DuPont™ Tedlar®, the global leader in technology-based materials and solutions, recently donated $20,000 to the SPE Foundation to support the Foundation’s three-pronged approach to enrich and develop future workforce for the plastics industry.
SPE Foundation PlastiVan Educator Evan Morton discusses the science behind plastics engineering with McKinney, TX, Faubion Middle School students on Wednesday, March 16.
FlexPackCon® 2023, taking place October 10-12 in Montreal, QC, is SPE's premier technical conference focused on flexible packaging. Presented by the SPE Flexible Packaging Division, FlexPackCon® 2023 is inviting material and equipment suppliers, processors, converters, packagers, brand owners, academia, and other industry influencers to submit abstracts for presentations focused on key trends and the latest technology advances in flexible packaging.
SPE has acquired 3Dnatives, a French company that produces a media platform and international events for professionals in 3D printing, additive manufacturing, and their related market applications. Joining with 3Dnatives expands SPE’s expertise in the plastics and additive manufacturing industries and gives SPE members unprecedented access to the science and technologies they need to know.
SPE is offering new and renewed memberships at no cost for one year, for those faced with sudden loss of income due to unemployment or other financial hardships.
In early January, SPE announced the 2023 recipients of its Fellow of Society Award. The Fellow of the Society program was established in 1984 and 359 SPE members have been awarded with the Fellow title since its inception. The Fellow of Society program honors SPE members for their outstanding contributions in the field of plastics engineering, science/technology, or in the management of such activities.
SPE recently announced the 2023 recipients for its prestigious Honored Service Members (HSM) Award. The SPE HSM program started in 1992 with 354 members named Honored Service Members since the program was launched. To be elected an Honored Service Member, a candidate shall have demonstrated long-term, outstanding service to, and support of, SPE and its objectives.
SPE President Bruce Mulholland appointed four new directors to the SPE Board of Directors for the year 2023. Each of the following will serve a one-year appointment: Jeremy Dworshak, Molding Research Specialist, 3M; Diane Marret, Research & Development Project Manager, Berry Global; Margaret Sobkowicz Kline, Ph.D. Professor of Plastics Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell; Gustavo Nechar, Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Ascend Performance Materials.
Taking place March 27-30, at the Hilton Denver City Center in Denver, CO, ANTEC® 2023 features a technical program focused on four themes: Advances in Materials and Characterization, Sustainability, Polymer Processing and Equipment, and Digitalization and Additive Manufacturing. Program includes 18 tracks with over 115 sessions as well as three plenary presentations - all focused on the latest advances in industrial, national laboratory, and academic work. Are you looking to build your plastics knowledge and take that information back to your projects and processes? Then this year's ANTEC® technical program is for you!
SPE recently announced Brabender® as an SPE Preferred Partner. Since 1923, Brabender® has been a leading manufacturer of instruments and equipment for testing material quality and physical characteristics in all fields of research, development, and industrial production in the chemical and food industries around the world.
On Monday, March 27th, the day before ANTEC® 2023 kicks off, SPE will host seven three-hour workshops. These Pre-ANTEC® workshops are a “deep dive” into topics of interest to ANTEC® attendees, offering additional learning opportunities while at the event. Workshops will be held at the Hilton Denver City Center, the ANTEC® host hotel.
SPE recently announced newly elected Board of Directors members as well as a newly appointed president. Bruce Mulholland will assume the position of SPE President starting on January 1st, 2023. The president’s term will run from January 1, 2023, until December 31, 2023. Conor Carlin, Managing Director, Illig North America, will serve as SPE’s President-Elect from January 1, 2023, until December 31, 2023. Additionally, three SPE Directors have been elected to the Board of Directors: Todd Bier, Account Manager, Palmer Holland, Inc.; Praveen Boopalachandran, Ph.D., Research Scientist, Dow; and Lynzie Nebel, Upstream Quote Engineer, Cytivia.
The SPE Foundation offers numerous scholarships to students who have demonstrated or expressed an interest in the plastics industry. They must be majoring in or taking courses that would be beneficial to a career in the plastics industry. This would include, but is not limited to, plastics engineering, polymer science, chemistry, physics, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, journalism or communications. All applicants must be in good standing with their colleges. Applications for our 2023-2024 SPE Foundation Scholarships are open until April 1, 2023.
