Polyurethane Industry Heralds Successful UTECH North America 2016

Exhibitors, visitors and conference delegates at the recent UTECH North America polyurethanes trade show and conference held in Charlotte, North Carolina, US from April 6th-7th have confirmed the outstanding success of the event. UTECH North America 2016 attracted over 120 exhibiting companies, a 20% increase from when this event was last held in 2014.

Increased visitor numbers at the event also confirmed UTECH North America’s premier position in the calendar of global polyurethane events. The total footfall over the two-day open period was more than 1,800. Exhibiting companies praised the event as the ideal platform to present their polyurethane technology and innovations to buyers and influencers from across North America and the wider world.

“UTECH North America delivered once again a high-quality event for the industry to discuss how we can develop the next generation of polyurethanes together,” said Chris Chrisafides, commercial vice president, Dow Polyurethanes. “For us, this conference provided a tremendous opportunity to meet with established and new players to discuss how polyurethane chemistry can address global challenges where the entire value chain wins.”

In his keynote speech on The Next Generation of Polyurethanes, Chrisafides stressed the importance of collaboration up and down the industry’s value chain in order to capitalize on the global polyurethanes market today worth $55bn and growing at a rate 1.7 times GDP.

Visitors and delegates have also confirmed the many benefits of attending with James Romano, Van De Mark Chemical saying: “UTECH North America is a fantastic venue to connect with your customers and suppliers. Very high return on investment in time and money.”

Holly Cash of MCPU Polymers added: “My company has come to prefer UTECH North America to other major polyurethane conferences because it offers true value. It is both economical to attend and draws strong, technically oriented attendees.”

Organiser Sue Rothwell from Crain Communications said: “We’ve built on the success of the last UTECH North America held in 2014, attracting more exhibitors, more trade show visitors and more conference delegates. The buzz from the Charlotte Convention Center was electric and we have had very positive feedback from all groups. Everyone I’ve spoken to is looking forward to the new UTECH Las Americas event in Mexico in 2017 and the return of UTECH North America and UTECH Europe in 2018.”

Among many innovations highlighted by Dow at UTECH North America was its latest ComfortScience viscoelastic polyurethane foam, for use in memory foam products. The foam is designed to wick moisture away from the body, and offers high airflow that allows heat to transfer quickly through the foam.

DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products and BioAmber launched a co-sponsored polyol sampling program designed to accelerate the speed to market for sustainable bio-based solutions.

Frimo highlighted its servo-driven orifices on high-pressure polyurethane mixing heads and its versatile floor track production system. The PURe Mix multi-component mixing head features PLC-controlled needle position to give optimized pressure control. “This versatility allows different throughputs to be run from the same mixhead,” said Brent Gawne, polyurethane business manager at Frimo.

Dow Corning showcased its extensive portfolio of silicone surfactants for polyurethane foam and launch a range of new products from its Japanese joint venture, Dow Corning Toray.

Emery Oleochemicals presented its range of renewable-based and recycled polyols designed to enhance both formulation performance and end-product sustainability.

The global polyurethane industry now turns its attention to the upcoming UTECH Asia event taking place at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Centre from August 2nd to 4th 2016. After that, the recently announced UTECH Las Americas event will be held held at Centro Banamex, Mexico City, from April 4th to 6th 2017. The next UTECH Europe will be held from 29th to 31st May 2018 and UTECH North America will also return in 2018, with further details to be confirmed in due course.