NPE Trade Show

Long-delayed equipment investments, a resurgent automotive market, and one of the world's largest plastics shows came together last spring to help push a number of equipment suppliers in North America to record performances in 2012, including automation and injection molding machine supplier Engel.

"[NPE2012] certainly didn't hurt; we really couldn't have timed it any better," Engel North America President Mark Sankovitch told PlasticsToday. "The show was just one part of multiple pieces-everything aligned."

Use of high-performance fiber lasers introduced at NPE 2012 may significantly advance use of a variety of clear plastics in medical applications, such as fluid bags now made from polyvinyl chloride.

Eastman Chemical announced at MD&M West held in Anaheim, CA last month that the technology developed by IPG Photonics (Oxford, MA) has significant potential for advancing its clear copolyester plastics.

Anaheim, CA—True to its new mission statement, Bill Carteaux, president and CEO of the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI; Washington, DC), stressed the trade group's commitment to end-of-life solutions for plastics during a Western Region trade luncheon held the same day SPI appointed a leader to its new recycling initiative.

What if they held a trade show and nobody came? Well, if every company followed Husky’s marketing plan for 2013, that’s exactly what would happen. After announcing its intention to do a “Husky World Tour” in 2013 that would focus on existing and potential customers around the globe, the company noted that it would be foregoing its participation in tradeshows this year, including Drinktec and K 2013.

The excitement at NPE2012 and anxiety Chinaplas were muted but palpable, and those contrasting sentiments, as much as anything, might define the plastics industry in 2012.

That storyline, along with bag, bottle and materials bans, sustainability pushes in multiple end markets, and the need for skilled labor, among other topics, are prevalent throughout PlasticsToday's most-viewed content (see below) for 2012.

SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association has hired two experienced trade show professionals to support production of the NPE2015 international plastics exposition. Gene Sanders, SPI's senior vice president of trade shows and conferences announced the hiring of Lori Campbell as director of operations and Brad Williams, as the new director of marketing and sales.

With more than $30 million in sales in Latin America and plans to expand across the company's product lines, Bob Florence, Davis-Standard's VP of global sales & marketing, told PlasticsToday the region represents a strong growth market for the company.

The Zahoransky Group, a mold manufacturer headquartered in Freiburg, Germany, announced plans to expand its Vogtland-Saxony facility. Upon completion, the plant will include a 1000-sq-m production center and a 780-sq-m Customer Center with additional office space. The company will make an investment of 2.5 million euros.

Larry Doyle has been promoted to president of Conair, replacing Chris Keller, who held that position while also serving as president and CEO of Conair's parent company, International Plastics Equipment Group (IPEG; Franklin, PA).

Visit Orlando President and CEO Gary Sain passed away unexpectedly on the evening of May 4th at an event in Orlando. Sain and his organization had worked closely with SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association and its president, Bill Carteaux, when SPI decided to move its triennial NPE event to Orlando after four decades in Chicago.