FPD Highlights - February 2007
SPI Activities in Support of FPD
SPI IS GUNG-HO FOR CHINAPLAS 2007 - The 21st International Exhibition on Plastics and Rubber Industries will be held May 21-24, 2007 at the Guangzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center. SPI is a co-sponsor of the USA Pavilion and is exploring a variety of programs for SPI members participating in the show. Potential activities include plant tours in the Guangzhou area and pre-arranged meetings with Chinese companies and US government trade specialists serving in China. As we prepare for ChinaPlas, we would like your input. If you are planning to attend the show, please let us know what activities you would like SPI to organize and/or help you with. We stand ready to assist SPI members attending the show and promote the business interests of SPI members in China.
SPI SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM offers enhanced participation, recognition - SPI has created a new Sponsorship Program to get your company's name in front of industry leaders from the top moldmakers, equipment manufacturers, processors and raw material suppliers. The new program offers four companies the opportunity to serve as "premier sponsors" supporting SPI's communication programs and upcoming Board meetings. Premier Sponsorships ($25,000 - Four available for 2007): In return for supporting SPI's mission, premier sponsor benefits include company logo displayed on SPI's Web site and hyperlinked to your company Web page through the 2007, acknowledgement and hyperlink to your company Web site in every 2007 issue of the SPI LINK newsletter, invitation to VIP events with SPI Board of Directors and President and much more.
FPD Activities
SPRING 2007 CONFERENCE will be held at the Hyatt Tamaya Resort in Santa Ana Pueblo, NM (near Albuquerque) March 25-27, 2007. Dan Loffa, AGC Chemicals Americas, and Kenneth Koziel, Saint-Gobain, are the conference co-chairs. Planned presentation topics include: Quality Environmental/Risk Management (Joseph Caprio, Saint Gobain), International Trade Issues (Eugenia Ross, SPI), Marketing/Internal Performance (Dr. Milton Bergstein), SPI Issues and Goals (Bill Carteaux, SPI), and more.
You will not want to miss our keynote speaker - Patrick Moore, one of the original founders of Greenpeace. Dr. Moore has since left the organization and in recent years, has been focused on the promotion of sustainability and consensus building among competing concerns. Please visit the FPD Spring Conference website for registration and further details on the program.
FALL 2007 CONFERENCE is planned for The Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sept. 23-25, 2007. Please save these dates. The Conference Chairmen are Tim Grattan, Daikin, and Dave Ely, Chromatics Inc.
SOCIETAL VALUE OF FLUOROPOLYMERS - A subcommittee is being led by Bruce Nesbitt, to develop awareness of the societal values of fluoropolymers. The subcommittee members are Evan Laganis, AGC Chemicals, and Dick Rockosi, Arkema. A Societal Values Powerpoint Presentation has been placed on the FPD website.
MEMBERSHIP SUBCOMMITTEE Another subcommittee, led by Robert Smith, Dupont, was formed to reach out to the industry for additional members. Other subcommittee members include Al Damico (FPD Chairman), Richard Baillie (Membership Chairman), Terence Neville, Mike Patterson, and Eric Walsh.
WEB CONTENT TASK GROUP is being formed and will coordinate with SPI staff to enhance our existing FPD website. SPI has made major advances in this area recently and FPD is excited by the opportunity to incorporate the functionality of these advances into our web presence. We plan to improve our site dramatically during the next twelve months, adding new content that is relevant to our existing membership.
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.
WINTER 2007 ISSUE OF FLUORONEWS has been posted in full color. Check it out on this web site.
FLUOROGUIDE - We did full updates of FluoroGuide and the related Section and Member tables in late January, mid-June 2006, and early November 2006. We plan to do updates of the section and membership tables every 4-5 weeks to keep them current, and do full updates of FluoroGuide 3-4 times per year. The next full update of FluoroGuide is expected in the first quarter, 2007. Please check your company input on our website and give Bob Hill any needed further revisions at eben_hill@msn.com.
FPD WEB SITE HITS continue to increase steadily, and reached 548k hits, up from 508k hits in the prior quarter, and about 2.2 million hits annualized. 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. The PFOA issue is a major issue in all sections. See this website under Conferences in early 2007 for the Section Programs for the upcoming Spring Conference at Albuquerque, March 25-27.
Coating Section had good attendance at the Fall 2006 Conference. The group wants to increase its efforts in reaching out to coater member prospects. It will work more closely with the Fluoropolymers Manufacturers Group (FMG) to communicate progress on the PFOA issue to existing and prospective members.
PTFE Processors Section - Jim Redmond, who provided top-notch leadership to the Processors Section for the past few years, has resigned as Section Chair. Chuck Bloser, AGC Chemicals, led the PTFE Processor Breakout at the Fall Conference in place of Jim. The name of the Section has been changed from PTFE Processors to the Processors Section, reflecting the wider scope of its membership and breakout subject matter. Eric Walsh has accepted the position of Section Chairman, effective immediately.
