The second annual Foam Expo and Conference took place March 6-8 in Novi, Mich. The event featured 291 exhibitors displaying cutting-edge technologies and concepts to 4,859 visitors who spanned the technical foam manufacturing supply chain. The event attracted considerable international interest, with attendees flying in from Mexico, Japan and China, as well as the U.S. and Canada.

“It’s a global market,” said Werner Van Peteghem of Recticel. “We’re an important player in Europe, but we want to be much more global. There is so much we can learn from both continents because the issues are the same for everyone. That’s what brings us here.”

New and Returning Exhibitors

Many companies exhibited at Foam Expo for the second time, following their positive experience at the inaugural event in 2017. Throughout the three-day event, delegates came to the show floor to see the range of innovative new foam materials, products and manufacturing equipment on display.

Dimitri Dounis of NCFI, a manufacturer of spray, OEM and flexible polyurethane foam, said, “What brings us to the show is the success we had last year. This is a very good forum for us to meet with our suppliers and our partners in the supplier base, as well as our suppliers within our customer base.”

Learning Opportunities

The two-track conference program focused on sustainability, recycling, lightweighting, product optimization and the many potential applications of foams. In fact, as the conference focus changed to foam converting and fabrication best practices, cutting-edge fabrication technologies were also on display throughout the exhibition. Several exhibitors gave live product showcases of foam products ranging from adhesives and thermal testing to the resilience of engineered polyurethane products and the conductivity of testing foams.

Networking

In addition to the networking that took place on the show floor, the event provided a dedicated networking reception at the end of the second day. Exhibitors and visitors alike were able to meet and make connections at the reception.

“We’ve had a chance to meet with our existing customers and also make new connections,” said Matt Powell, executive vice president, Amcor. “It’s really great to see Foam Expo is growing. It looks like next year’s going to be an even bigger show—we’ll definitely be back.”   ASI

For more information, visit www.foam-expo.com.