FPD Highlights - August 2007

SPI Activities in Support of FPD

SPI REALIGNS MANAGEMENT TEAM to support a new membership governance structure that places greater emphasis on the three major sectors of the industry: equipment and moldmakers, material suppliers, and processors. The realignment will place three top-notch industry veterans at the helm of these three industry groups. Walt Bishop, who has been with SPI since 1985, has assumed the newly created position of Vice President, Equipment Council. Lynne Harris, who has been with the trade association for 17 years, has assumed the newly created position of Vice President, Material Suppliers Council in addition to his continuing service as Senior Vice President of science and technology. Susan Howe, who has been with SPI since 1993, has been promoted to Vice President, Processors Council. "This management team realignment is both strategic and service-oriented in nature," said SPI President and CEO William Carteaux. "As the only trade association representing the entire spectrum of the plastics industry, we needed to simplify and streamline our structure to closely align our staff with our three governance councils."

SPI launches myPlasticsindustry.com. SPI's new online community, myPlasticsindustry.com, is fast becoming the plastics industry's #1 online destination. Plastics professionals interested in products, suppliers, news, plastics careers and plastics networking are coming to myPlasticsindustry.com. The site's large volume of thousands of plastics industry suppliers and product directory listings, deep plastics industry knowledge content, and powerful personalization solutions are making it a major destination for people searching the internet for plastics solutions. At its start, myPlasticsindustry.com draws on a database of more than 75,000 plastics professionals, including all NPE 2006 participants and all SPI member companies, which are searchable within the site. The site already appears in the Top 10 organic Google search results for some plastics-related search terms. If you are a supplier looking to sell to buyers, there is no better way to reach them than myPlasticsindustry.com. The site offers a full menu of advertising opportunities, allowing your company to secure exclusive visibility within this global plastics community. For more information, call MPI Customer Service at 703/852-3101.

CHINA'S TRADE PRACTICES - The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) is seeking comments from the private sector on China's compliance with its World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations. USTR will use this input to prepare its 2007 report on China's WTO compliance record. USTR wants to hear about US companies' experiences (both negative and positive) with respect to several areas, including import and export laws, China's internal policies affecting trade (currency, subsidies, standards and regulations, taxes and investment measures), enforcement of intellectual property rights and rule of law issues.

Last year, based on member input, SPI filed comments which helped ensure that plastics-specific concerns were included in USTR's analysis. SPI plans to submit comments for USTR's 2007 review, but we need your input! SPI urges you to share your experience by contacting Neil Pratt, SPI's Senior Director, International Trade. All submitted information (company names and proprietary information) will be kept confidential. Please respond by September 5, 2007.

NATIONAL EXPORT STRATEGY IDENTIFIES CHINA, INDIA AND BRAZIL AS KEY MARKETS - In late July 2007, the Commerce Department released the Administration's 2007 National Export Strategy, which outlines priority foreign markets for US exports. The latest report emphasizes the benefits of exporting and encourages US companies to enter the global marketplace. The report identifies China, India and Brazil as countries that US exporters should consider due to the size of their markets and their records of strong economic growth. Federal, state and local governments will focus their trade promotion resources and activities on these priority markets in the coming year.

SPI CONSIDERS CO-SPONSORSHIP OF INDIA AND CHINA SUMMITS - SPI has been approached by plastics industry associations in India and China to co-sponsor bilateral industry events in the two countries next year. In China, SPI is interested in hosting a US-China Plastics Industry Summit on the sidelines of ChinaPlas 2008 in April 2008 in Shanghai. As we explore these potential cooperation opportunities, we would like your input. If you are considering attending ChinaPlas 2008, please let us know what activities you would like SPI to organize. We would also like to know whether you would be interested in attending the prospective collaborative events in China and India and what topics you would like to be covered at these summits. We stand ready to assist SPI members seeking to expand their operations in India and China and promote the business interests of SPI members in these two countries. For more information, contact Neil Pratt, 202/974-5333.

FPD Activities

FPD FALL 2007 CONFERENCE will be held September 23-25, 2007 at the spectacular Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada. The program includes an update from the Issues Management Committee, Trade Secret Protection, Trends in Enterprise Software, Bar Coding/Warehouse IT and more. The keynote speaker will be Susan Ershler, who has enjoyed a 20-year career in management positions for Fortune 500 corporations across the nation-including telecommunications giants such as Qwest, Verizon and United Technologies. Furthermore, in 2002 Ershler and her husband climbed to the summit of Mt. Everest and became the first couple in history to climb the Seven Summits.Please visit the conference website for additional details.

SPRING 2008 FPD CONFERENCE will be held at Kiawah Island, SC on April 13-15, 2008. Brandon Redmond, Jrlon, and Dick Rockosi, Arkema, are the conference co-chairs.

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

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.

SUMMER 2007 ISSUE OF FLUORONEWS was posted on the FPD web site in late July and printed copies were issued in very early August.

FLUOROGUIDE - We did a full updates 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 any needed further revisions at eben_hill@msn.com.

FPD WEB SITE HITS continue to increase steadily and are now running over 2.2 million hits annually. 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

SPI/FPD - Allen Weidman, our Executive Director for many years, is in the process of transitioning out of SPI. We send him our best wishes. His position as FPD Executive Director has been filled by Terry Peters who joined SPI late in 2006 and most recently was Executive Director for the Machinery Division. Additionally, we are very happy to report that Jennifer Goldman has been promoted to Assistant Director, reporting to Terry. Congratulations Jennifer.

Industry Highlights

SAINT-GOBAIN - We welcome you to download the Saint-Gobain Oil & Gas Group brochure, or you can request a reprint of the brochure by completing and submitting the Literature Request form. This brochure will introduce you to the many Saint-Gobain business units that serve the natural gas, oil and oil sands, and coal industries, as well as those who rely on these energy sources for their own operations. Saint-Gobain, one of the 100 largest industrial companies in the world, designs and manufactures innovative products used in dozens of applications by businesses up and down the energy supply chain.

DAIKIN and Dow Corning Corporation have jointly developed a new product for fabric protection. The new Unidyne™ TG-5521 fabric treatment delivers the superior oil and water repellency of fluorine and the softness of silicone. Additionally, this combination of performance benefits is available in the new C6 fluorine platform, which enhances the product's environmental performance. Customers conducting trials with the new product report that it succeeds in all respects. The new Unidyne TG-5521 fabric treatment will be sold exclusively by DAIKIN and will be available worldwide. Production is scheduled to begin in early August 2007. Additional information and product samples can be obtained by contacting Mike Ladd at ladd@daikin-america.com or telephone at 256/260-6342.

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