SPE’s Flexible Packaging Division recently announced FlexPackCon® 2023, taking place October 10-12, 2023, in Montreal, QC, Canada. From materials and equipment suppliers to processors, converters, packagers, and brand owners, the event spans the supply chain. Engineers, researchers, marketers, and other flexible packaging professionals come together to learn about new developments in materials, trends, challenges, and opportunities in this double-digit growth market.
Registration for ANTEC® 2023, taking place March 27-30, 2023 at the Hilton Denver City Center in Denver, CO, is now open! We're offering a limited-time/limited-space opportunity to get in on our exciting new ANTEC® VIP Experience! The ANTEC® VIP Experience is a complimentary upgrade to your registration that gives you fantastic perks and benefits to enhance your overall ANTEC® experience.
In collaboration with the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, the SPE Foundation has created its first SPE Color Your World with Polymer Science Girl Scout patch. The newly released patch was introduced during Color Your World with Science, a science and engineering event, which took place at the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas STEM Center of Excellence in Dallas, TX. More than 200 Girl Scouts earned their patch and saw first-hand how polymer scientists and engineers are improving our world by developing new materials to make items like shoes, bike helmets, car parts, and more.
SPE is accepting Student Posters for ANTEC® 2023, taking place March 27-30 at the Hilton Denver City Center in Denver, CO. We're asking for posters focused on findings in plastics technologies, polymer research, new materials, and processes. Do you have something that is totally unique or a general but relevant topic that can reach everyone? If so, submit your poster today!
SPE is looking for Speakers for ANTEC® 2023, taking place March 27-30 at the Hilton Denver City Center in Denver, CO. ANTEC® is the perfect event to share your research or your company’s latest developments on plastics and polymer technologies.
SPE is hosting ANTEC® 2023 at the Hilton Denver City Center, Denver, CO from March 27–30, 2023. ANTEC® 2023 will showcase the latest advances in industrial, national laboratory, and academic work. At ANTEC® 2023, there will be multiple opportunities to spend time with colleagues at SPE-hosted meetings, receptions, luncheons, and SPE Chapter networking events. Registration details coming soon but put it on your calendar today!
SPE recently announced Covia as an SPE Preferred Partner. Covia is a leading provider of mineral-based solutions for industrial markets. The company specializes in production of ultrafine, micronized mineral fillers and additives that are applied in variety of plastic applications.
Dr. Iván D. López has been appointed as new Director of Technical Programs at SPE. In this role, Dr. López will create new virtual and in-person education events, identifying subject matter experts and growing SPE’s portfolio of technical programs. “Dr. López’s established experience of working in polymer sciences will be key to developing innovative programs and educational opportunities for our members and for those in the plastics industry,” said Patrick Farrey, CEO of SPE.
If you’re considering moving into a leadership role, either to manage people or projects, now is the perfect time. But are you prepared to make the move? SPE can help maximize your leadership potential through its newly launched Essentials of Management & Leadership in Plastics program. Essentials of Management & Leadership in Plastics is a six-month, cohort-based, virtual program, with the inaugural session running from October 2022 through March 2023. No other Leadership Certificate program exists that is specifically designed for those in the plastics industry.
SPE’s Plastics Engineering (PE) magazine was recently awarded two EDDIEs from Folio magazine. The first was awarded for Robert Grace’s June 2021 feature, "Overcoming Gender Bias in Design." The article was recognized in the category “Single Article/Association, Non-profit, Professional, Membership Association.” The second EDDIE was an Honorable Mention in the category “Range of Work by a Single Author, Association, Non-profit.” The work submitted featured six articles by Grace that emphasized the importance of educating technically sophisticated engineers and others about the importance of design in product development, as well as in market trends and emerging material and process developments.
SPE recently announced Alformet as a SPE Preferred Partner. Alformet specializes in an additive manufacturing process which uses laser radiation as a heat source for welding continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFR TP) pre-impregnated material, commonly known as UD-tapes.
The SPE Foundation is pleased to announce their scholarship recipients for 2022. Each recipient has demonstrated or expressed an interest in the plastics industry and all are majoring in or taking courses that would be beneficial to a career in plastics. Altogether, the SPE Foundation helped award 77 scholarships totaling $191,875 to 51 students for 2022.
