Compounding World Forum | event review
The third Compounding World Forum, which took place in Philadelphia in December, presented a positive outlook for the plastics compounding industry. Jennifer Markarian reports from the event
Compounding World Forum: focused on innovation
The third annual Compounding World Forum took place in Philadelphia, PA, USA on 8-9 December 2015. Organised by Applied Market Information and Com- pounding World magazine and sponsored by Century Extrusion, Dreytek, Modern Dispersions, NFM, Nordson, Omya, and Steer, the event brought together more than 230 attendees to learn about key plastics industry trends, new products, and best compounding practice. The over-riding message from all at the conference was clear: the outlook for the plastics industry remains positive with new markets and applications likely to be driven forward, in part at least, by innovation in compounding technology. This article reviews some of the key topics highlighted during the two days of formal presentations. Conference chair and Compounding World magazine publisher Andy Beevers opened the conference with an overview of the evolving patterns of resin demand that affect the compounding market. Identifi ed megatrends included the growing world population as well as demographic changes, such as the growing middle classes, rising urban populations, and the increasing share of the population aged over 60. Plastics will play a crucial role in meeting the resulting demand for food and water (with agricultural fi lms, packaging, and water pipes, for example) and for consumer products,
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transportation, and healthcare, he said. A panel of industry leaders – including A. Schulman
President and CEO Bernard Rzepka, Ametek’s Chemi- cal Products Division VP Sales and Marketing Glenn Rasberry, Teknor Apex Senior VP Suresh Swaminathan, and Infi nity LTL Engineered Compounds President Carlos Carreno – shared their views on the trends affecting their markets. All agreed that globalisation continues to have a huge impact on the plastics industry, with global customers demanding global specifi cations and global supply. Keys to success in such an environment include developing partnerships with both suppliers and customers, having a clear vision, understanding your market, and becoming “best in class” in your chosen space. The role of compounders has expanded over the past
decade as resin suppliers have become more lean and retreated from specialty compounds. Teknor Apex’s Swaminathan noted that compounders are now “technical enablers” and are expected to provide materials, regulatory, and market knowledge. In the area of sustainability, compounders continue
to make progress in reducing waste, energy, and water use. Recycling is also moving forward rapidly, with some customers implementing closed-loop recycling schemes. Companies in all industries want to reduce
January 2016 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 65
Main image: The city of
Philadelphia in the US played host to the third Com- pounding
World Forum in December
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