Stuttgart, 25.06.2024 – The Converter Network of the Foamed Plastics and Polyurethanes Association (FSK) hosted a conference in Laatzen near Hanover on June 20, 2024. The program of networking, specialist presentations and factory tours offered a balanced and informative event. The event was hosted by FSK member Hanno Werk GmbH & Co. KG, which provided unique insights into the work of the company during the factory tour. The enthusiasm and interest of the participants in the modern, family-run, medium-sized foam processor was correspondingly high. “The company’s special culture of appreciation runs through all levels of the business. You could already feel this in the welcome from the Managing Director Volker Brock and in the conversations with the employees,” says Klaus Junginger, describing the great atmosphere and working climate at Hanno Werk GmbH & Co. KG.
The fact that modern companies are also facing major challenges became clear during the lecture series. One of the topics was the regulation of substances in the EU under the REACH regulation. The impending PFAS ban in particular is creating enormous pressure to innovate and equally great uncertainty. It is not always easy to find a suitable substitute – there was a consensus among the participants from affected companies. Artificial intelligence was also a topic at the symposium. The FSK is already well positioned in this area, as the association has created and implemented its own tools that prioritize user-friendliness and quality. In its training course “Artificial intelligence in the industry“, the association shows how companies in the foam plastics and polyurethane industry can also use AI. The event also focused on sustainability. The topic – in all its scope and with all its challenges – is occupying many foam processors and taking up more and more resources.
“The symposium was very impressive and informative,” says Junginger. “Our specialist days always offer a platform to promote professional exchange in a relaxed atmosphere and bring together bright minds.” Looking ahead to the work of the specialist group and the association’s major annual event at KraussMaffei in November, it is clear that there are other issues that the industry needs to tackle together. The Foam Expo in Stuttgart from 3 to 5 December 2024, where numerous members of the Converter Network and the FSK itself will be exhibiting and meeting up, also offers a good opportunity for this.
Further information on the Fachverband Schaumkunststoffe und Polyurethane e.V. (FSK) and its events, as well as on the work of the expert committees, is available online at www.fsk-vsv.de/eng or by phone: 0711 993 751- 0
Impressive insights into the operations of Hanno Werk GmbH & Co KG thanks to live demonstration.
The participants of the Converter Network Specialists Day (seventh from right: Volker Brock, Managing Director of Hanno Werk GmbH & Co. KG).
Networking and soccer at the get-together the evening before.