SPE recently announced TA Instruments as a SPE Preferred Partner. TA Instruments is the world leader in manufacturing industry-leading systems for thermal analysis, rheology, microcalorimetry and mechanical analysis. Their reliable technology helps scientists in top laboratories test the physical properties of their materials. From medical devices to recycled plastics, material analysis and development across diverse industries is made possible by TA Instruments.
SPE recently announced Sue Milazzo Wojnicki's promotion to the position of Chief Operating Officer. In her role, Sue will oversee SPE’s operational processes to produce a superb member/stakeholder experience. Sue will also manage SPE's day-to-day business operations, working closely with the CEO and with all SPE employees, ensuring that the company’s operations support and advance SPE's vision and strategy.
The SPE Foundation Board is pleased to announce Dr. Matthew Harthcock as its new chair. He is replacing the Foundation Board’s previous chair, Dr. David Kusuma. Dr. Harthcock assumed the chair position on July 1, 2022, with his term running until June 30, 2023. Dr. Harthcock has been a member of the SPE Foundation board since 2021.
Taking place virtually on September 1, SPE's Additives & Color Middle East Conference is focused on the latest innovations, technologies, and best practices used in the Middle East for improved performance, manufacturing productivity and quality.
Taking place virtually the week of August 22-26, 2022, this event, hosted by the Non-Halogen Flame Retardant Materials TIG and Pinfa North America, will take an in-depth look at emerging technologies in flame retardants. The week is divided into flame retardant innovations including non-halogenated flame retardants, developments in smoke suppressants and enhancing non-halogenated retardants.
One obvious source of labor in a tight job market is women. And with 12.7 million Americans now working in manufacturing, and 860,000 positions unfilled, employers should actively recruit and train women when they need capable job candidates. So said Allison Grealis, founder and president of Women in Manufacturing (WiM), a trade association based in Independence, Ohio. Grealis discussed the benefits of hiring women and making the workplace a supportive environment for them in a keynote session on June 14, at ANTEC®.
Brian Landes, SPE's President from 2019-2020, was recently named as the 2022 recipient of the Society’s President’s Cup Award. Dr. Jason Lyons, SPE President, presented the award to Dr. Landes during SPE's Honors & Awards Lunch Ceremony, which took place during ANTEC® 2022 in Charlotte, NC.
Plastics and Beyond, a new monthly podcast hosted by Lilian Judy, is designed to provide in-depth conversations around inclusion in the plastics industry, while exploring the trials, tribulations and discrimination underrepresented groups have had to overcome and are still facing. The first episode includes two special guests: Patrick Farrey, CEO of SPE and Eve Vitale, Chief Executive of the SPE Foundation. They discuss why SPE is embarking on a DEI journey, share some firsthand experiences and explore some challenges they may face.
Keynote speakers on the first day of ANTEC® included several who discussed employment strategies to overcome a tight labor market. In a previous posting we highlighted Lloyd Martin of CKS Packaging, who detailed the company’s “second chance program” that recruits the homeless and nonviolent offenders for company jobs—workers who now account for over 10 percent of the 3,000-plus workforce in the firm’s 26 plants.
The job market is tight. Recruiting, training and retaining workers is a challenge. No surprise then that employment strategies were among the topics discussed by keynote speakers on Day 1 of last week’s ANTEC conference, held June 14 to 16, in Charlotte, N.C.
When SPE’s ANTEC® conference got under way on June 14, in Charlotte, N.C., it had been 1,185 days since the last in-person event, said Dr. Jason Lyons, SPE president and global market manager at Arkema. Lyons welcomed attendees to the first event of ANTEC® 2022: Keynotes on topics ranging from the economy to circularity, training and new ways—for most companies—to recruit, hire and retain good workers in a tight labor market.
McKinney Independent School District in McKinney, TX, has partnered with SPE and Manner Polymers to pilot a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Club at Faubion Middle School that will be the first ever cohort of its kind in the state of Texas.
SPE recently announced DOMO Engineered Materials US, part of DOMO Chemicals, as a SPE Preferred Partner. DOMO Engineered Materials plant in Buford, Georgia, operates as a custom compounder that produces a unique product portfolio. With a core business focused on PA6 and PA66 via DOMO’s complete vertical integration, the company also formulates and compounds via multiple base polymers, fillers, and additives for specialty applications.
