Association News

2006 EPDA ANNUAL CONFERENCE PHOTOS ONLINE
Photos from the 2006 Annual Conference, held from Friday, 12 May, to Monday, 15 May, in the Midlands, UK, are now available online at www.epda.com/activities/midlands.htm. Thank you to attending members for sharing their photos!

Member Survey
Please watch your e-mail for an important survey from EPDA. The survey’s results will help guide EPDA’s leadership in policy decisions.

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Company News

EPDA members are invited to submit news on their company and products for publication in EPDA’s E-Update newsletter. News may be submitted in any language, to be translated by EPDA staff, and may include photographs. Please e-mail news (in a Microsoft Word document or as text in an e-mail) to epda@epda.com. Please note that submissions may be edited for length and clarity.

EPDA MEMBER CONSULTS U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF COMMERCE DAVID SAMPSON
During U.S. President Bush’s recent visit to Austria to attend some of the summit meetings between the European Union and the United States, 11 European managers and entrepreneurs were invited to consult Secretary David Sampson regarding pending issues in the trade relations between these two regions.

Nick Kraguljac, Zell-Metall GmbH, was invited to represent the plastics industry. The objective of this meeting was to contribute to the agenda of the E.U.-U.S. trade negotiations and ultimately help governments advance the WTO Doha Development Round, which aims to lower barriers to trade around the world by making a more fair system of trade for developing countries.

A lot of time was taken up by the following questions: How do you create positive conditions for research and development in Europe and the United States and what incentives do we offer to retain scientific talent and research budgets instead of losing them to Asia or South America?

Kraguljac suggested fostering non-manufacturing joint ventures, which concentrate as think-tanks on research, development, and innovation of products and production methods. Such joint ventures, established by at least one company each from Europe and the United States, should be free of state and federal taxes, get a break on social security fees, and employees of such entities should not have to pay income tax. Products and technologies developed in such “brain-factories” should be exportable between the EU and USA without duties and custom levies.

Other topics discussed were how far can we go in reforming our economies, liberalizing capital markets to promote growth, opening labour markets and reforming tax systems? How can we deregulate and reduce the size of government, while still preserving social justice? How can we strengthen education and find a way to pay for it?

The European Union and the United States need to utilise the good transatlantic relations to create synergies to defend their manufacturing locations against the Asian countries.

During the IAPD 50th Annual Convention, 13 to 17 September in Vancouver, BC, Canada, Nick Kraguljac will present how we all can encourage innovation in our companies so as to remain competitive in the sectors where our countries are world leaders — in advanced technologies, niche product areas and specialized services. Besides his presentation, this year’s IAPD convention will be full of educational seminars and presentations focusing on the plastics industry. Take time and participate. It is worthwhile to see how our sister association’s annual convention focuses on our industry. For more information on the convention, please visit www.iapd.org or go to Industry Events.

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IPS COMPLETES LARGE POLYPROPYLENE PIPING
This above-ground piping project involved the design and installation of a polypropylene pipeline to transfer CO2 at very low pressures. The difficult pipe route runs for more than 2 km and incorporates more than 2,000 pipe welds.

The project involved the installation of 560 mm diameter SDR 28 polypropylene pipe, together with a large quantity of fabricated bends, flanges and numerous specially manufactured parts. IPS also supplied the CNC-controlled welding machines that were used to carry out the site installation. A unique challenge for the project was to devise a method to control the expansion and contraction of this single complex pipe run over such a long length. Installed outdoors, the wide ambient temperature conditions accompanied by the heating effects of UV created difficult conditions. Using specially designed anchor fittings installed at pre-determined points, the forces caused by the expansion and contraction were effectively dissipated into the anchor mountings. As a result the entire system was installed without the need to use traditional expansion loops to control the thermal movements.

For more information, please visit www.ips-plastics.com.

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Product Showcase

Articles reporting on plastic products are prepared from information furnished by
members of EPDA. It should not be assumed that the publisher has reviewed or tested any of the products. For more information, contact the companies listed.

QUINN PLASTICS ENTERS THE RESIN MARKET WITH QUINN ACRYL
Quinn Plastics recently launched QUINN ACRYL, a highly transparent, amorphous thermoplastic resin based on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). The company will offer the resin in three different grades: high stiffness (standard), high viscosity and impact-modified grades. Better known for its sheet products, Quinn Plastics will enter the market for injection moulding supplies, with a proven track record in acrylics technology and development.

The extensive product range contains high-stiffness, standard grades with various levels of heat resistance and flow characteristics for injection moulding. The high viscosity (E) grades are excellent for extrusion applications. The impact-modified grades, with a range of melt viscosities and the right balance of toughness and stiffness, have the best resistance to environmental stress cracking.

