COLUMBUS, OHIO (March 19, 1:05 p.m. ET) – Rapra Ltd. has announced the keynote speakers for its first Global Polymer Innovation Expo (GPIE), set for Aug. 26-29 in Columbus.
• Robert D. Atkinson, author of “The Race for Global Innovation Advantage,” will open the conference on Monday, Aug. 27. His topic is “The Innovation Imperative; why innovation is becoming more central to success and what nations around the world are doing to win the race for global innovation advantage.”
Atkinson has a background in technology policy, has conducted research and has advised national policy makers. He has also testified before Congress and has appeared on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, NPR, and NBC Nightly News.
• The conference continues Tuesday, Aug. 28, with Vijay Govindarajan, a professor of international business at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He will present “Strategy is Innovation” as well as key concepts from his forthcoming book, “Reverse Innovation: Create Far From Home, Win Everywhere.”
The GPIE conference and exposition will also include exhibitors spanning the entire polymer value chain from raw materials suppliers and equipment design manufacturers, to research facilities, processors and end product manufacturing.
In addition to the two-day conference program, Rapra also is offering optional workshops and seminars on Aug. 29. Plastics News is organizing a seminar there that day on the fast-growing business of “additive manufacturing,” more popularly known as “3D printing.” This technology has moved beyond the realm of prototypes and is being used to produce low-volume, high-precision components out of engineering-quality plastics and metals, especially in end markets such as such as aerospace, medical, dental and automotive.
Presenters at the seminar include: Terry Wohlers, principal consultant and president of Fort Collins, Colo.-based Wohlers Associates, and Bryan Crutchfield, managing director of Materialise USA, the Plymouth, Mich.-based arm of a Belgian group that has been active in this field since 1990. Other AM practitioners will join the session and share their experiences in a panel discussion designed to help educate attendees about why and when additive manufacturing makes sense for commercial, end-use parts.
For information see www.globalpolymerinnovationexpo.com.