Wire & Cable Section - The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) 90A code cycle is currently in the "2008 Proposals" stage. SPI has submitted additions and changes that, if adopted, prevent the erosion of plenum fire safety, as well as provide a wider range of product options for cabling in areas that require very low smoke and flame building materials. Additionally, the Committee has offered to contribute to the EPA's effort to perform environmental life cycle analysis on data communication cabling. EPA's "Design for the Environment" project focuses on understanding the environmental impact of cabling material choice based on Life Cycle Analysis.
SPI Wire and Cable has offered to support the inclusion of cabling in metal conduit, since this construction technique is used commercially and identified by the building codes as meeting very low smoke and flame spread requirements. The committee believes that the public should be aware of the full environmental impact regarding the choice of lower performance cable in metal conduit versus higher fire performance rated cable without conduit.
People on the Move
DAIKIN-AMERICA - Kerry Heckhas joined Daikin America as DAI-EL® Technical Service Engineer, effective January 2007. Kerry will provide technical and applications development assistance to fluoroelastomer compounders, fabricators and end users, working closely with the Daikin sales force to identify customer requirements and develop custom solutions with DAI-EL®.
SHAMROCK TECHNOLOGIES, INC. announced the promotion of Christophe Fillion to Supply Chain Leader. Chris joined Shamrock Technologies, Inc. Newark, NJ in 2000 as a Technical Marketing Manager for lubricant additives. In 2002, he expanded his role in the Product Technical Center with Global responsibilities for Technical Services, Product Sales and Customer Projects. From 1993 to 1996 he was employed by Christol, a Shell division in France as a Lab and Application Engineer and, in 1996, he joined Fuchs Lubricants in Paris France as a Product Manager.
DUPONT CABLING SOLUTIONS recently named Robert D. Kenny as global technology manager, further enhancing the company's industry leadership in cabling expertise.
Industry Highlights
AKZO NOBEL NON-STICK COATINGS is excited about a new interior technology for cookware. This system was developed in our Des Plaines, Illinois R&D Center and offers a dramatic departure from previous coatings historically used in the Cookware Industry. The intent is to present it officially at the 2007 International Housewares Show located in Chicago, Illinois this March. It will be called "FUSION."
AKZO NOBEL NON-STICK is proud to announce the December 2006 opening of our new office building in Dongguan, China. This becomes the 3rd building in our complex at this location. With this addition, we are able to expand both our manufacturing and R&D into the previous office area. The original facility was opened in the fall of 2002 to meet the demand for our products in China and SE Asia. This demand has continued to increase dramatically forcing us to expand both our R&D and production capabilities.
W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES has earned a position on FORTUNE magazine's annual list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" for the 10th consecutive year. The magazine ranks Gore number 10 overall and number 7 among medium-sized companies. The list and related stories appear in the January 22 issue of FORTUNE and at www.fortune.com. Since its founding in 1958, Gore has avoided traditional hierarchy, opting instead for a team-based environment that fosters personal initiative, encourages innovation, and promotes person-to-person communication among all "associates." For the past several years, Gore's facilities in the UK, Italy and Germany have also been named as one of the Best Companies to Work For in those countries.
DUPONT CABLING SOLUTIONS - For your convenience, DuPont has developed standard 3-part specifications in MasterFormat. These guide specifications are in Word file format and are complete with specifier notes for easy cut/copy/paste into your project's format. You can now sign in to view or download these documents:
Division 27 01 10 Structured Cable Recycling
While it is a common practice for copper to be extracted from communications cable, this practice does not address the fate of the plastic insulation and jacketing materials. Worse yet, the improper incineration of cabling to separate copper from the other materials can exact a serious toll on the environment. DuPont has a proven program for the recycling of communications cable that ensures the most complete management of cable waste.
Division 02 22 Xx Abandoned Cable Assessment
A DuPont Abandoned Cable Assessment outlines what needs to be done to remedy existing conditions that may jeopardize code compliance and increase the cost of network cable upgrades and changes.
ECR Sample Report
An existing conditions assessment can help you manage problems affecting building code compliance, building fire safety, and network performance.
DUPONT FLUOROPRODUCTS introduced DuPont™ Tedlar® PV2100 Series polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) films, part of an extended line of Tedlar® PVF films used in the protective backsheets of photovoltaic (PV) modules. DuPont™ Tedlar® PV2100 Series PVF films provide enhanced backsheet dimensional stability and higher reflectance when compared to other products within the DuPont family of films. The introduction represents the latest addition to a broad and growing portfolio of integrated materials and technologies for the photovoltaic (PV) industry from DuPont. DuPont™ Tedlar® PVF films have established themselves as the standard for weatherable backsheets for PV modules, due to their excellent strength, UV resistance and moisture barrier properties.
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