FPD Highlights - November 2007

SPI Activities in Support of FPD

US COMMERCIAL SERVICE WORKSHOP ON REACH - US plastics industry companies exporting to the European Union need to prepare for the new REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical substances) chemical management requirements. The first REACH responsibilities begin in June 2008. The US Commercial Service is hosting a workshop on November 13, 2007 from 7:45 a.m. to 12 noon, at the Marriott Hotel in Trenton, NJ to assist companies with REACH compliance. The workshop will address important questions surrounding REACH registration, including testing and data requirements, substance identification, key dates and information sources. For more information, call Debora Sykes, Kathleen Pippen, at 609/989-2100.

SPI UNVEILS NEWLY REFRESHED LOGO AND BRANDING GUIDELINES - It's important that SPI's brand reflect the progress and evolution of our industry and its trade association. Along these lines, SPI's Communication & Marketing Advisory Committee (CMAC) worked with the professional staff to develop a modernized look that is more representative of who we are and what we do today. In the spirit of evolution (as opposed to revolution) they agreed to retain SPI's existing branding guidelines related to color palate and font as well as reincorporate SPI's long-standing tag line: "the plastics industry trade association." The new brand logo also reflects the industry's unity by depicting resin pellets, the root source of so many aspects of our industry, as the dot above the "i." It comes in two versions; one for use with a light background and another for a dark background. President Bill Carteaux publicly unveiled SPI's brand refresh during his "state of the association" presentation at the recent Board of Directors meeting.

FPD Activities

SPRING 2008 FPD CONFERENCE will be held April 13-15, 2008 at Kiawah Island Resort on Kiawah Island, SC, an easy drive from Charleston, SC. Kiawah Island has 10 miles of pristine, sun-swept beach and was voted "most romantic spot and best spot to walk the beach" by Southern Living's editorial staff. Brandon Redmond, Jrlon, and Dick Rockosi, Arkema, are the conference co-chairs. Confirmed speakers include: an Issues Management Committee update; a possible Societal Values Committee Update; an International Trade update by Neil Pratt, SPI; an economic update by Robert Fry, Dupont; SPI issues and Goals by Bill Carteaux, SPI President; and a Wire and Cable/Green Building Initiative update by Melissa Hockstad, SPI. Don't miss the keynote speaker, Greg Schwem, who specializes in business humor. The program is posted on the FPD web site. Online registration will be available soon.

FALL 2008 FPD CONFERENCE will be chaired by Preston Hollier, Solvay Solexis, and Eric Walsh, DeWAL, at a location to be announced soon.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE - Bob Smith reported that he is working with Rick Sturgis, SPI, on several membership initiatives. SPI is hiring two sales people to recruit new members. FPD needs to develop a list of the top 20 companies, mostly processors, and key contacts for the sales staff. Terence Neville and Mike Patterson continue with the development on an e-mail survey for potential members.

MONTHLY FPD HIGHLIGHTS - Please include E. Robert (Bob) Hill on your press release list at eben_hill@msn.com, so we can note your company and staff accomplishments and honors.

FLUORONEWS - The Winter 2008 issue of FluoroNews will be done in full color for both the hard copies and on the FPD web site. It will be digitally printed rather than offset printed with one accent color. Expected issue date is late January 2008. Beginning with this issue, FPD will send FluoroNews electronically, in addition to being printed and posted on our web site.

FLUOROGUIDE - We did a full update of FluoroGuide and the related tables in early March 2007 and also in early August 2007. We are updating the tables monthly, or as needed. Please check your company input on our website and give Bob Hill, Hill Business Writing LLC, any needed further revisions at eben_hill@msn.com. We anticipate another full update in late 2007 or January 2008, as needed.

FPD WEB SITE HITS continue to increase steadily. We continue to add a steady stream of new content to our web site, and are now posting post-conference summaries, including the conference program, a list of attendees, and more.

FPD Section Activities

FPD Section activities continue to be strongly emphasized at all of our conferences. Each Section breakout has content of specific interest to its industry segment. The Sections are working hard to reach new and old member prospects and making them aware of what Section membership can do for them.

People on the Move

HEROFLON USA This summer, Matthew Smith joined Heroflon USA as Materials Manager, taking responsibility for purchasing, inventory control, and warehouse operations. Graduating this past May from Penn State University, University Park, with a double major in Business & Pre-Law, he spent the summer in Europe working at Heroflon Srl.

Industry Highlights

SAINT GOBAIN PERFORMANCE PLASTICS announces the release of its Furon Precision Dispense Pump (PDP). The Furon PDP delivers extremely accurate doses of media with unprecedented repeatability. Patented PTFE rolling diaphragm technology coupled with precision stepper motor control enables precise dispensing of aggressive or ultra pure media. All wetted surfaces are constructed from high purity fluoropolymers. For additional information, contact Ray Fas, Product Manager, at 800/833-5661 or visit our web site at www.microelectronics.saint-gobain.com.

