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| UTECH Europe announces key speakers for next year's event  UTECH Europe 2009 conference takes place over three days, from 31 March – 2 April 2009 in the Maastricht Exhibition and Congress Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands, and features over 80 papers in eight separate sessions, including a series of presentations in two half-day sessions created by leading organisations in the sector. These sessions are focussed on current safety, health and environmental matters, as well as the latest developments in the use of polyureas, the fastest-growing technology in the plastics sector. The Plenary Session opens on 31 March 2009, with a Keynote presentation from Patrick Thomas, chief executive officer of Bayer MaterialScience, leading into the three-day event focussed on the concept of sustainability. This first morning ends with a trio of presentations by key regional specialists discussing the situation of and prospects for key developing markets of, eastern Europe, India and China.Opening remarks from Steven English, the recently appointed head of ISOPA, will highlight the views of raw material makers on sustainability, while other speakers in this session include Timo Mäkelä, Director – Sustainable Development and Integration – in the DG Environment of the European Commission; David Crowhurst from the UK's Building Research Establishment, discussing the responses needed from the construction sector; and a representative of the European Furniture Industry Confederation addressing the pressures on this key market for flexible polyurethane foams. Papers on the developing markets have been agreed with Gujurat Narmada Valley Fertilisers Co. Ltd, India's sole maker of TDI (toluene diisocyanate), and Yantai Polyurethane Co. Ltd, the leading domestic manufacturer of MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) in China. Jonathan Mawbey with Elastogran of Germany will open this market-review session with detailed insights into the markets of eastern Europe, where growth has continues at a high rate among the various countries. The technical conference, opening on the afternoon of the first day, will run through to 2 April, in a series of half-day sessions focussed on the key technical developments in the use of polyurethanes to make rigid and flexible foams, and CASE products (coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers), with a separate session on automotive applications. Several papers in the different sessions will be discussing the use of renewable resources in making polyurethanes, as well as other key environmental issues such as the elimination of ozone-depleting materials, recycling of end-of-life products, and recent advances in polyurethane technology for energy saving insulation. Two further technical sessions will discuss the latest innovations in polyurethanes technology and some of the most recently developed processing techniques used to make high-performance composites. Although primarily for the automotive sector, these tough composites are now also finding applications in other industrial sectors where their combination of rigidity and low weight is of value. The morning of the second day of the UTECH Europe 2009 Conference will see the first of two half-day sessions from key industry bodies. ISOPA has compiled a wide-ranging programme addressing key safety, health and environmental issues including an overview of the latest status of the European Union's REACH legislation (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals), which is now well into implementation, an examination of the PU industry's role in promoting sustainability, and the sector's continuing efforts to improve combustibility of products used in the construction sector. In addition, the recently formed Polyurea Development Association Europe will be running a half-day session on the morning of the final day of the conference, 2 April, detailing the latest commercial and technical developments relating to this fast-growing market. This will feature several papers addressing the use of these materials in Europe, North America and the Far East, as well as some of the key technical issues and possibilities, illustrated by recent case studies. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Construction News :: home page |