ICE USA
April 6-8, Orange County Convention Centre, Orlando, Florida US converting strengths similar to Europe
Converter spoke to USA show director Michael Boyle
C
Michael Boyle (left) and Bob Chiricosta Creek golf club in Orlando Converter analyses the pick of the exhibits
onverter:CMM declined from a huge show to a single hall – mainly as a result of economic pressures and shifts in world markets. What do you think you and Mack Brooks have brought to the show (re-branding aside) that has helped to revitalise it? When I built up ICE in Europe from 2002 to 2008, I fought tooth and nail to establish ICE as the converting show and ICE was not well known at the beginning. The ICE brand is getting more and more established on all major continents worldwide. In North America we have three advantages now. Firstly, the US market has recovered somewhat and is also more clearly defined then in Europe – with one language and economic trend – and there has been a vacuum, a void, the market has been crying out for a decent show. Secondly I am older and wiser and know what is important and spend money on that. Thirdly, Mack Brooks is a master of building visitor numbers at all its shows, in comparison to many other show organisers, which tend to focus too much on the exhibitors. Converter:Has the organisation of the show differed in any way from the European model – have you had to do some things differently because it is in the US such as conferences/workshops?
Certainly getting a decent programme to run alongside the exhibit show floor has been a lot easier in Europe. The associations AIMCAL, CEMA and TAPPI have been very supportive, the Americans love conferences and also golf, they like to round off the event. The big issue with machinery suppliers has been cost, in many cases we have had to go into intricate detail to convince them they are not going to be ripped off, like was often the case in Chicago in McCormick. We are not giving it away; we are charging what is right and proper and the suppliers respect this. That is why there will be a lot of running machinery in Orlando in April.
Converter:Many US converters have long enjoyed a buoyant home market (at least until the recession) and a large number of companies still trade only in the US/SA. Others, of course, try to sell into Europe and the Far East through agents or subsidiaries. In your assessment, is there a greater interest amongst US companies to expand into overseas markets – or not? No, most US companies are focused solely on the USA, Canada, maybe Mexico and Latin America. There are exceptions, of course, such as 3M and Bemis, which have more of a global approach. Converter:Have you noticed any particular trends in technologies causing a ‘buzz’?
The overall balance of exhibitors is similar to ICE in Europe with our strengths being coating, laminating, web handling, slitting rewinding and
28 Converter March 2011
finishing. There is some flexo, but less than at previous CMMs, this is partly because during the CMM decline from 2003 to 2009 the dedicated flexo event run by the FTA table top event has thrived. Also a large number of flexo suppliers always prefer a dedicated flexo environment. Converter:Although exact visitor numbers are not known at this time, what have pre-order ticket sales been like?
It is now six weeks before the show and what is noticeable is that a lot of people are booking a conference pass or a seminar or the golf in addition to visiting the show itself. Unlike ICE in Munich where a lot of visitors either drive or fly to and from the show the same day, in the USA attendees tend to book a two to five day trip and make the most of the educational and networking opportunities on offer. Mack Brooks is running an established railway show in France the same week and pre- registration figures are similar. We are encouraged but not complacent and will continue pushing our exhibitors to do more as well as continuing our extensive marketing campaign including telemarketing.
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MONGST THE many satellite events surrounding the inaugural ICE US show in Orlando is a presentation by Sheila Hamilton, technical director of Teknek who will present a paper sponsored by AIMCAL (the Association of International Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators).
The paper entitled ‘Reducing waste in engineering thin film material manufacture’will reveal how the converting sector can dramatically reduce the amount of waste generated by faulty product by tackling contamination problems in the production process. “One of the key issues for commercial viability of engineered thin film materials is the amount of waste generated by faulty product, often when a considerable amount of value has been added to the material before it is rejected,” says Sheila Hamilton. “One of the major causes of rejects is dust or other particulate contamination so a key step in improving yields is to improve cleanliness throughout the manufacturing process.” On the show floor Meech International (315) is to use ICE USA 2011 to launch into the American market the 904CM, a monitoring unit for its AC ionising systems of which many thousands are in use in the graphic arts, packaging, converting, plastic and pharmaceutical industries. Visitors to the booth can hear about a wide range of recently developed Meech static control
products, while the company
will also be showing the new ShearClean non-contact web cleaning system and the Tornado F5 contact web cleaning system. The ER610 from Atlas Converting (729) is a twin-shaft cantilever slitter and a more environmentally friendly slitting and rewinding solution., claims the company. It has reduced power but all electric, oil-free operation without hydraulics, a CCD edge-guide camera for reducing
Website:
www.convertermag.co.uk
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