Association News

EPDA ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE TO HOST WORKSHOP
Join other EPDA members for a special workshop on “Risks and opportunities for the plastic industry in an energy and carbon constrained economy,” hosted by Environmental Committee Chair Maurizio Adreani of Adreani Spa. The workshop will take place in Milan, Italy, 14 November 2008 and is free for EPDA members. If you are interested in attending, please e-mail Sabine Reinhold at sreinhold@epda.com before 20 October.

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EPDA BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEETING
The EPDA Board of Directors and Committee Chairs recently met in Prague, Czech Republic, on 27 September 2008. The EPDA Board and Committee chairs meet two to three times per year to discuss the strategic direction of the association, activities and outcomes of the committees and to provide governance to the association.

During the September meeting, the group discussed Frans Bloks’, EPDA ambassador, member interviews; the new features and future plans of the EPDA web site; next steps on EPDA’s Evolution Committee; membership recruitment and development strategies; educational materials development; and the plans and program for the 2009 Lyon Annual Conference. The next meeting will be held on 7 February 2009. During this meeting, the EPDA Board and Committee chairs will work to develop the association strategic plan that will be presented for member input at the 2009 Annual Conference.

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EPDA LOGO AVAILABLE FOR MEMBER USE
The updated EPDA logo is now available in the members’ only section of the EPDA web site. Use the logo on your web site, in your brochures and on your letterhead.

Go to www.epda.com to log in. If you need log-in information, please contact Wendy Schantz at wschantz@epda.com to receive your password.

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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.

MURTFELDT PLASTY INAUGURATION
The inauguration of a new company location marks a further milestone for Murtfeldt Plasty, the successful subsidiary of Murtfeldt Kunststoffe.

The glasses were finally raised on 5 September when Murtfeldt Plasty, the Czech subsidiary of Dortmund-based Murtfeldt Kunststoffe, invited around 130 guests to its impressive inauguration event, including the mayor of Mesice, interested officials, architects and a delegation of colleagues from Dortmund.

It took almost two years from the planning phase to the actual move in June 2008 to move locations from eastern Prague to the northern outskirts of the city. Such moves are already familiar occurrences for the Czech employees, as Libor Galatik, managing director of Murtfeldt Plasty, made clear in his speech: “We started small in the south of the city,” he said, reminding his audience of Plasty’s early days. “Since then, as we have continued to grow, we have moved locations twice.” 

The new company premises have plenty of potential for expansion, thus putting an end to talks of further moves. “The construction of our new premises in the Czech Republic has provided us with an excellent basis for future development, meaning that we can extend capacity if required,” said Andreas Balla, Head of Commerce at Murtfeldt Kunststoffe. “The Czech market is developing in an extremely positive fashion, and a large amount of company growth is certain to be generated here.”

Murtfeldt Plasty’s production now takes place in a modern, spacious, well-lit location, where a large amount of new machinery is used. Under the leadership of Libor Galatik, individual finished parts are milled, sawed, planed, drilled, turned and machined on CNC-controlled machines. Murtfeldt Plasty acquires standard products and semi-finished goods required for further processing from its parent company Murtfeldt Kunststoffe GmbH & Co in Dortmund.

For more information, contact info@murtfeldt.cz.

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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.

MODIFIED UHMW-PEs
Further development of UHMW-PE has been discussed a lot in recent years. Modifications with different lubricants, cross-linking agents, stabilizers, silica, etc., significantly improve properties of UHMW-PE for certain applications.

Wefapress offers a variety of modified UHMW-PE. Resin blending and compounding processes are predominantly done internally at Wefapress, and are part of the necessary know-how to offer modified UHMW-PEs. It is also crucial to understand “real life” applications. Wefapress has access to the issues OEMs and end-users have with engineering plastics via its many customers. This allows for an in-depth understanding of the requirements asked of engineering plastics in real life. Wefapress used this knowledge to develop materials.

Examples of Wefapress’ modified UHMW-PEs are:

• ST 9100 Oil (oil-filled UHMW-PE, filled to different degrees depending on application and food approved)
• CeradurXL (cross-linked and wear-optimized UHMW-PE for applications with higher loads and speeds)
• CeramX (“hybrid material” based on UHMW-PE, filled with ceramic-based additives and developed for the paper industry)

Visit www.wefapress.com for more information.

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PRISMEX® LEADS THE WAY AT MANCHESTER AIRPORT
William Smith has been a leading name in the UK sign business for decades and even celebrated its 175th anniversary in the industry last year. The company is renowned for its high quality sign and graphic solutions.

So, when IPS (Incorporated Production Solutions), a company specialising in multimedia/sign solutions for airports, wanted a weather-proof, highly visible, illuminated sign solution to help passengers navigate their way around Manchester Airport’s Terminal 3, Luminedge was the ideal choice.

Luminedge uses Prismex® from Lucite®  lighting technology to help create an ultra bright illuminated sign with an extremely slim profile — perfect for areas of high traffic such as airport, railway and bus termini.

Using Prismex ensures that the Luminedge signs are bright and evenly illuminated, making them clear and highly visible by day and by night — essential for a busy airport terminal. They were installed as part of Manchester Airport’s re-branding programme and help passengers find their way around the airport to the appropriate check-in zones and airlines.

The signs are extremely robust and can withstand the worst of the Manchester weather! They are hinged and lockable for easy updating and maintenance, making them extremely practical and secure.

Visit www.lucitesolutions.com for more information.

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GEVACRIL® ACRYL SAMPLE BOXES
Let GEVACRIL® introduce you to the colourful world of acrylic products.

