The Polyurethane Foam Association (PFA) recently resumed its members’ live meeting in St. Petersburg, Florida to celebrate its 40th anniversary and a strong rebound in foam product orders.
PFA's two-day meeting in late May was a "hybrid" meeting, which was characterized by attending the meeting on-site at the Vinoy Renaissance Hotel and conducting digital streaming meetings for members who were unable to attend in person. The total attendance is close to pre-pandemic levels.
Participants included foam manufacturers, chemical suppliers, equipment manufacturers and other companies supporting the industry. Discussions covered pandemic recovery, regulatory recommendations, end-user markets, and technological innovation. Special attention is paid to the trends in the automotive market and the challenges related to the supply of raw materials.
PFA also took this opportunity to celebrate its 40th anniversary, which was postponed from last year due to COVID-19. PFA has created the association’s video history, which can be viewed at www.pfa.org/40th-anniversary.
PFA President Chip Holton of NCFI Polyurethanes noted: "Our members are very happy to be able to participate in the face-to-face meeting again because they can make connections and re-establish old friendships." "I think everyone can feel back to what we sometimes take for granted. The excitement of the business practice."
A series of technical papers were pre-recorded and included in the meeting, and the afternoon meeting was devoted to these papers. "It is very encouraging to see the quality of Spring's technology products this year," noted Bill Gollnitz of Plasticmer, who hosted the technical meeting remotely. Topics include new silicone surfactants, Dow Chemical's RENUVA™ foam recovery technology, polyether polyol additives, and solid additives to improve the efficiency of flame retardant systems.
Vasilios Dounis of Repi won the Herman Stone Technical Excellence Award, which was voted by participants. His speech was entitled "Non-FR Synergistic Additives Can Reduce FR Load and Improve FPF Physical Properties". Momentive's Melissa Kern (Melissa Kern) ranked second in the vote, she proposed "a new type of silicone surfactants that improve the foam characteristics of traditional foam."
“During the pandemic, PFA worked hard to ensure that its members had access to the information and tools needed to support their business, but it was refreshing to be able to get together with our friends and colleagues again,” said Russ Batson of Polyurethane Foam, the executive director of the association. "When we get rid of this unprecedented separation, we have seen PFA members once again work closely together to strongly support the flexible polyurethane foam industry."
When asked about the furniture industry’s views on the bubble shortage and its solutions, Russ replied: “This is a $64,000 problem. With the inflation rate remaining high, maybe it’s now a $92,000 problem.
"This is something we thoroughly discussed at the most recent PFA meeting. Opinions differ, but estimates indicate that within three to six months things will start to become more normal.
"However, we must also consider the paradox that improvements in some areas may hurt others. For example, although the supply chain is challenging for mattress and furniture manufacturers, they have not seen the transfer of materials to the automotive industry. , Because automakers have other shortages, such as microprocessors, which have a greater impact. If the auto supply chain itself obtains rights, the demand for foam, fabrics and other materials may be even more tense."
Batson also honored a new PFA member, the next-generation charter of high-performance film manufacturer Milton, Wisconsin. Two other first-time participants, Concentrol and Hexion, gave a technical demonstration.
About the Polyurethane Foam Association: The Polyurethane Foam Association is a trade association established in 1980 to help educate foam users, related industries and other stakeholders. PFA provides facts about environmental, health and safety issues and technical information about the performance of FPF in consumer and industrial products. FPF is used as a key comfort ingredient in most upholstered furniture and mattress products, as well as car seats, carpet pads, packaging, and many other applications. For more information, please visit www.pfa.org.
Furniture industry news and in-depth magazine articles for furniture retail, furniture manufacturers and furniture distributors. Read other articles by Nic Ledoux
Newsletter sign up to subscribe to "Furniture World"
© 2006-2021, all rights reserved. Furniture World Magazine 1333-A North Avenue New Rochelle, NY 10804 914-235-3095 Fax: 914-235-3278 Email: russ@furninfo.com Last update: 11/25/202
Website designed by Armanda Designs