“It is very exciting to see Quinn Plastics entering a new market segment, which complements our current sheet sales strategy. Although we may be a smaller player in this area we are very flexible in production and extremely confident in our quality of product. With the extended product range, as in our core plastic sheet markets, we will continue to offer the ‘best fit’ solutions to users.”, says Tom Nulty, general manager of Quinn Plastics.

For more information, please visit www.quinn-plastics.com.

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PERSPEX® USED IN “SIGN OF THE YEAR”
Perspex® from Lucite® acrylic sheet, supplied by Perspex Distribution Ltd., the UK’s leading supplier of Perspex, was used to create the spectacular Fort Dunlop sign — voted Sign of the Year at this year’s prestigious Sign Industry Awards.

Using a combination of Perspex 1TL2 Opal LED grade — a material specially developed to give the optimum light transmission performance, a specially programmed, RGB-controlled LED system and huge amount of creative flair and expertise, ASG created this fabulous landmark sign, which caught the attention and won the hearts and minds of this year’s Sign Industry Awards’ judging panel.

The Fort Dunlop sign is indeed spectacular — creating a Hollywood style façade for the new Fort Dunlop shopping and commercial centre in the up-and-coming Erdington district in Birmingham, England.

Individual letters standing 2.5 metres high spell out the centre name and the special RGB-controlled LED lights can create millions of combinations of colours. The sign spans 45 metres, making it clearly visible to motorists using the M6 and is set to become an iconic landmark on the Birmingham landscape.

For further information on Perspex Distribution Ltd., visit www.perspexdistribution.com.

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MAKING THE MOST OUT OF EACH OUTSIDE SALES CALL
By Roy Chitwood
As a sales professional, you’re probably aware of how crucial successful selling is to your company’s profits. Unless you work for a charitable organization, your company’s ultimate goal, beyond serving the customer, is to produce revenue. To achieve consistent sales success, however, you must first set objectives and then focus on achieving those goals for every sales call you make.

Sales calls with no clear-cut objectives waste both your time and your company’s money. I have met salespeople who sincerely feel they can’t set objectives before making sales calls because they say every prospect and every selling situation is different. Some salespeople feel they are especially expert if they can think fast on their feet, wing it and “live on the edge.”

Unfortunately, all that “living on the edge” can cost your company a tremendous amount of money. It has been estimated that the average business spends between $99 and $452 on each individual sales call. In this era of cutbacks and budget constraints, neither you nor your organization can afford to make sales calls that serve no real purpose. Most companies, particularly small businesses, do not have the luxury of wasting money on ineffective sales calls that don’t forward the sale in any meaningful way.

Considering, then, that a sales call without a purpose costs just as much as a purposeful one, the smart salesperson uses every call to his or her advantage. Each call should be considered an investment in the potential sale — whether it’s the first call or the 21st.

There is more to this article. To see it in its entirety, please go to www.maxsacks.com/articles/article0405.html.

Roy Chitwood is an author and consultant on sales and customer service. He is the former president and chairman of the Board of Sales & Marketing Executives International and is president of Max Sacks International. If you would like to subscribe to his free Tip of the Week please e-mail contact@maxsacks.com.

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CHINESE MARKETS FOR REINFORCED PLASTICS REPORT AVAILABLE
This report examines China’s macroeconomic trends, investment environment, reinforced plastics industry structure and capacity, production and demand, end-use market consumption trends, distribution channels and principal industry participants. Long-term forecasts for major reinforced plastics production and demand are included. The report contains 50 tables and charts. Key producers are profiled. Top Chinese reinforced plastics producers are listed in the producer directory section.

Most primary and secondary research was done in China in order to access up-to-date government regulations, market information and industry data. Data was collected from the Chinese government publications, Chinese language newspapers and magazines, Chinese chemical industry associations (including Chinese plastic industry associations, local government and chemical industry bureaus), plastic industry publications, and our in-house databases. Interviews were conducted with Chinese industry experts, university professors and reinforced plastics producers in China.

Historical data include 1995, 2000 and 2005. Long-term development trends are projected to the years 2010 and 2015. Economic models and quantitative methods are applied in this report to project market demand and industry trends.

For a complete index of this report, go to: www.researchandmarkets.com/product/7d65f9/chinese_markets_for_reinforced_plastics.

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CHEMICAL & PLASTICS INDUSTRY ALMANAC AVAILABLE
The chemicals manufacturing industry is a vibrant, global business that encompasses many important sectors. Key products include petrochemicals, fertilizers, plastics, coatings, ceramics, solvents, additives, dyes and many other products basic to home and business needs. In addition, the pharmaceuticals industry is often included when discussing chemicals. Commodity chemicals, specialty chemicals and custom manufacturing are vibrant components of the business.

