Mexico City - April 3, 2019 - UTECH Las Americas, the only polyurethanes conference and exhibition in the Americas, to take place April 10th – 12th, at Centro Citibanamex, Mexico City, bringing together leading companies that spearhead the polyurethane and associated industries’ innovation.

The presentation of this event was attended by Paul St. Amour, Vice President for Latin America Tarsus Mexico; Brennan Lafferty, Vice President & Group Publisher UTECH Exhibitions Crain Global Polymer Group; José Navarro, CEO Tarsus México and Heberto Moreno, Director of Engineering Plastics and Polyurethane Systems for BASF in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, who highlighted the importance of this material for the economy of various countries, because it adapts to the needs of all industrial sectors, since it is light, resistant and durable.

Positioning itself as one of the most versatile materials nowadays, polyurethane is manufactured in North America, Mexico, Europe and China. The raw materials used for its manufacture are also produced in these regions, because they are considered technologically advanced, with good compliance with safety regulations.

In Mexico, the polyurethane market has grown 8.1% since 2014, and according to the global report of PU Magazine Germany, a reference for the global industry, it is expected to continue growing at a rate of 5% per year until 2020, placing our country as the fastest growing market in America.

The largest polyurethane markets are those of flexible foam for mattresses and furniture, as well as seats in all types of passenger vehicles. The next market in size is the rigid foam used to insulate buildings and appliances such as refrigerators and freezers.

It should be noted that polyurethane is also found in clothing such as elastane, spandex and lycra. Most running and training shoes, as well as a wide variety of footwear, are made with soles of this material. Furthermore, polyurethane is used in coatings, paints and special rubbers that resist chemicals.

According to Brennan Lafferty, the worldwide polyurethanes industry has grown has grown by at least 3% each year and a promising outlook is forecasted mainly for Mexico and the United States with a demand of more than 4%, which translates into almost four million tons of polyurethane produced per year in those countries combined.

“Growing demand for sports shoes, applications in the automotive industry to make cars lighter to improve their gas mileage and encapsulating electronic circuits and sensors are examples of why the industry continues to grow. Researchers predict the industry will need to produce 200,000 additional tons of polyurethanes material needed each year to keep up with demand”, said Lafferty.

He also indicated that by the year 2025, the global polyurethanes industry will reach 77 billion dollars. In our country, the refrigeration market is one of the most solid and has become one of the major exporters of this type of household appliances; "Refrigerators represent around 30% of demand for polyurethanes in Mexico and the growth for this market is 5.6%", he said.

It is important to mention that across Mexico and the United States, 37% of polyurethane is used in the construction sector, for this reason rigid foam is increasingly called upon to meet building regulations for insulating homes and offices.

Brennan Lafferty explained that this meeting will be an excellent opportunity for the global polyurethanes industry to gather and meet key decision makers throughout the region, in addition to prospecting new business opportunities.

José Navarro, reported that UTECH Las Americas is held every two years and will have an important audience from Mexico, in addition to attracting a large number of visitors from the Americas.

"We expect the attendance of a significant number of professionals from the automotive and transportation industries; building; footwear and clothing; furniture and white-goods household items, sanitary products, marine and offshore; paints and coatings; electrotechnical and aerospace," said Navarro.

"The exhibition will present the latest technologies available in the polyurethane market; solutions and products so that visitors can compare their performance. They will also have the opportunity to participate in innovative presentations and obtain a privileged knowledge through the analysis of case studies to acquire competitive advantages in their sector," said St. Amour.

Based in Asia, Europe and North America, UTECH is a world class event that this year will bring together more than 85 national and international exhibiting companies, leaders in the polyurethane market among which stand out: BASF, Cannon, Carpenter, Chromaflo, COIM, Covestro, Elastomeros Taza, Evonik, Grupo Valfer, Hennecke, Huntsman, Krauss Maffei, Polylubex, Productos Eiffel, Química Sagitario and Wanhua.

For three days, the event will address trends that impact the industry in this region and the USMCA region, through a technical and corporate approach and integrates various sectors, such as automotive, medical, construction, footwear, flexible and rigid foam applications, composite materials, blowing agents, and releasing agents. Additionally, the latest breakthroughs in polyurethanes will be presented, along with innovation in machinery and polyurea, as well as conferences on key topics, including sustainability and the closing of the circular economy.

The event’s conference program encompasses innovative talks and case studies to provide a competitive advantage for all participants, while further debating the latest challenges and exploring topics of significant relevance for the industry including: Development of polyurethane foams in automotive under the hood applications; Water-based "cool touch" technologies for the flexible foam market; The advantages and disadvantages of automation in polyurethane injection processes; Efficient production of specialty flexible foam grade; Innovations for superior comfort in footwear production; Sustainable construction: polyurethane as an enabling element of a faster, cleaner and energy efficient industry; Novel polyester polyols based on recycled PET, among others.

*Programme may be subject to change.

Some of the national and international speakers who will participate are: Jan Buberl, Vice President – Americas, Huntsman Polyurethanes & Global PO/MTBE Business; Jamie Spears, Research Chemist, Carpenter Co; Celso Toyoshima, Technical Application Manager, Evonik; Luis Arturo Maciel Miranda, Maintenance Manager, Lear Corporation; Jeffrey Janos, Research Associate, Stepan Company; Salvador Mejía Gómez, Latin America PUR Foam Application Development Manager, Honeywell: Luca Fanti, Global Techno-Commercial Manager, Huntsman Tecnoelastomeri; Raul Dacomba, Senior Formulating Chemist, Foam Supplies; Netza Lopez, Senior Account Manager NAFTA Region, Carpenter Co and more.

UTECH Las Américas will offer its visitors an excellent opportunity to build business relationships between suppliers and buyers of industries in constant growth, for networking; to gain technical knowledge; to see product launches and new equipment. Additionally, the event will allow visitors to remain updated and learn from the most authoritative voices in the industry through the event’s top-tier conference program.

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About UTECH Las Americas: UTECH Las Americas is the only conference and exhibition dedicated specifically to the polyurethane and associated industries held for the Latin American markets. It is a must-attend event for the polyurethanes industry throughout the region. The trade show has attracted top-level exhibitors from a broad cross-section of the industry with exhibitors including industry leaders such as: BASF, Cannon, Carpenter, Chromaflo, COIM, Covestro, Elastomeros Taza, Evonik, Grupo Valfer, Hennecke, Huntsman, Krauss Maffei, Polylubex, Productos Eiffel, Quimica Sagitario, Wanhua and many more.

About Crain Communications: Crain Communications is the organizer of UTECH Las Americas in partnership with Tarsus México. Crain Communications organizes a successful, global series of polyurethane events including UTECH Europe, UTECH Asia, PU China and UTECH North America.

About Tarsus Mexico: Tarsus Mexico is distinguished for being the organizer with the longest track record in the Mexican market, since 1991, presenting events of international quality with the trends, innovations, and local and global landscape for sectors such as water, foods and beverages, energy and hydrocarbons, styling, manufacture, the environment, smart mobility, polyurethane, plastic, and textiles, among others. As of today, Tarsus Group is one of the most important organizers worldwide, with more than 150 events from 20 industries in 17 countries, bringing together 30 thousand exhibitors and more than one million visitors every year.

Connect with UTECH online:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3869236
Twitter: @Utech_PU #UTECHLA
Facebook: UTECH Polyurethane

www.utechlasamericas.com

Media contact:
Mónica Avilés Unda
monica.aviles@tarsus.mx
Tel. (55) 10871650 Ext. 1151