Now Available – The Rauch Guide to the US Plastics Industry

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A Market Survey and Analysis, market size, historical data, forecasts to 2004, market shares, company profiles, and competitive information. Included in the table of contents are: Polyethylenes, Polypropylene, Industry sources of Information, Directory of 1503 Plastics Companies and Cross Reference. Also available in cd rom or book are: Adhesives and Sealants USA (2/00) and Packaging USA (6/97). Visit http://www.impactmarket.com for ordering information. Learn more here.;

Shop IFAI Bookstore

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Shop On-Line at IFAI Bookstore for geosynthetic books, videos, CD-Rom's and conference proceedings. Click, order, read and succeed. Www.bookstore.ifai.com Learn more here.;

PVC Geomembrane Institute Tech Notes for July

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PVC Geomembrane Institute Tech Notes this month discusses a new Brown Bag program being designed by the institute for Engineering students. University of Illinois student working on the durability of PVC geomembrane for his Ph.D. If you would like to read more about these topics or to receive the Tech Notes e-news letter monthly please e-mail: pgi@ce.uiuc.edu

ACASPA has Moved!

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Effective July 2, 2201 ACASPA's new details are: Level 1, 141 Chapel Street, St. Kilda, Vic 3182, Telephone 03-9593-9733, fax 03-9593-8033, Email: acaspa@alphalink.com.au, Web: www.acaspa.com.au, National Number: 1-300-555-787. Please update your records

US nonwovens show highlights interest in industrial markets

All six winners of the US nonwovens industry's Achievement Awards presented at the recent IDEA01 exhibition won with products associated either directly or indirectly with industrial applications. Derek Ward reports from Miami Beach, Florida. Two European companies were among the six which won Achievement Awards at IDEA01. The Hyperpunch needleloom, which employs an elliptical needle beam movement in manufacturing synthetic leathers, spunbonds, papermakers felts and various types of fleece fabrics, brought an award for Dilo Systems Group, Germany. Colbond of the Netherlands, an international suppliers of geotextiles was granted an award for its recently introduced Enkagrid soil reinforcement materials.

In Memoriam: Kim Barnard

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IGS News
The Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa (GIGSA), a chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS), has announced that founding member and industry veteran Kim Barnard has passed away. Learn more here.;

Geosynthetic Clay Barriers Symposium – Call for papers

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Call for Papers for the International Symposium on Clay Geosynthetic Barriers, April 16-17, 2002, in Nuremberg, Bavaria. The abstracts must be sufficiently detailed to allow the experts to assess the scientific and technical merit of the proposed paper; especially the relevance of the results obtained and the contribution they make towards advances in the application of Clay Geosynthetic Barriers and the related system in which they function. These papers must be related to original, previously unpublished work and must not be of commercial nature. Papers are to be written in English. Deadline for receiving abstracts: August 21, 2001, Decision of Organizing Committee sent to authors: September 30, 2001, and Deadline for receiving completed papers: December 15, 2001. The aims of this International Symposium on Clay Geosynthetic Barriers is to offer an opportunity for exchanges on a high scientific and technical level between experts in the various disciplines related to Clay Geosynthetic Barriers., The conference will be the ideal occasion to obtain on overview of the multiple applications of Clay Geosynthetic Barriers in all fields of use.

BBA Nonwovens Opens Doors to New Facility; Unveils New Technology and Products

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The worldwide industrial nonwoven business and manufacturing units of BBA Nonwovens have been integrated to form the Industrial Nonwovens Division, which will be based in Old Hickory, TN. The six global business units within the new division include Construction and Agricultural Products; Industrial Products; and Technical Specialties and Filtration. BBA will focus its industrial operations and more effectively exploit its synergies and global opportunities in the industrial nonwovens area. BBA Industrial Nonwovens GmbH, part of BBA Nonwovens, has expanded its line of filtration media. The "UltraFlo" range of filtration media now includes new melt blown offline SMS, offline TMS (Typar/Tekton, melt blown, spunbond) and pure high quality spunbond products. Also new are needlefelt nonwovens and high electrical conductivity products.

Geosynthetics in Modern Engineering – Are We Moving Forward?????

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One of the earliest environmental developments of our profession, is that of geosynthetic design within the waste industry. It is fair to say that we have a long history of both design, and component development in landfill engineering. War against pollution has led to the development of geosynthetic products and a whole genus of landfill engineering. As an industry, however, are we becoming complacent? During the 70s and 80s, as landfills were developed to stricter standards, materials were designed and improved, and ways of testing and ensuring quality were developed. In those halcyon days it seemed that we were all united against one common enemy - pollution. We had all seen the dire results of poorly designed tips and despite the ever-present legislature (in the form of the pre-EA regulatory bodies). I believe that as an industry we were as innovative and forward thinking as any. Why are we too frightened to continue in the same way? Is it because the level of development in the manufacturing industry has reduced? This may be, but one thing is sure, this is only because the market place is not as demanding. It is a fear of being innovative that concerns me. As engineers, we are supposed to push forward the frontier of our industry. To develop better ways of doing things, we do not take risks, but experiment in a controlled way to improve our understanding and ultimately reduce risk. We are not setting new and exacting standards, but allowing the commercial practitioners to control specification and markets for pre-existing products. In this environment 'recyclable' is still seen as somewhat poor and second-rate. How are we to recover the innovative days of the 70s and 80s. We need to develop an environment of development, of openness to new ideas and, above all, to insist that we have not solved the problem. We are frightened, that, to admit that we can do better will brand us as unprofessional in what we did ten years ago. Whilst a site license issued in the 80s might has insisted on a particular specification, it is nonsense to limit ourselves to historical engineering detail. Whilst a fear of litigation is probably at the root of most risk avoidance strategies, we should look at the USA (a highly limitative environment). Many use geosynthetic products from the USA - a market not afraid to continue the development of better, if more expensive solutions. Two things are destined to destroy our industry: the fear of innovation and "value" engineering. The first prevents the development of new ideas: the latter continually reduces prices and quality. Perceived quality can remain the same in a static market, but the actual quality reduces.

ASTM's Proficiency Test Program for Plastics Testing (Polyethylene)

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ASTM's Proficiency Test Program for Plastics Testing (Polyethylene). The polyethylene testing program is conducted biannually with testing conducted in September 2001 and March 2002. Melt Index, Density, Ash and Color. Participate in the 2001 - 2002 Programs. Provide your labe with a statistical quality assurance tool to improve and maintain lab testing performance. Provide a consistant foundation of performance that your customers and data users can rely on. Compare your results with other labs worldwide. Samples, test instructions and data report sheets are distributed during the beginning of each test month. Labs are given approximately five weeks to conduct tests and return data to ASTM. Final summary reports are mailed to participants approximately one month following the receipt deadline of test data. For More Information of for Mid-Year Registration contact: Anne McKlindon or Helen Maguire at (610) 832-9682, or fax (610) 832-9668 or visit http://www.astm.org/statqa/