• Newly Approved NPE2012 Committee Charged with Lowering Costs

A newly appointed committee of plastics company officials will be responsible for maximizing the return on investment for exhibitors and visitors at the NPE2012 international plastics exposition, it was announced by SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association, which produces the triennial NPE.  

Chairing the NPE2012 Committee is John Effmann, director of sales and marketing for ENTEK Manufacturing, Inc. Serving as NPE2012 vice-chairman is James O. (Jim) Murphy president of the Extrusion Systems business at Davis-Standard, LLC. The NPE2012 Executive Committee headed by Effmann and Murphy is responsible for policymaking and planning and includes the chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of five subcommittees.  

The NPE2012 subcommittees and their chairpersons are: 

• Operations: Glenn Anderson, vice president and general manager, Milacron Inc. 

• Sales & Marketing: Larry Doyle, vice president, global sales and marketing, The Conair Group, Inc. 

• New Technology: Tim Stojka, president and CEO, Fast Heat Inc. and Agentis Energy. Stojka was chairman of NPE2006.  

• International: Kurt Waldhauer, president and CEO, American Maplan Corp. 

• Education: Ana Elena Fernandez, director of business development, Reedy International. 

Scheduled for April 1-5, 2012, NPE2012 will take place in Orlando, FL—a new venue for NPE, which has been held in Chicago since 1968.  

 “The first step in increasing the return on investment for NPE2012 participants was the decision to move NPE to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando,” said Committee chairman Effmann. “In comparison with past NPEs, the Orlando venue will provide significant cost savings—from hotels, meals, and other costs incurred by all participants, to such major exhibitor-specific costs as those for drayage and utilities.”  

Effmann cited these other measures designed to make NPE2012 more exciting and profitable for exhibitors and attendees: 

• Package plans for exhibitors. These will enable exhibitors to simplify planning and arrive in advance at a firm figure for the chief costs involved in mounting an exhibit.

• More machinery operating on the show floor. The move to the Orlando means that exhibitors will enjoy lower costs and fewer complications in bringing equipment to the show and operating it on-site. “A top priority for the NPE2012 Committee is to establish conditions that take full advantage of this improved situation, creating a dynamic show where visitors have many opportunities to see the latest processing innovations actually put to work,” said Effmann.

• Broad range of technologies. Special NPE2012 programs and pavilions will be dedicated to emerging technologies like bioplastics and nanotechnology, resources for sustainability and energy conservation, innovations in product design, and specialized technological sectors like elastomers and fluoropolymers.

• Wealth of educational opportunities for attendees. Through co-locations with partner groups, SPI plans to make available multiple conferences, seminars, and other educational events. To make it easier for visitors to take advantage of these opportunities, NPE2012 educational programs will start on a Sunday; the trade show will be open from Monday through Thursday.