Compounding World Forum | event review The fourth Compounding World Forum, which took place in
Philadelphia in the US in December, featured innovation in materials and processing as well as practical tips for compounders. Jennifer Markarian reports
US compounders focus on innovation
The North American compounding industry plays an increasingly vital role in meeting the technical and com- mercial requirements of manufacturers across a whole range of industries, delivering innovative material solutions engineered to satisfy bespoke performance requirements. That was the message presented to the more than 200 attendees at the fourth annual Com- pounding World Forum, which was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, in December last year, and was organised by Compounding World publisher Applied Market Information (AMI). Opening the conference, AMI Events and Magazines Director Andy Beevers presented an overview of the resin market and the compounding industry, based on market research by AMI Consult- ing, that set the stage for the presentations that followed. Noting the continuing rise in the impor-
tance of compounding to meet the market’s needs for technical
problem solving and customised solutions, Beevers also discussed
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recent investment and acquisition activity in NAFTA, highlighting the relatively large number of overseas investments in the region by European and Asian compounders during 2016. In addition, he presented an analysis of the different strategic considerations facing compounders and highlighted a variety of options for specialisation. A panel of compounding-industry business and
development experts echoed the theme of customisa- tion in a discussion of industry opportunities, threats, and trends. Mayur Kumbhani, R&D Manager at MDI, when asked how customer needs are changing, said that customisation is increasing and that customers are willing to have far more open discussions to find solutions. Roger Avakian, Fellow at PolyOne, added that the rapid pace of the product development cycle, which has long been fast in the automotive and electronics industries, is now speeding up in other markets as well. Simulation tools meet the need-for-speed by predicting how a material will behave in a mould, for example, or what the properties of different materials are predicted to be in a part. Jeff Cernohous, President and Founder of Interfacial
Main image: Philadelphia hosted the fourth Com-
pounding World Forum, where the debate was focused on the value of
innovation
Left: AMI Events and Magazines Director Andy Beevers opened the conference with a review of the North American resin and compounding market
January 2017 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 75
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