Compounding World Forum | event review
Compounding World Forum review
More than 300 members of the thermoplastics com- pounding industry gathered at the second Compounding World Forum, which took place in Philadelphia, PA, USA, on 9-10 December 2014. Organised by AMI and Compounding World magazine, the conference was sponsored by NFM, Omya and Modern Dispersions. The event also featured more than 50 exhibitors in a large networking area that was a hive of activity during the refreshment breaks, lunches and evening reception. The number of attendees was 25% higher than the
debut conference in 2013 and delegates converged on Philadelphia from 18 different countries. They represent- ed all parts of the supply chain, including equipment and material suppliers, compounders, processors and OEMs. Over the two days, there were 20 presentations on
business and market trends plus the latest develop- ments in materials and processing technologies. Here we take a brief look at what was discussed.
Strategies for success Andy Beevers, publisher and editor of Compounding World magazine, served as conference chair and opened the conference with an overview of the current and future status of the global compounding industry. Plastics used by consumers globally have a value of $1 trillion, and continuing steady growth is expected. China now accounts for 31% of global compound demand, compared to 20% for Europe and 19% for NAFTA.
www.compoundingworld.com
Jennifer Markarian reports from the second Compounding World Forum, which took place in Philadelphia last month
Notable investment activity has occurred in the American compounding industry in the past 24 months by companies within the region and particularly from those outside. Keynote speaker Bernard Rzepka, the new president and CEO of global compounder A. Schulman, shared strategies for success in today’s fast-changing, global market. Today’s market is in a constant state of change, driven by consumers’ desires. While in the past, forecasts could be made months in advance, today’s forecasts may be accurate for only weeks. To be successful, however, suppliers must think about the future and not simply react day-to-day. “Waiting is not an option,” said Rzepka. Despite the
fact that consumer whims and individual trends may be impossible to predict, megatrends are possible to understand and can be used to direct development and investment, he assured. For example, urbanization and sustainable mobility are megatrends. While electric
January 2015 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 15
Compounding World’s publisher/ editor Andy
Beevers chaired the conference and gave a market
overview
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