W. L. GORE - PVD, peripheral vascular disease, also called peripheral arterial disease (PAD), affects as many as 12 million people in the US. The disease manifests as a buildup of plaque in the wall of an artery and results in either narrowing or blocking of the artery, limiting blood flow to the limbs. The first patient to enter a post-market evaluation designed to collect important data about the performance of the GORE VIABAHN® Endoprosthesis with Heparin Bioactive Surface in treating lower limb peripheral vascular disease (PVD), has undergone a successful implant. "The implant procedure went quite well and we will monitor the patient carefully to measure long-term performance of the endoluminal bypass," said Dr. Saxon, the principal investigator for the study. "While the GORE VIABAHN® Endoprosthesis has been shown to be clinically effective, there is no data on its performance when using the Heparin Bioactive Surface."

AGC CHEMICALS AMERICAS (AGCCA), announced that it will close its Bayonne, NJ manufacturing facility effective December 31, 2007, citing continuing poor market conditions. The closure will impact 157 employees. "Unfortunately, because of poor market conditions and changing market structure, it is no longer viable for us to continue operating the Bayonne plant. This is a very difficult decision for our company," said company President Masumi Suehiro.

"Over the next few months our attention will be on addressing the needs of our customers, executing an orderly and safe shutdown of the facility, and providing assistance to our employees as they begin the process of transitioning their careers. AGCCA will relocate its North American headquarters from Bayonne to Exton, PA, where it operates a technical service facility. It will continue to operate its fluoropolymer compounding facility in Thorndale, PA from which it will focus on its specialty fluoropolymer compounds and will continue to import from AGC parent & sister companies the Fluon melt processable fluoropolymer and AFLAS fluoroelastomer products. Although it will no longer manufacture ASAHIKLIN AK-225 and Fluon PTFE in the US, AGCCA will import its full line of ASAHIKLIN AK-225 products and some Fluon PTFE products from its parent company in Japan and its sister company in the UK."

DUPONT FLUOROPOLYMER SOLUTIONS announced a global price increase, effective Nov. 1, 2007, for fluoropolymer resins and dispersions, of up to 20 percent depending on the product family and grade, and subject to terms and conditions of existing purchase agreements. DuPont cited steep upward trends in raw material, transportation and energy costs as reasons for the increase, as well as significant investments made to expand production capacity for Fluoropolymer Solutions™ products in key growth markets, and accelerated R&D efforts as new innovations are required to develop new high performance products that will help the company meet its commitment to no longer make, use, or buy perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) by 2015.

"Costs are continuing to increase dramatically for raw materials, transportation, and energy, and we must pass some of these increases on to our customer base in order to continue to provide the quality fluoropolymer products that our customers have come to expect from DuPont," said Drew Weber, global business director, DuPont Fluoropolymer Solutions. "It is also imperative that we continue to invest in key areas to expand production and bring new innovations to market for our customers." DuPont recently completed construction of a Teflon® polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) facility in Changsu, China to support increased demand for capacity in Asia.

SOLVAY announced that it is taking steps to further focus its Fluor Chemicals business on high value added specialties, while scaling down its activities in refrigerant gases. The market for these commodity products is affected by adverse developments, including a surge in low-cost competition from Asian manufacturers. Solvay will consider all feasible solutions including early retirement, reassignment to other jobs and locations to alleviate the social impact of the reorganization which is planned in Germany, Italy and Spain. "In the future, we will put a stronger focus on fluorinated specialties requiring a lot of know-how and generating high added value, rather than on mass production which can be done at lower cost outside Europe," said Bernd Wilkes, General Manager of the Strategic Business Unit Fluor.

SOLVAY unveiled a number of innovative products at a press conference on the opening of the K2007 International Plastics Trade Fair in Düsseldorf, Germany, including the new family of Solviva™ Biomaterials available for use in implantable medical devices as well as extensions to its Hyflon® and Tecnoflon® fluoropolymers. These product launches reinforce Solvay's position as the manufacturer of the world's widest offering of plastic materials, with a strong emphasis on the very top end of the range in terms of performance. Solviva™ Biomaterials are a dynamic new family of polymers offered for use in implantable medical devices Solvay Advanced Polymers, a 100% Solvay subsidiary, has invested considerable resources to produce Solviva™ Biomaterials, the world's broadest range of thermoplastics available offered for use in medical implant devices.

The new products in the Tecnoflon® range manufactured by Solvay Solexis are designed for tackling complex, newly arising issues in critical industries - such as the energy sector, semiconductor manufacturing and the automotive sector. The Group has also developed a new family of Tecnoflon® HS fluoroelastomers which retain exceptional performance levels while improving their environmental impact, thanks to shorter manufacturing processes.

The upcoming commercial launch of a new family of MFA resins, the Hyflon® F-Series, designed as a replacement for fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), with higher clarity, improved electrical properties and higher service temperature, was also announced. These materials are achieving a commercial breakthrough in the automotive sector, where they are used in high temperature resistant cables. The expansion of the range will fuel the rapid growth of Hyflon® MFA products, which is supported by a new world-class plant recently commissioned in Spinetta, Italy.