COMPOSITES & POLYCON 2009 preview

With a theme of “Shaping Our Future,” the COMPOSITES & POLYCON 2009 trade show is set to debut in its new time slot, Jan. 15-17, 2009. Show organizer, the American Composites Manufacturers Assn. (ACMA, Arlington, Va.) believes the winter timeframe and a return to its 2007 Florida location (no show was scheduled for 2008) together with some changes to the show’s format, will be an attractive package for the event’s visitors from the composites industry. The move caps a series of changes in the ACMA’s show strategy, which began in 2005 when the POLYCON trade event and the International Cast Polymer Assn. (ICPA), its producer, were grafted into the ACMA organization. At the ACMA’s combined 2007 event, organizers announced the move from its traditional October slot to January after the IBEX Show, Professional BoatBuilder magazine’s boat show, left its longtime February position to launch an October event.

“We’re thrilled we’ll be in Tampa,” says John Tickle, ACMA president. “Our last show in Tampa was one of our most successful ever, and I’m confident that the date will mean even better business opportunities for our members and exhibitors.”  

Convention-goers will get plenty of chances to network, beginning with a welcome reception sponsored by Reichhold (Research Triangle Park, N.C.) on Thursday evening, Jan. 15. Friday’s awards luncheon, sponsored by Chem-Trend (Howell, Mich.) and Interplastic Corp. – Thermoset Resins Div. (St. Paul, Minn.) will highlight the winners of the Awards for Composites Excellence (ACE) competition, as well as the ICPA’s Pinnacle award winners. To entice visitors through the event’s third day, a new Century Model 1850 powerboat will be given away on Saturday, Jan. 17, in the exhibit hall, and the winner must be present.  Prior to the show’s opening, the ACMA will host a special Leadership Reception. Set for Wednesday evening, Jan. 14, from 6:30 to 8:00, this event is open only to  invited guests.

The COMPOSITES & POLYCON ’09 education program will focus on topics that will help composites companies prosper, according to ACMA. The primary topics will be emerging and growth sectors; sustainability and green issues; composite processes; regulatory issues, and marketing and business management — in all, conference speakers will present more than 75 education sessions and technical papers.
In response to the current global financial crisis, a general session will be held on Thursday afternoon, at which Dr. Roger Tutterow of Mercer College will discuss the financial and housing markets and the state of the economy, and more importantly, how composites businesses can navigate these troubled times.

The ICPA will hold its general session at 10:00 am on Thursday, an annual business meeting that also highlights new cast polymer-related products being introduced on the exhibit floor. New this year are a number of roundtable discussions on “hot” topics. Each will be chaired by an industry expert, who will facilitate 20-minute peer discussions. Also new: A risk communication workshop will be presented by consulting firm Levick Strategic Communications (Washington, D.C.). Workshop leaders will provide attendees with tools that help them communicate about potential health risks more effectively, using ACMA’s new Risk Communications Plan as a basis. As always, Demo Zones will enable event visitors to witness a variety of supplier-facilitated live presentations of processing techniques and methods.

“This year, more than ever, the educational programs focus on both how to make a better product and how to market that product to the world,” says Jack Simmons of ACS International (Tucson, Ariz.), this year’s chairman of ACMA’s Conference Committee.

Completing ACMA’s list of new features are the New Product Pavilion, a showcase for the bevy of new offerings by exhibiting companies, and the University Pavilion, where attendees can find information about research and development efforts and other technical education programs now active at participating colleges and universities.

Finally, ACMA’s Certified Composite Technician (CCT) program again will offer a tutorial and administer its CCT certification exam for applicants in attendance.  

ACMA expects its exhibit hall to house more than 200 exhibitors this year, who will demonstrate cutting-edge materials, equipment, supplies and services available in the composites and cast polymer industries. (CT’s “COMPOSITES & POLYCON Exhibitor List” (below) includes the booth locations of 170 exhibitors who already have reserved space on the exhibit floor (as of Nov. 14, 2008). Booth locations are subject to change, so CT recommends that showgoers confirm floor positions with exhibiting companies when making visit plans).
For more information about COMPOSITE & POLYCON 2009, visit the ACMA Web site: www.acmanet.org.

 

COMPOSITES & POLYCON 2009 Exhibitor List

A
A.B. Carter Inc.    1128
A.P.C.M. Manufacturing    1725
ACS International Inc.    708
Adhesive Systems Inc.    622
Advanced Fiberglass Technologies Inc.    1137
Advanced Plastics Inc.    1701
Ahlstrom    1139
Airtech International     411
Akzo Nobel    1011
Alcan Baltek Corporation    1319
Allied Custom Gypsum    1315
American Colors Inc.    1828
American Whirlpool Systems Inc.    418
AOC LLC    900
Arkema Inc.    1029
Ashland Inc.    1101
Ashley Industrial Molding Inc.    1430
Auburn University    1531
Axel Plastics    800

B
Bayer MaterialScience LLC    209
Bedford Reinforced Plastics Inc.    628
Binks/DeVilbiss - ITW Industrial Finishing    1237
Brenner International    1238
Buff and Shine Mfg.    517
BYK USA Inc.    829

