SPI, IHS Chemical Announce Global Plastics Summit
- Published: July 24, 2013
WASHINGTON, DC | SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Assn. announces the first Global Plastics Summit, an event that reportedly will convene decision-makers and experts from every phase of the supply chain to address the opportunities and challenges of a coming renaissance in North American plastics, one caused by the shale gas boom, the “re-shoring” of business from overseas, and other transformational developments. 
Co-produced by SPI and IHS Chemical, a provider of global market and economic information, the summit will take place November 4–6, 2013, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago.
“The abundant feedstock of shale gas is changing the global landscape of plastics manufacturing,” says William R. (Bill) Carteaux, president and CEO of SPI. “Plastics manufacturers must understand the implications of plentiful feedstock, along with other pivotal developments that are on the Global Plastics Summit agenda, in order to capture new opportunities in domestic and international markets.”
The North American plastics industry is on the cusp of a new wave of expansion, says Nick Vafiadis, senior director of global plastics at IHS Chemical. “Manufacturers here are positioned to become global suppliers at a level we’ve not seen before. These are exciting times for the industry, and the Global Plastics Summit will be an unparalleled collaborative experience.”
Concurrent workshops on commodity, engineering, and bio-based resins will take place on the first day, followed by two days of presentations and discussions on upstream and downstream expansions in the industry, shifting regional competitive advantages, emergence of new technologies, demand for greener manufacturing, and the price, supply, and demand outlook for the major polymers in key producing regions.
