Photo : Formula 1 seats developed by Bcomp in partnership with McLaren Racing were used for the first time by drivers Lando Norris (photo) and Daniel Ricciardo in July 2021 during the British Grand Prix.

Bcomp has achieved so much in such a short time span. Since it was founded by a couple of sports-mad engineers in 2011, the Fribourg company has not stopped racking up awards and attracting new and prestigious partnerships. The key to its phenomenal success is its ultra-resistant and ultralight natural composites made from flax fibers. Not only is the raw material behind their world-beating solution renewable, it is also local (because most flax is grown in Europe).

Bcomp originally used its trademarked technology to create the lightest ski core in the world – a balsa wood base reinforced with a flax composite. Before long the technology found its way into other snow sports equipment and lots of other new applications. In 2017, the company took its activities to another level, raising substantial equity and entering the motorsports market in head spinning style. With names like McLaren Racing, Porsche and Polestar, producer of high-performance electric vehicles, Bcomp’s customer list now reads like a who’s who of the best in the motorsports world.

Lightweighting – Doing more with less

Christian Fischer, CEO and co-founder, is over the moon, “Lightweighting has become a recurring theme in the automotive and transport industries. The two main drivers behind this movement are the introduction of increasingly stricter CO₂ regulations coupled with vehicle performance issues. But I also feel that there is a genuine desire out there to offer more sustainable materials. There has been a real shift in the last few years. The social, environmental and legal context has changed and we have the tools to become a major player in this new landscape.”

With two illustrious motorsports awards already under its belt since 2018 – Most Innovative New Motorsport Productand Autosport International Product Showcase Innovation Award – it certainly looks like Bcomp is on track to fulfil the CEO’s ambitions. One thing is sure : the sky is the limit when it comes to the potential of Bcomp’s composite materials. The Fribourg company worked with the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop the first natural fiber reinforced satellite panel, which will help make space exploration cleaner and safer. Another example of the incredible versatility of the Fribourg-made technology can be found in the Netherlands : in 2020 a 400-tonne concrete bridge was replaced by a lightweight 30-tonne biocomposite model. Buoyed by these successes, Bcomp has decided to invest in its first in-house production line. A new chapter begins.