KFair Perspectives

New Zealand manufacturing innovation is making a mark on the world stage, with Shear Edge – the company developing wool fibre composite materials – attracting significant global attention at this year’s K Messe.

Despite New Zealand’s limited presence at the international plastics exhibition, first time exhibitor, Ben Thomas from Shear Edge (Whurl Plastics) reports an “overwhelming” response from attendees. According to the team, interest in their wool-based composite has come from major global brands across the automotive, electronics, and consumer sectors.

“We were initially a little nervous about attending, but the organic interest has blown us away,” Ben said. “Word of mouth alone has driven waves of visitors to our stand.

That visibility has snowballed throughout the event. Shear Edge has been featured in the daily K Messe newspaper, interviewed by K-Live media, and even added to official guided tour routes – a strong signal of industry recognition.

Adding to the excitement, a steady stream of New Zealanders living or working in Europe have stopped by the stand to offer encouragement, with some expressing interest in the technology themselves.

The company hopes its success story will help highlight New Zealand innovation to the wider plastics and materials community and also encourage other New Zealand companies to set their sights high and participate at the next KFair.