FPD Highlights - September 2007
SPI Activities in Support of FPD
SPI RENEWS ALLIANCE WITH OSHA to provide industry with resources for safe and healthful workplaces.
On August 29, 2007, SPI officially renewed its alliance with the US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA) in a signing ceremony held at OSHA headquarters in Washington, DC.
"Our relationship with OSHA is essential, as SPI works to provide our member companies and their employees with
the tools and guidance they need to create the safest and healthiest work environment possible in their plants
and manufacturing facilities," said SPI President Bill Carteaux.
SPI HAS DEVELOPED "PLASTICS WIRE," a news feed on myPlasticsindustry.com to provide plastics industry executives with a concise compilation of mainstream news published by the top media outlets, newspapers, consumer magazines, trade publications, business-related wire services and government sources, such as the Federal Register. The news feeds are updated three times daily and sorted into seven categories: Business, General News, Federal Policy, State Policy, New Technology, Trade and Industry Press Releases.
CALL FOR PAPERS: SPI seeks technical and business-related white papers for posting on myPlasticsindustry.com. Industry professionals with plastics business or technical expertise are invited to submit informational white papers for posting in Insights or Tech Zone sections of myPlasticsIndustry.com, SPI's new online market and meeting place. To be accepted by SPI, the articles must be informational and not promotional. "Insights" is the place for non-technical papers related to business topics such as trade, economics, finance and operations management as well as domestic and international regulatory issues. "Tech Zone" is the place for technical papers on science, emerging technologies, raw materials, processing techniques, or other aspects of plastics manufacture. For more information, contact Barry Eisenberg at 202/974-5210.
SPACE DRAWING FOR NPE 2009 is coming in February; McCormick Place's new West Building will be available. Companies planning to exhibit at NPE 2009 in Chicago will get to preview and tour McCormick Place's new West Building facility at the NPE 2009 Space Drawing, which will be held on February 19-20, 2008 in the new building's ballroom. This is the city's biggest ballroom, comfortably accommodating 5,000 people. SPI has reached an agreement with the exposition center to move from the East (Lakeside Center) Building to this new large and innovative venue for NPE 2009. The show, produced by SPI, will take place June 22-26, 2009, and will now be held in McCormick's South, North, and West Buildings. The new five-level facility has a central concourse on each level, putting the exhibit hall, meeting rooms, business services and common areas in close proximity. For more information, contact Gene Sanders 202/974-5250.
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. Be sure to invite your spouses to hear the keynote speaker 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.
If you have not yet registered, you may still do so on site. The SPI registration table opens at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. The SPI special room rate at the Venetian is no longer available, but there are plenty of hotel rooms available in Las Vegas. Info on some alternative resorts are available on the conference web page.
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.
Coating Section had over 25 attendees at the Spring 2007 Conference. The group wants to increase its efforts in reaching out to coater member prospects. The Fall Conference will include a regulatory update and a speaker on Safety products for use in Coating Facilities. The presentations by suppliers to the Custom Coaters have been well received and will also be continued.
PTFE Processors Section - The Section name has been changed from PTFE Processors to the Processors Section, reflecting the wider scope of its membership and breakout subject matter. The Section is working to increase processor participation. The Spring Section breakout had over 25 attendees. Cognex was the main presenter. There will be a presentation from DeWAL on Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) at the Fall Conference Section Breakout.
Wire & Cable Section - Codes and Standards activities within the Wire and Cable Section are presently focused on NPFA 70 (the National Electric Code or NEC) and NFPA 90A. Both codes are in the 2008 cycle, although at notably different stages. There will not be a Wire and Cable meeting at the Fall 2007 Conference.
Industry Highlights
W.L. Gore (GORE) announced that it will expand its Medical Products Division's operations in Arizona after completing the purchase of approximately 40 acres of land in North Phoenix The expansion will allow Gore to continue to grow its medical business in response to world wide demand for its creative therapeutic solutions. "Gore is building for the future. This location allows us to expand our operations in the Phoenix area's vibrant job market while taking advantage of the depth of experience we have in Flagstaff," said John Sininger, Divisional Leader. The parcel is located about a mile southeast of the Carefree Highway /I-17 interchange. Work will begin with street improvements agreed upon with the City of Phoenix, and be followed by the staged development of two buildings at the south end of the parcel. The site is within the North Gateway Village Core, an area anticipated to become a major commercial hub for North Phoenix. In the Phoenix area, Gore currently occupies office space in Tempe and has leased facilities near Happy Valley Road. Gore's Medical Products Division is the largest private employer in Flagstaff, where the division has been headquartered for nearly 30 years.
Resistoflex PFA Performance is now available in our familiar Poppet Style Horizontal Check Valve, in nominal diameters 1 - 4 in. Resistoflex Poppet Check Valves are unique in the industry. Cast Steel bodies, three different liners, low cracking pressures, and extremely low seating pressures are just a few of the selling points. Other lined check valves, such as wafer checks and ball checks are hard pressed to provide the same levels of performance as the poppet design. Each and every valve is machined and seat tested to provide superior performance at extremely low differential pressures.
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