SPE recently announced METTLER TOLEDO as a SPE Preferred Partner. METTLER TOLEDO is a leading global manufacturer of precision instruments. The company is the world’s largest manufacturer and marketer of weighing instruments for use in laboratory, industrial and food retailing applications.
SPE won top honors, taking home three 2022 "Gold” TRENDY Awards during the Association Trends Annual Awards Luncheon at the Capital Hilton in Washington DC. SPE was also awarded the “Pinnacle Award,” the highest honor across all TRENDY Awards categories.
As part of SPE’s 80th Anniversary, one of the many activities planned throughout 2022 is a special commemorative issue of Plastics Engineering magazine, which will be published in July/August. Part of this special issue will focus on those SPE members who are members of the same family. Fathers, mothers, children, brothers, sisters. Aunts, uncles, cousins. So – let us know if your SPE membership has been a ‘family affair!’ Give us your SPE family info here.
SPE recently announced CoreTech System Co., Ltd. (Moldex3D) as an SPE Preferred Partner in the end of 2021, which is their second-year partnership. Moldex3D is not only recognized the pioneering simulation solution provider for injection molding, but also dedicated in providing comprehensive technical services that can help industries achieve the “T-zero Production.”
Three SPE members have been honored as Fellow of the Society recipients for their outstanding contributions in the field of plastics engineering, science or technology, or in the management of such activities. 2022's Fellows of the Society honorees are Dr. Alper Kiziltas, Technical Expert, Ford; William Kramer, President, US Extruders; and Dr. Keisha B. Walters, Department Head and Professor, University of Arkansas.
Three SPE members have been named recipients of the 2022 Honored Service Member (HSM) award. HSM candidates demonstrate long-term, outstanding service to, and support of, SPE and its objectives. 2022's honorees are David J. Anzini, Director of R&D, Celgard LLC ; Dr. Paul J. Gramann, President, The Madison Group; and Han P. Michel, General Manager, E-Three & Associates Pty. Ltd.
The SPE Foundation offers numerous scholarships to students who have demonstrated or expressed an interest in the plastics industry. Students must be majoring in or taking courses that would be beneficial to a career in the plastics industry. This would include, but is not limited to, plastics engineering, polymer science, chemistry, physics, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, journalism, or communications. All applicants must be in good standing with their colleges. Scholarships range from $1,000-$5,000.
Originally scheduled to take place in New York City in December, SPE’s upcoming Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Manufacturing event has been rescheduled to be held virtually January 27-28, 2022. Speakers will focus on raising awareness, how to recognize personal bias, ways to change your company’s culture, how to increase supplier diversity, explore the benefits of creating a more inclusive manufacturing environment, and more!
Join the SPE Foundation as it seeks support for After-School SPE STEM Clubs. Focused on sustainable materials science and positive plastics education, we need your help to bring this exciting new program to more students. It costs $5,000 per year to cover the cost of one club. Help us reach our goal of raising enough funds for FIVE After-School SPE STEM Clubs! Donate here for Giving Tuesday (11.30.21)!
As part of SPE’s 80th Anniversary, one of the many activities planned throughout 2022 is a special commemorative issue of Plastics Engineering (PE) magazine, which will be published in July/August. This keepsake issue will act as a major reference for plastics industry history and outlook. For those who want to be part of this special issue that will be read, referenced, and reviewed for years to come, please take a few minutes to provide your ideas by going to 4spe.org/Celebrate80.
The SPE Foundation is launching SPE After-School STEM Clubs this fall. This new program will serve 400-600 students with weekly lessons focused on sustainable materials science and positive plastics education. It costs $5,000 per year to cover each club. Make a gift today and help us show plastics the love it deserves!
SPE has announced it is hosting ANTEC® 2022 in-person, co-located with PLASTEC® South, an Informa event, in Charlotte, NC, June 14-15. PLASTEC® South is a comprehensive annual plastic design and manufacturing event for plastics professionals, suppliers and buyers to discover innovation, engineer new technology, and to expand their networks. ANTEC® 2022 will also include an online component.
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