Stuttgart, 12 May 2022 – On 11 May 2022, the Specialist Association Foamed Plastics and Polyurethanes (FSK) held the anniversary meeting of the Specialist Group Polyurethane in Hamburg. The event had already been postponed twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic and was now held under the motto 25+2. The Specialist Group Polyurethane is the largest specialist group in the association and includes members from all areas of the value chain.

The event opened with a barge ride, a harbour and Elbe River cruise and the traditional get-together the evening before. The anniversary meeting on the second day offered presentations on topics from the world of polyurethanes. For example, the innovation lectures by Florian Kessler, cellEQ, who spoke on the topic of “Determination of characteristic values for reactive systems and foams under process conditions” and Christian Hanhart, Dow Anlagengesellschaft mbH Werk Ahlen, with his lecture on “Efficiency-increasing load securing with polyurethane”.

Klaus Junginger and Nilüfer Bozkurt-Thielscher of FSK Services GmbH reported on the status of REACH diisocyanate training. “This topic has been affecting the industry for quite a while now and is becoming increasingly explosive regarding the deadline next August. We can literally feel how the topic is bubbling up in the polyurethane industry in our daily consultations. We are incredibly pleased that we have already been able to serve a wide range of training requests with the e-learning tool and that we are also able to cover the demand for classroom training with our competent trainers,” reports project manager Nilüfer Bozkurt-Thielscher.

Another highlight was the presentation by Dr Wolfram Frank and Martin Dietrich, Getzner Werkstoffe GmbH, Werk Bürs. They skilfully, charmingly, and wittily recounted the unique history of polyurethane and its rapid development into an indispensable material, thus once again putting the spotlight on the Specialist Group’s anniversary. In this fitting setting, the FSK honoured Wolfgang Barth and Dr Wolfram Frank for their extraordinary services in the field of polyurethane. As an expert for environmental and occupational safety, safety engineer, immission protection and incident commissioner and hazardous substances expert, Wolfgang Barth has not only worked in large companies over the years but has also contributed his knowledge to the FSK Working Group Environment, Occupational Safety and Chemicals Policy. His contribution to the development of Technical Rules for Hazardous Substances 430 (TRGS) is significant, as is his role regarding the consideration of diisocyanates under REACH. “His profession is more of a vocation,” says Klaus Junginger. “Hopefully, with his retirement, all his knowledge and work will not be put to rest. It would be a loss for the industry. It is impossible to imagine the polyurethane industry without Dr Wolfram Frank. He was instrumental in developing the learning content for the diisocyanate training courses on the part of the FSK. His national and international professional experience and involvement in the industry speak for themselves!”

From left to right: FSK Managing Director Klaus Junginger, FSK Consultant Dr Wolfram Frank, FSK Master Trainer Martin Dietrich, FSK Chairman Albrecht Manderscheid, CANNON Deutschland GmbH congratulate the Specialist Group Polyurethane.

The event ended with the presentation of DESY by Dr Arik Willner “Ecosystem passion DESY for innovation” and a guided campus tour. The Research Centre DESY – Deutsche Elektronen-Synchrotron is one of the world’s leading accelerator centres. Here, researchers use large-scale equipment to explore the microcosm in all its diversity – from the interplay of the smallest elementary particles to the behaviour of novel nanomaterials to those vital processes between biomolecules. DESY is not only a magnet for more than 3000 visiting researchers from over 40 nations each year but also a sought-after partner in national and international collaborations.

“The event was a remarkable success and a prelude to the association’s upcoming events,” sums up FSK Managing Director Klaus Junginger. “We are pleased that we will again be holding our specialist meetings, committee meetings and, above all, the big annual conference live. The International Specialist Conference Polyurethanes and Foamed Plastics on 13 and 14 September in Dortmund will be the peak of our event year and will include even more highlights in terms of topics and supporting programme. The live events remain the most important platform for a dynamic exchange of knowledge in the industry.”

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Further information on the Specialist Association Foamed Plastics and Polyurethanes (FSK), its events and the specialist committees’ work are available online at: www.fsk-vsv.de or   tel.: + 49 711 993 751-0