ICE 2007 opens in Toronto
By David Savastano • Senior Editor
As the Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology’s (FSCT) International Coatings Expo (ICE) and FutureCoat! presentations opened for business yesterday, there was a sense of enthusiasm for the program.
With its theme of “Clean – Lean – Green: Innovative Solutions for the Global Coatings Community,” FutureCoat!, the FSCT’s educational program, featured a record 100 presentations, covering critical aspects ranging from green chemistry to REACH. There are 36 poster sessions, 13 exhibitor spotlights, as well as new improvements, such as yesterday’s exclusive ICE Show hours, in which no presentations were held from noon to 5p.m., allowing attendees to visit the more than 170 exhibitors.
ICE last appeared in Toronto in 1991, and local paint and raw material companies were particularly enthused about its return.
“It was a good decision to come back to Toronto,” said FSCT president Dr. Yasmin Sayed-Sweet of Alberdingk Boley. “We have received a lot of publicity here in Toronto. There is a lot of enthusiasm, and FutureCoat! and our short courses are well-attended.”
Kamlaisis Mudhar of Univar Specialties, president of the Toronto Society, welcomed attendees to ICE. “It is wonderful to have the ICE Show here in Toronto, and we are really enjoying working with the Federation,” she said.
“Our turnout is good, and we’re seeing a lot of people from the local paint and raw materials companies,” said Dr. Jamil Baghdachi of Eastern Michigan University, who is chair of the Professional Development Committee, which designed the Short Course schedule leading up to ICE.
Educational Opportunities
For attendees, the opportunity to receive the latest information on important topics is a major advantage of ICE, and FutureCoat!, with its first-day sessions on Green Chemistry, Formulation, Waterborne, Instrumentation and Pre-Treatments, were well attended and insightful.
Dr. John Warner of Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry, started the day off with his keynote address on “Green Chemistry and Entropic Controls in Coatings Materials and Processes.”
“Green chemistry is not an end to itself,” Dr. Warner concluded. “It should be integrated into all facets of business.”
“It’s going great,” said Jennifer Majchrzak, FSCT’s education events coordinator. “I have heard nothing but great remarks about John Warner, our keynote speaker, who is as fine a speaker about green chemistry as anyone can find. In addition, the FutureCoat! sessions are very well attended.
Attendees and presenters alike found the Waterborne session to be strong.
“It was informative,” said Matthew Gebhard, new product development manager, Valspar. “We’re always looking at different ways to improve paint performance as well as cost efficiencies.”
“It went great,” said Dr. Mark Soucek, associate professor, department of polymer engineering, Polymer Engineering Academic Center, University of Akron. It was very illuminating with respect to the technology being discussed for the film formation of latex.”
The Short Courses held prior to the beginning of ICE also were well attended.
“The Nature’s Best session went very well, and the presenters covered a wide variety of issues,” said Dr. Stephanie Crette of MeadWestvaco, who moderated the session on “Nature’s Best: Greener and Eco-friendly Raw Materials and Coatings.”
“The Nature’s Best and Nanotechnology short courses are particularly well attended as they cover important issues, but we are also seeing renewed interest in traditional subjects such as polymers and pigments,” said Dr. Baghdachi. “It is a challenging time for us in the paint and coatings industry due to the regulatory changes, and we see this as an opportunity to help our members prepare for the challenges ahead. We are already preparing for Chicago, with many new topics and modified looks with an eye toward technical challenges.”
