dark matter don't teach you 1% of the stuff you use in the real world an some of the stuff is plain rubbish.
There are big opportunities in furniture if you have the flair and come up with something different. 
Motorsport- you haven't got a snowflakes chance in hell ! 
Motorbikes,very small margins but if your clever it can work.
Been doing this over 35 yrs now an getting ready to retire but will be doing a few things once I retire an the pressure is off.
At the moment I can make 65k a year hardly breaking into a sweat contracting,no risk,no overheads an No worry.
Spend 4/5 years an really learn the trade an the world's hour oyster..
There is so much demand for skilled labour it's mad at the moment.
Lots of lads go to places like prodrive an do simple cosmetic stuff that's basically fool proof and all thought out for them an then they are "skilled" laminator !!!!@@
Who then wonder why they keep getting let go after a couple of weeks.
I have done stuff in the past and prefer my own niche stuff.
To Joe public carbon is black that's it .
I use to do car parts for the boy racers years ago when max power magazine was going
Built a couple of their show cars.
My products were autoclave cured pre preg an perfecr fit
Guy was doing single layer wet lay polyester
With grp mat backing an on his mirror covers for example his thickness went from 1mm to 4mm !!!
Mine were constant 1.5mm with a .25mm glue gap
He was under cutting me by 10% an outselling me by 4 to 1 I would think

Hey f1rob thank you very much for your post. Yeah I’m working for Steve. It has thought me a lot about the prepreg and it’s flexibility and limitations and given me an insight to what goes into the product but I am a creative person and I love making stuff with my hands so working on a manufacturing line is not what I want to be doing.
I also completely agree with what you are saying about gaining experience. I was doing some laminating when I moved over to the UK first but only for 6 months. So I do realise that I don’t have enough experience really. The problem is I have a wife and small kid and they aren’t keen on moving and we would have to for me be able to work for someone like gtr or retrac. So I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. My thoughts were that my only option left was to do it myself and learn the hard way but maybe it far to nieve.
I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on this.

Contracting you can do 65hrs by Fri lunch an your on your way home
Couple of weeks a year off an your looking a smidgen under 60k for 50 weeks
Your "family" time is the weekend an that's it.
No point having your family with you if your doing 15 hr days
An if you have your family with you you won't do 15hr days !
Do the hrs an turn up every day an your like gold dust to the agents an you get the good contracts.
Plenty of guys can't manage a full week
Manage Monday mornings
Manage getting in on time
In short supply at the moment so they are tolerated but the first to be let go.
You could start on your own an seen a couple of people make it but they were very skilful and VERY lucky.
Until you have done plenty of core work,internal bagging,wrapped foams and wrapped 3D printed to name a few you haven't got the skill set
Even the "everyday" cheats that we use that they never tell you about on the courses.
Is Paul Russell still with you ???

I really appreciate your honesty, it’s refreshing. A mate of mine who I used to work with left to do contract laminating and is currently at Pentaxia making some serious dough and loves it. He’s reliable like you say and has been kept on when others were let go. Putting the hours in or doing the hard graft has never been an issue for me and I don’t think I’ve ever been late for work.
I have done a little bit of core work but like you say I have never done any internal bagging or worked with bladders or wrapped foams so they are skills that I do lack but would love to learn...if ONLY there was a company in Lincolnshire.
I would imagine that there are only a few companies that do all that sort of intricate work though?
No Paul left a few months ago

I know, I never really got the chance to talk to him enough. I believe he has gone to Atlas now as far as I know.
Do you mind me asking...what companies are in the “yes” pile? It sounds like you have been around quite a few