In order to promote the immense variations of its acrylic products, GEVACRIL® ACRYLICS has created a selection of sample packages. Please go ahead and select your sample box from a variety of sets available at www.gevacril.com/samples.htm. Each box is full of inspirational pieces from the wide range of GEVACRIL products, an invaluable source of ideas and creativity.

For more information and to order your sample box, please visit www.gevacril.com/samples.htm.

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NEW SURVEY OF CENTRAL EUROPE’S INJECTION MOULDERS
Applied Market Information has just released an update of its database of injection moulders in Central Europe. The database provides detailed information on 1,300 companies in Poland, Hungary and the Czech and Slovak Republics. Nearly 300 new companies have been added to the database since it was last released in 2005, reflecting the rapid pace of change and growth in injection moulding in Central Europe. AMI estimates that the industry there now processes nearly 1 million tonnes of polymer resin.

Injection moulding is always a dynamic sector of the plastics industry and, given economic growth and membership of the EU, there have been many changes in these countries. Private investors continue to be attracted to this sector and many international processors and OEMs have established moulding operations in the region.

Many Western European firms have relocated injection moulding production eastwards in a bid to improve profit and follow their customers. Production particularly has moved from the
United Kingdom, Benelux and Scandinavia, where labour costs are high. The main advantages are a large, skilled workforce prepared to work for lower wages, allied to lower land costs, rising living standards and investments in automotive and appliance manufacturing. Starting up a business in these countries has also been made easier since their accession to the EU as there are far less bureaucratic obstacles to overcome and their central locations make them ideally placed to serve both markets in the West and the growing markets to the East. The injection moulding market in Central Europe has also been driven by high levels of investment in domestic appliance manufacturing, automotive production and packaging.

E-mail info@amiplastics.com for information on this survey.

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

COMPOTEC
29 to 31 October 2008, Marina di Carrara, Italy
Compotec is the first professional fair entirely dedicated to production, technologies and research of composite materials. It's a new and unique event in the Italian trade fair panorama: its target is to bring together universities, research institutes, associations and users from different segments in a three-day event. Exhibitors include producers; distributors; importers of raw materials; and machinery, tools, service and processing companies, as well as associations, universities, research centres and the technical press. Visit www.compotec.it for more information.

IPACK 2008
5 to 8 November 2008, Istanbul, Turkey
The 23rd annual International Packaging and Food Processing Systems Industry Exhibition will be held 5 to 8 November 2008 at the CNR EXPO in Istanbul, Turkey. IPACK is one of the largest organizations in Turkey for the food packaging and processing sector. Visit www.itf-ipack.com for more information.

THERMOPLASTIC ELASTOMERS CONFERENCE
12 to 13 November 2008, Prague, Czech Republic
Smithers Rapra, a subsidiary of U.S.-based independent testing, research and consulting organisation, The Smithers Group, will host its 11th annual conference on thermoplastic elastomers 12 to 13 November 2008. The conference will highlight new and exciting developments in markets, materials, additives and applications and with representation from the major TPE material suppliers and compounders from across the world, the meeting will be the ideal forum for OEMs to achieve the multi-tier collaboration needed to influence the performance of their products. Go to www.polymerconferences.com for more information.

AGRICULTURAL FILM 2009
24 to 26 February 2009, Barcelona, Spain
There are changes in the market for wide, specialty film for the horticultural markets that will be described at the international Agricultural Film 2009 conference, organised by Applied Market Information from 24 to 26 February 2009 in Barcelona, Spain. Applications of film in agriculture include mulch, silage, greenhouse and in fumigation. Visit www.amiplastics.com/ami/AMIConference.asp?EventID=152 for more information.

UTECH 2009
31 March to 2 April 2009, Maastricht, the Netherlands
The programme for the UTECH Europe 2009 conference has just been issued and features many of the polyurethane industry’s leading international experts. More than 80 papers will be presented during the three-day event. The Plenary Session opening the event has a sharp focus on sustainability, and will be followed by a trio of presentations detailing developments in three key fast-growing markets. Visit www.urethanes-technology-international.com for more information.

EPDA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
28 to 31 May 2009, Lyon, France
Make plans now to join EPDA in Lyon, France, 28 to 31 May 2009. Information will be available early next year. Watch www.epda.com for details.

FAKUMA
16 to 18 June 2009, Friedrichshafen, Germany
The No. 1 trade fair for injection moulders, Fakuma is distinguished by broad-based offerings, including processing machinery and suitable peripherals, raw materials and applications, as well as automation solutions, control technology and much more.

Visit www.fakuma-messe.de/en/fakuma for more information.

NPE 2009
22 to 26 June 2009, Chicago, IL, USA
The NPE2009 international plastics exposition and conference will be a great leap forward in NPE history, with a broad array of innovations to make participation more exciting and profitable for exhibitors and attendees. The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc., sponsors the triennial NPE. The exhibitor section of the web site at www.npe.org is now “live” and provides essential information for decision makers at companies considering exhibiting at the show.

Visit www.npe.org for information.

53RD IAPD ANNUAL CONVENTION
20 to 23 October 2009, Las Vegas, NV, USA
The IAPD Annual Convention features the latest information on trends and events in the plastics distribution industry. Manufacturers of plastics materials and equipment display their products at the IAPD Plastics Exhibition, and seminars and workshops educate and inspire. Networking opportunities are provided for meeting people from around the world who work in the industry. Information will be available next year. Go to www.iapd.org to view photos and information from the 52nd IAPD Annual Convention in Philadelphia, PA, USA.

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Copyright 2008
European Plastics
Distributors Association
Beethovenstraße 12
63846 Laufach Germany
Phone: +49.6093.9942852
Fax: +49.6093.994077
epda@epda.com
www.epda.com