Annual conference gets underway with an appreciation of plastics and a challenge for change
By Pat Toensmeier
The latest edition of ANTEC, SPE’s Annual Technical Conference, began on May 5, with an address by association president Jaime Gómez touting the positive impact of plastics on life and recognizing the challenges the industry faces in many areas.
The conference, like last year’s, was virtual, owing to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
Resins, in all forms and applications, have had an outsized impact on life since the development of celluloid in the nineteenth century, Gómez remarked. “Our curiosity leads us into ingenuity and creativity to create wonderful things [with plastics] that make our lives better.” This is, he added, what plastics are all about.
Gómez, who is also president and CEO of Equitech International Corp., discussed the impact of plastics on markets, notably transportation, food packaging, agriculture, recreation, safety and personal protection equipment, and healthcare. As regards this last: “If you go to a hospital and ask not to be touched by a piece of plastic, there’d be no future for you,” he said. “All the devices have plastics or are made of plastics.”
The industry, however, faces challenges, one of which is public perception of plastics pollution. Another is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gómez said that even though plastics are generally more efficient in manufacturing and more sustainable than most materials, the industry is under attack from activists and regulators. “Not because the material is bad, but because … human beings were not using it properly or disposing of it properly.
The pandemic, meantime, “the biggest event of our lifetimes,” forced much of the industry to adapt and respond. Plastics met the pandemic head-on with a rapid shift to the development and manufacturing of personal protective equipment, medical devices and other vital products, and will continue to play a major role in supplying the materials, innovation, manufacturing capacity and distribution of critical goods, he said.
The pandemic, additionally, accelerated ongoing industry changes. These include advances in materials, manufacturing technologies and applications. With the number of employees limited during the early stages of the pandemic, Gómez said, more companies are looking to accelerate automation—including lights-out manufacturing—a goal that entails broader development, and acceptance, of the controls and machines that make this possible.
Major markets, as well, seek to enhance products and product concepts to reflect awareness of the “green” demands coming from regulators and the public. While work continues to improve the collection and reuse of plastics, product designs will increasingly be done with recycling in mind, he said.
Going forward, Gómez concluded, we need to learn how to better use and reuse plastics to address concerns about disposal and pollution. He sees SPE playing an important part in this effort as a conduit and network for the knowledge and innovation necessary to meet sustainability demands. “With that in mind, I believe SPE has a bright future ahead.”
Kim McLoughlin Senior Research Engineer, Global Materials Science Braskem
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Kim drives technology programs at Braskem to develop advanced polyolefins with improved recyclability and sustainability. As Principal Investigator on a REMADE-funded collaboration, Kim leads a diverse industry-academic team that is developing a process to recycle elastomers as secondary feedstock. Kim has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Cornell. She is an inventor on more than 25 patents and applications for novel polyolefin technologies. Kim is on the Board of Directors of SPE’s Thermoplastic Materials & Foams Division, where she has served as Education Chair and Councilor.
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Gamini has a BS and PhD from Purdue University in Materials Engineering and Sustainability. He joined Penn State as a Post Doctorate Scholar in 2020 prior to his professorship appointment. He works closely with PA plastics manufacturers to implement sustainability programs in their plants.
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Tom Giovannetti holds a Degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Tulsa and for the last 26 years has worked for Chevron Phillips Chemical Company. Tom started his plastics career by designing various injection molded products for the chemical industry including explosion proof plugs and receptacles, panel boards and detonation arrestors for 24 inch pipelines. Tom also holds a patent for design of a polyphenylene sulfide sleeve in a nylon coolant cross-over of an air intake manifold and is a Certified Plastic Technologist through the Society of Plastic Engineers. Tom serves on the Oklahoma Section Board as Councilor, is also the past president of the local Oklahoma SPE Section, and as well serves on the SPE Injection Molding Division board.
Joseph Lawrence, Ph.D. Senior Director and Research Professor University of Toledo
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Dr. Joseph Lawrence is a Research Professor and Senior Director of the Polymer Institute and the Center for Materials and Sensor Characterization at the University of Toledo. He is a Chemical Engineer by training and after working in the process industry, he has been engaged in polymers and composites research for 18+ years. In the Polymer Institute he leads research on renewably sourced polymers, plastics recycling, and additive manufacturing. He is also the lead investigator of the Polyesters and Barrier Materials Research Consortium funded by industry. Dr. Lawrence has advised 20 graduate students, mentored 8 staff scientists and several undergraduate students. He is a peer reviewer in several journals, has authored 30+ peer-reviewed publications and serves on the board of the Injection Molding Division of SPE.
Matt Hammernik Northeast Account Manager Hasco America
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Matt Hammernik serves as Hasco America’s Northeast Area Account Manager covering the states Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. He started with Hasco America at the beginning of March 2022. Matt started in the Injection Mold Industry roughly 10 years ago as an estimator quoting injection mold base steel, components and machining. He advanced into outside sales and has been serving molders, mold builders and mold makers for about 7 years.
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Resins, in all forms and applications, have had an outsized impact on life since the development of celluloid in the nineteenth century, Gómez remarked. “Our curiosity leads us into ingenuity and creativity to create wonderful things [with plastics] that make our lives better.” This is, he added, what plastics are all about. 
