Globl polyurethne market trends and innovations to be unveiled at Utech Europe 2015

Global market trends and the latest technical, legislative and commercial innovations in polyurethanes (PU) technology will be discussed in detail at the UTECH Europe 2015 exhibition and conference next week (14-16 April) in Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Featuring more than 90 detailed technical papers delivered in a total of 11 sessions, the UTECH Europe conference will cover the latest developments in the world of polyurethanes and reveal unique insights into the global market. The UTECH Europe 2015 exhibition is also set to be the biggest ever staged. More than 190 companies will be showcasing their latest offerings for the polyurethanes industry. When the event was last held in 2012 more than 6000 attendees came from more than 86 different countries worldwide, figures that are expected to be exceeded next week.

Frank Grunert president of ISOPA and regional head of polyurethanes at Bayer MaterialScience will deliver the conference’s welcome address ahead of the keynote address by Tony Hankins, president of Huntsman Polyurethanes.

Two further highlights from the conference’s plenary session looking at key strategic and market developments are Robert Outram, associate director at IAL Consultants, who will give the conference’s strategic business review and Hassan Baalbaki, Vice President, Baalbaki Group who will present his Outlook for the PU Industry in the Middle East.

Robert Outram will deliver an-in depth review of global market drivers and restraints and analyse growth trends in emerging markets. Global production of polyurethanes in 2014 was 21.7M tonnes, of which the largest sectors were flexible foams (28%), rigid foams (22%) and elastomers (22%), his presentation will reveal. Global market drivers include the need to increase insulation values in buildings and cold chain applications as well as population increase and a rising middle class in developing countries supporting growth in construction, furniture and automotive products.

Sustainability and the use of renewable resources remain a key focus in the polyurethanes sector, with no less than 11 papers devoted to the subject on the conference’s first day. Further sessions are devoted to the diverse applications of polyurethanes including the automotive market, flexible foams, energy efficient rigid foams, and CASE (coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers). Among topics covered in a special ISOPA session will be REACH and fire safety. Klaus Breuer of PDA Europe will introduce the conference’s polyureas session.