NPE2012 to focus on plastic packaging technologies and issues

NPE packaging-related news

NPE2012 will take place April 1-5, 2012 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL, after 40 years in Chicago. The improved economies and logistics of this new venue have encouraged many NPE2012 exhibitors to bring more machinery to the show, much of it to be operated on-site, according to John Effmann of ENTEK Manufacturing Inc., who is chairman of NPE2012.

"Polymer technologies for the packaging and web converting industries will be everywhere at NPE2012," says Effmann. "Packaging is the largest single resin user worldwide and the fastest-growing sector of the plastics industry in developing countries. In the United States, one-third of all resin shipped each year is used for flexible packaging, bottles, cosmetic jars, shrink wrap, dairy tubs, egg cartons—on and on."

Since most of the 2,000 exhibiting companies include either packaging producers or web converters among their clientele, the trade show portion of NPE2012 will present these professionals with a treasury of new equipment, materials, software and services.

Highlights of specific interest to packaging professionals will include:

Bioplastics and sustainability: These will be prominent themes throughout NPE2012, embracing not just a special multi-exhibitor Emerging Technologies Pavilion but developments highlighted elsewhere on the show floor and in many conference sessions. For example, these topics will be the focus of three sessions of SPI's Business of Plastics conference, co-located with the trade show.

2nd International Plastics Design Competition: Categories open to entrants from around the world include packaging and sustainability. Entries may be submitted online at www.plasticsdesign.org.

SPE Antec 2012: The world's largest plastics technical conference will be co-located with NPE2012 and have multi-paper sessions dedicated to flexible packaging and bioplastics, respectively, as well as to key primary processes like blow molding, extrusion, thermoforming and other relevant sectors like thermoplastics raw materials, color and decorating.

Latin American Seminar: "En Español" will include sessions on rigid and flexible packaging and on biopolymers and sustainability. The Spanish-language technical conference will be produced by the B2B Portales company, publisher of Tecnologia del Plástico, Conversión and El Empaque magazines.

Online registration for NPE2012 is now open at www.npe.org, along with housing reservations and complete information about the trade show, co-located conferences and other special programs.

Source: NPE2012 and SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Assn.

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