Roadmap For Future Success to Be Shaped at BPF Conference
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
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The British Plastics Federation is offering a unique insight into the future of the plastics industry in the UK at its 75th Anniversary Conference Plastics the Industry of Tomorrow scheduled for May 14-15, at Shrigley Hall in Cheshire. The conference aims to carve out a road map for the industry and prepare delegates for the challenges ahead of them. |
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Think globally
A key message for the BPF in its Anniversary year is “Go Global”. For many years the BPF heads the industry’s export effort and now takes UK groups to 5 foreign shows a year.
| The global contribution of UK manufacturing will be addressed by Manufacturing Guru, Lord Bhattacharyya of |
Understand and Manage The Cost Base
To have a future companies need to survive today’s mounting pressures. They need to understand and manage the serious fluctuations in their cost base such as energy and raw materials prices. The BPF has been responsible for a whole sale energy purchasing scheme and negotiating with the government for a Climate Change Agreement. Delegates will be given an update on these opportunities to reduce costs.
A key issue, to be tackled at the Conference, is the availability and price evolution of raw materials. This has become a hot topic in the industry and future movements in supply and demand together with their commercial impacts will be explored by Mike Smith, Director of Polyolefin Studies of CMAI. He will assess the emerging importance of the Middle East and Asia as producers and consumers, review upcoming plant building projects and interpret how those as a whole will shape Western European markets.
Consumer expenditure patterns will of course be key to the role of growth registered by the plastics industry in the coming years said Peter Davis, Director General of the BPF. The current tightening of credit is already having an impact on household expenditure and a major contribution to our understanding of this will be provided by David Paul, of Barclays Bank in his review The future of the Economy.
Having a Clear Vision of the Future Role of Plastics in Society
Only by understanding the future role of plastics in society can companies identify market opportunities and target the right niche to focus their resources on.
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Leading futurologist, Ray Hammond, the author of a new book The World in 2030 published in November 2007 believes that by 2030 society MUST be close to zero waste. “Solving the problem of climate change must be seen as humankind’s greatest and most important challenge over the next twenty-five years,” he has said. During his speech at the forthcoming Plastics the Industry of Tomorrow Conference Hammond will explore the role of plastics in the context of challenges posed by climate change and tightening energy supplies. He will review waste management options such as recycling and energy from waste as well as the role of biodegradable materials, while John Taylor, President of PlasticsEurope will respond by demonstrating the role of plastics in providing tactical solutions for climate change. |
Equally Marcus Gover, Director of Market Development at WRAP, will put the spotlight on Resource Efficiency and Sustainability. He will explore the need to minimise waste in society and the plastics industrys role in a sustainable future.
Understand the Future Market Opportunities– Packaging, Automotive, Retail and Medical
How does the future role of plastics in a global economy affect specific market sectors and industries? The conference will take a close look at several specific industries and unpack the opportunities for plastics companies to be involved in their evolution.
Michael Ankers will provide an industry insight into the future of the construction industry including major building projects due to be undertaken in the future and the importance of sustainable growth.
The programme also features Dr Mark Caul, Senior Packaging Technologist for Marks and Spencer who, under the heading Corporate Social Responsibility; Retailers and their Suppliers will discuss his companys expectations of its suppliers and explore how this will be reflected in the packaging of the future.
Gerry McNally of Queen’s University, Belfast and Claude Thibaut de Maisieres of Inergy will be offering an ‘industry insight’ into the medical and automotive industries respectively. They will outline the current strengths of the industries and also offer predictions as to how plastics companies can serve those sectors in the future.
Tools Available to Realise Future Opportunities
In order to give companies a clear vision into detailed areas of the future and to provide companies with insights into the tools they can use to reach all available opportunities the conference will touch on the materials of the future, the machinery technologies of the future what design concepts they can use and what skills are required.
Dr Noreen Thomas of IPTME will offer delegates a glimpse of future advances in plastics materials by presenting the evolving position of plastics in the family of materials and exploring new opportunities that can be exploited through material developments including nano-technology.
| The Conference will also offer an insight into the future role of design presenting a focus on the opportunities that can be created through an intelligent design process. World famous designer, Sebastian Conran, will be giving his take on plastics as a design medium and discussing how sustainable products can be developed to match the pressures of an increasingly discerning society. |
Professor Phil Coates will be on-hand to guide delegates through the future of plastics processing world-wide presenting evolving concepts of manufacturing and the potential for technological leaps in plastics processing.
Dr Brian Murphy, Research Director, of Cogent will present the future of skills needs in the UK plastics industry and show how companies can meet those needs whilst providing attractive career pathways for their employees.
At a time when plastics are in the public eye said Peter Davis, the timing of the conference is ideal as a forum to set the main planks of industry for the middle distant future, I look forward to welcoming you there!
ENDS . . .
For further details on this press release please contact:
Philip Batten, British Plastics Federation, 6 Bath Place, Rivington Street, London, EC2A 3JE
Tel: 020 7457 5007
Email: [email protected]
Notes for editors
1) British Plastics Federation (BPF) is the UK trade association for the plastics industry - representing the whole supply chain including polymer producers, distributors, additives suppliers, machinery manufacturers, processors and recyclers.
2) Full information on the conference is available at www.plastcistomorrow.com
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