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NPE buzz continued: Show better than expected, but bank (non-)lending still a big issue
Chicago, IL—Many exhibitors went into last week’s NPE2009 show in Chicago with a healthy dose of apprehension, but in fact the event proved a winner for most, including Monika Gneuß of screen changer manufacturer Gneuß Inc. (Matthews, NC).
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“We were pleasantly surprised and never had so many appointments with processors attending any NPE,” she says. She also pointed to high interest in the company’s MRS devolution extruder that was premiered at the show for the first time in North America. The prototype unit was shown at the K 2007 tradeshow in Düsseldorf, Germany.
John Van Hulle, VP/general manager specialty color, additives, and inks at PolyOne (Avon Lake, OH) said the quality of the visitors to his booth was very good, often coming with specific applications problems to which they were looking for solutions. Concurring with that was Klaus Lorius, manager sales and marketing at Dutch pipe extrusion equipment specialist Rollepaal (Dedemsvaart), who said, “The number of people in the aisles is definitely down but if you look at who is here, the quality visitors and decision makers are the ones who are coming to our stand. We see very good opportunities to talking seriously with customers and prospects at this show.”
Martin Elliott, regional sales/marketing manager at Holliday Pigments (Comines, France), told Modern Plastics that by the second day of the show he had already had serious visitors from Mexico, Brazil, and the U.S. interested in his company’s ultramarines. Visitors were seeking out his company’s ultramarine pigments to help with concerns on existing applications regarding color fade issues and warping. Joie Komarmi, international business manager at Dyna-Purge (Buffalo, NY), also said the quality of the visitors at this NPE was quite high, with attendees looking for answers to specific processing issues.
“Indeed, we are seeing fewer people than we forecast before the show, yet the ones who are here are in search of solutions to problems that we can help them with,” said Paul Pitman, technical manager polymer additives, PCC Chemax (Piedmont, SC). Ned LeMaster, technical manager at Bergen International (Elgin, IL), a supplier of chemical foaming agents, told us that the show had been better than expected and the company had obtained many new leads. “In tough times, people come to the show to look for ways to save money, cut cycle times, and improve existing products without big investments,” he says.
Although some machines were sold at the show and the buzz around the event was positive, tradeshow sentiment slams into hard reality when it comes time for processors to access capital for “big investments” in primary processing machinery. Edgar Gandelheidt, CEO of film extrusion line manufacturers Kiefel Extrusion (Worms, Germany) and Brückner Formtec, said even processors who want new capital equipment were at the mercy of lending institutions that are not lending at all or only at historically high rates. Ulrich Reifenhäuser, one of the CEOs at extrusion machinery producer Reifenhäuser, told Modern Plastics much the same thing. —mpweditorial@cancom.com
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