C
Cannon USA Inc.    1130
CASS Polymers of Michigan Inc.    1329
Cattco USA Inc.    1334
CCP  - Cook Composites & Polymers    1301
Chem-Trend    510
Chemique Adhesives Inc.    217
CHOMARAT North America    623
Chongqing Polycomp International Corp.    1522
CMS North America    1518
Colbond Inc.    830
Collano Inc.    1519
CollinsCraft Composites Group    1807
Composites One    1119
COMPOSITESWORLD    329
Creative Foam Corporation    1333
Creative Pultrusions Inc.    438
CTG International (North America) Inc.    423

D
DCM Clean-Air Products Inc.    525
Design Imaging LLC    325
DIAB Inc.    1419, 1423
Diamond Tool Supply Inc.    620
Diatrim Tools    539
Dow Epoxy    216
Dustcontrol Inc.    828

E
E.T. Horn Company    336
Eastman Machine Company    101
Elliott Company of Indianapolis Inc.    1028
Engineered Fillers International    611
ES Manufacturing Inc.    1311
Eurovac    929
Evonik Degussa Corporation    1331

F
Ferro Corporation    300
Fiber Glass Industries    529
Fiber-Line Inc.    643
Fiberex Glass    1629
Fiberglass Coatings Inc.    1425
Fiberglass Piping & Fitting Company    1135
Flow International Corporation    1806
Forest City Tool Inc.    304
Franklynn Industries Inc.    805
Frees Inc.    1122

G
G.W. Schultz Tool Inc.    931
GBF/Zhejiang Hengdian Import
 & Export Co. Ltd.    201
Gibson Fiberglass    1113
Graco Inc.    1621
Grignard Company    1242
Gruber Systems Inc.    1739
GS Manufacturing    629

H
Hawkeye Industries    810
Henkel Corporation    1005
Hexion Specialty Chemicals    1600
HK Research Corporation    923
Huber Engineered Materials    617
Huntman Advanced Materials    1721
Huron Technologies Inc.    125

I
IMERYS    416
Innegrity LLC    1337
Interplastic Corporation    301
IPS Weld-On Corp.    801
ITW Plexus    501

J
JRL Ventures    516

K
Kenrich Petrochemicals Inc.    1129
Knowlton Technologies    616

L
Lewco Inc.    432
Lindau Chemicals Inc.    1820
Lubrizol    712

M
Magnolia Plastics Inc.    638
Mahogany Composites Kit Manufacturing    1017
Manatee Technical Institute    1628
Marble Masters    618
Material    1243
McClean Anderson    1637
McLube Div., McGee Industries Inc.    1412
MEKTECH Composites Inc.    518
Multiax CNC Inc.    1525
MVP Magnum Venus Plastech    811

N
National Composite Center and Members    117
NCIC    544
Nida-Core Corp.    1035
Non-Metals Inc.    1030
North American Composites (NAC)    1500
Northern Fiber Glass Sales    1410

O
Olympus NDT    1615
Owens Corning Composite Materials    1409

P
Parabeam 3-D Glass Fabrics    1613
PCM Molds    742
Plascore Inc.    1100
Plasticolors Inc.    1229
PlastiVan    243
Polystrand    429
PPG Fiber Glass    635
Precision Quincy Corp.    535
Pro-Set Inc.    1611

R
Reed Industrial Systems    642
Reichhold Inc.    601
Rexco Mold Care Products    436
Rhinokore    624
Rimtec Zeon    129
RST-5 USA    443

S
S.M. Arnold Inc.    1235
SAERTEX USA LLC       711
Safas Corporation    1325
Sartomer Company, Inc.    1040
Scott & Fyfe Ltd.    804
Sealant Equipment & Engineering    1824
Sichuan Weibo Co. Ltd.    417
Sogel Inc.    321
Solvent Recovery Systems    1239
Specialty Products Company    1521
Starlite    1104
Structural Composites    729
Superior Fiberglass & Resins    111
Superior Fibers LLC    337
SWORL (div. of Prairie
 Technology Group Inc.)    1715
Syrgis Performance Initiators    1429

T
Taizhou Huangyan Shuangsheng
 Plastic Mould Co. Ltd.    123
TankSafe Inc.    1729
Technical Resin Packaging Inc.    941
Teijin Aramid USA Inc.    1234
The R.J. Marshall Company    823
3M Company    509
Ticona Engineering Polymers    222
TR Industries    543
Tricel Honeycomb Corporation    1023
TSE Industries, Inc.    316
21st Century Composites Inc.    1043, 1045

U
United Soybean Board    1624
University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)    1529
University of Maine, AFWC Center    1634
University of Mississippi    1630
Utah Foam Products Inc.    1746

V
V2 Composites Inc.    634
Valspar Composites    1436
VEC Technology LLC    609
Vectorply Corporation    1116
Ventilation Solutions    1001

W
WebCore Technologies Inc.    1710
WichiTech Industries Inc.    1428
Winona State University    1533
Wisconsin Oven Corporation    1143
Wolff Industries Inc.    1443
Wortham Machine & Welding Inc.    1707

X
Xamax Industries Inc.    1618

Z
Zoltek Corporation    428
Zyvax Inc.    933