Twelfth SPE® Automotive TPO Conference to feature 4 keynotes.
Press Release Summary:
SPE® Automotive TPO Global Conference will feature 4 keynote speakers who will highlight trends reshaping global automotive plastics market. Running from October 3-6, event offers attendees environment in which to network and explore developments in materials, processing, and applications for polymer family of thermoplastic olefins (TPOs). Keynote speakers are Deborah Mielewski, Ph.D.; Robert Nadin; Dietmar Ostermann; and Bryan W. Milton.
Original Press Release:
Four Keynotes Highlight Changing Industry, EvolvingTrends at Twelfth SPE® Automotive TPO Conference
TROY, (DETROIT) MICH. - This year's SPE® Automotive TPO Global Conference features four keynote speakers who will highlight the trends that are profoundly reshaping the global automotive plastics market. This annual two-and-a-half-day event, the twelfth organized by the Detroit Section of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE®) International, returns October 3-6, 2010 to the Best Western Sterling Inn (Sterling Heights, Mich.) and offers attendees a rich environment in which to network and explore the latest developments in materials, processing, and applications for the versatile polymer family of thermoplastic olefins (TPOs).
First up on Monday morning, October 4 will be keynote speaker, Deborah Mielewski, Ph.D., technical leader-Plastics Research at Ford Motor Co. (Dearborn, Mich.), who will give a talk entitled: "Greening the Blue Oval: Ford's Vision for a Sustainable Automotive Industry."
Mielewski says she will discuss Ford's initiatives in developing a global sustainability vision for itself, including processes that help engineers determine the best solutions to meet all durability and functional requirements, while also considering the environmental impact of materials they use in vehicles. She will also discuss the company's leadership in the area of biomaterials - the successes they have had thus far and the challenges that still must be overcome - as well as new efforts to deal with some old problems around recycling materials into high-value car parts.
"Ford's plastics group has focused on developing biomaterials for almost a decade - long before it was fashionable to be 'green,'" she says. "These technologies have had a positive impact on the environment by using renewable, carbon-sequestering inputs that lower CO2 emissions and, in some cases, also reduce weight (for better fuel economy) and are entirely compostable. As the price of oil continues to fluctuate, more companies will begin to invest in both biomaterials and plastics recycling, leading to more breakthroughs. In turn, this will allow our industry to reap not only environmental benefits, but also cost savings, expanded material choices, and functional improvements."
Monday's luncheon speaker is Robert Nadin, vice-president-Innovation & Technology at Braskem America, who will give a talk entitled "Braskem, A Continued Commitment to the TPO Marketplace." Braskem acquired Sunoco Chemical's polypropylene business this year and reaffirmed the legacy company's strategic focus of supplying a full palette of polypropylene resins to the compounded TPO market. Now a leading producer with manufacturing facilities in the North and South America, Braskem is leveraging work performed by its Technology & Innovation Centers in Pittsburgh and Tirunfo, Brazil.
Nadin says, "Braskem has a strong corporate focus on sustainable development. For example, our Tirunfo facility in Brazil not only develops new technology for polypropylene compounds, but also serves as the focal point for research on renewable feedstocks. At this same location, we're building a commercial scale, sugar-cane-based ethanol-to-ethylene complex. We're also preparing for the future by investing in technology that will allow us to expand into other renewable feedstocks."
On Tuesday, October 5, the show will begin with a keynote by Dietmar Ostermann, director and -Global Automotive Practice leader, PRTM Management Consultants, who will discuss the timely topic of "Bankruptcy & Consolidation in the Global Automotive Supply Industry."
Ostermann's talk will draw from results of a soon-to-be-released 2010 PRTM study summarizing over 500 global suppliers worth $2-trillion USD in revenues. The study provides insights into the consolidation and restructuring activities in the global automotive-supply industry and forecasts industry restructuring activity while identifying suppliers likely to be acquired, or to acquire, divest, or fail. Reportedly, the study has already been broadly quoted in global media outlets.
"Fundamental changes in the North American automotive industry, the still-fragile situation in Europe, and the unprecedented pace of growth in the Chinese auto industry are amplifying the need for automotive suppliers to rapidly adapt their businesses," notes Ostermann. "The number of annual automotive supplier bankruptcies has more than doubled since 2007, and more high-profile U.S. Global 100 suppliers are financially distressed, so expect a consolidation wave to follow in 2010. Don't be surprised to see several Chinese suppliers be among the top global suppliers when this situation has settled out. The suppliers who are faring best in turbulent times are those that are diversified."
The last 2010 SPE Automotive TPO Global Conference keynote will be given on Wednesday morning, October 6 by Bryan W. Milton, vice-president-Basic Chemical Global Business Unit at ExxonMobil Chemical, who will present a talk on "Feedstock Drivers & their Impact on Automotive Plastics." Milton will provide a brief overview of the company's energy outlook and summary of product supply and demand, which in turn will provide a view of the chemicalindustry market. He will also give an overview of ExxonMobil's portfolio of products and the company's role in the automotive industry.
"Our broad portfolio of polyolefin-based products provides our automotive customers opportunities to reduce weight, and improve manufacturing efficiencies and end-use part performance, while reducing costs vs. engineering thermoplastics. We use our innovative technology, manufacturing, and supply capabilities to develop and deploy products globally, while meeting local market needs."
About the TPO Conference
Since 1998, the SPE Automotive TPO Global Conference has highlighted the importance of rigid and flexible polyolefins throughout the automobile - in applications ranging from semistructural composite underbody shields and front-end modules to soft-touch interior skins and bumper fascia. Polyolefins have been the fastest-growing segment of the global plastics industry for a decade owing to their excellent cost / performance ratio. The polyolefin supply chain has experienced major changes in recent years, which are providing both challenges and opportunities for OEMs and the entire supply community. Three special sessions have been developed for this year's conference to help processors and end users learn about the latest technologies available from the rapidly changing world of automotive olefins. These include:
Thermoforming (returning for the first time since 2008), and completely new sessions on
Polypropylene Compounding and Olefin-Based Thermoplastic Elastomers & Vulcanizates (TPEs & TPVs) ..
The SPE Automotive TPO Global Conference is organized each year by a volunteer committee.
The conference typically draws over 400 attendees from 20 countries on 4 continents. Roughly 35% of conference attendees work for an automotive OEM, with the balance made up of tier integrators and molders, resin suppliers, equipment OEMs, industry consultants, and members of academia. The event is held annually at the Best Western Sterling Inn (www.sterlinginn.com) in Sterling Heights, Mich.
The mission of SPE International is to promote scientific and engineering knowledge relating to plastics worldwide and to educate industry, academia, and the public about these advances.
SPE's Detroit Section is active in educating, promoting, recognizing, and communicating technical accomplishments for all phases of plastics and plastic based-composite developments - particularly in the automotive industry. Topic areas include applications, materials, processing, equipment, tooling, design, and development.
For more information about the SPE Automotive TPO Global Conference, to view the conference's program, or to register to attend the event, please visit auto-tpo.com/ or ww.speautomotive.com/tpo.htm , or contact the group at +1.248.244.8993, or write SPE Detroit Section, 1800 Crooks Road, Suite A, Troy, MI 48084, USA.
For more information on the Society of Plastics Engineers International or other SPE events, visit the SPE website at www.4spe.org, or call +1.203.775.0471.
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