The Chemicals and Plastics Industry Almanac covers these sectors in detail.

The Chemicals 500 is a unique grouping of the biggest, most successful corporations in all segments of the chemicals industry. Tens of thousands of pieces of information, gathered from a wide variety of sources, have been researched and are presented in a unique form that can be easily understood. This section includes thorough indexes to The Chemicals 500, by geography, industry, sales, brand names, subsidiary names and many other topics.

For ordering information, e-mail aapi@aapi.com.au or call 61.2.4934.6290.

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JUST FOR FUN: PIPE SPECIFICATIONS
During the Pipe, Valves and Fittings meeting in the Midlands, Frans Blok, IBG (Insigne Berg Groep BV), shared the following PVF specifications:

1. All pipe is to be made of a long hole, surrounded by plastic centered around the hole.
2. All pipe is to be hollow throughout the entire length — do not use holes of different length than the pipe.
3. The ID (inside diameter) of all pipe must not exceed its OD (outside diameter). Otherwise the hole will be on the outside.
4. The pipe is supplied with nothing in its hole, so that water or other materials can be put inside at a later date.
5. All pipe over 150 m in length should have the words “LONG PIPE” clearly painted on each side and end, so the contractor will know it’s a long pipe.
6. Pipe over 3 km in length must also have the words “LONG PIPE” clearly in the middle, so the contractor will not have to walk the entire length to determine whether it is a long or short pipe.
7. All pipe over 400 mm in diameter must have the words “LARGE PIPE” painted on it, so the contractor won’t mistake it for a small pipe.
8. Flanges must have holes from bolts separate from the big holes in the middle.
9. When ordering a 90° or 45° elbow, be sure to specify left hand or right hand. Otherwise you will end up going the wrong way.
10. Be sure to specify to your vendor whether you want level, uphill or downhill pipe. If you use downhill pipe for going uphill, the liquid will flow the wrong way.
11. All unions should have either right-hand or left-hand threads, but do not mix the threads. Otherwise, as the union is being screwed onto one pipe, it is being unscrewed from the other.

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Industry Events

For a list of all events, please visit www.epda.com/industry.cfm

50TH IAPD ANNUAL CONVENTION
13 to 17 September 2006, Vancouver, BC, Canada
IAPD will celebrate its 50th anniversary in style! Along with the fun of this grand celebration, the convention will feature experts on the subjects that matter to you and your business. You’ll also have the chance to see a convention-sized version of IAPD’s most popular training seminar, the IAPD Plastics Applications Seminar on Saturday, or a special Update of Thermoplastic Welding Standards Seminar. On Saturday, experience what an IAPD convention is all about at the IAPD Plastics Exhibition. Last year’s was the best yet — 650 people attended the show, which featured 76 exhibitors from three continents. The show is open to the entire plastics distribution community. All of this happens in one of the most beautiful places in the world, Vancouver, BC, Canada. For more information, visit www.iapd.org.

NANOEUROPE 2006
14 to 15 September 2006, St. Gallen, Switzerland
The conference is primarily tailored to the needs of representatives from three different key industries: medical devices, plastics and textiles, with the goal of presenting commercial nanotechnology applications. Each day is dedicated to one of these industries. For more information, visit www.nanoeurope.com.

PLASTICS DESIGN AND MOULDING 2006
26 to 28 September 2006, Telford, UK
Moulded products inhabit virtually every area of our lives. The pressure to deliver ever more innovative and cost competitive mouldings is as intense as ever. The technology to achieve that market advantage is now visible to the plastics industry at PDM 06. This event is the UK event for plastics designers and producers. For more information, visit www.pdmevent.com.

PLASTICS ADDITIVES AND COMPOUNDING CONFERENCE
17 to 18 October 2006, Cologne, Germany
The 12th International Plastics Additives and Compounding Conference, Addcon World 2006, will be held at the Renaissance Hotel in Cologne, Germany from 17 to 18 October 2006. This conference provides an opportunity to network with additive suppliers, researchers, compounders and manufacturers from across the plastics industry. There will be information on new developments and a chance to meet and discuss the issues for the industry in 2006. For information, please visit www.rapra.net/products_and_services/ Conferences/Addcon_World_2006.asp

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Copyright 2006
European Plastics
Distributors Association
Beethovenstraße 12
63846 Laufach Germany
Phone: +49.6093.9942852
Fax: +49.6093.994077
epda@epda.com
www.epda.com