Industry Trends & New Developments

Wednesday, October 11
2:30 pm - 4:00 pm

Speakers

Matt O'Sickey, Ph.D.

Director of Education & Technical Affairs, INDA

Beyond Porter’s Five Forces – When Regulation Reshapes Markets

Matt O'Sickey, Ph.D.

Director of Education & Technical Affairs, INDA

Matthew (Matt) O’Sickey, Ph.D., Director of Education & Technical Affairs, INDA. Matt joined INDA in September 2022. He has prior experience as the Director of Application Engineering and Research & Development for the Americas at RKW North America and as Director of Global Market Development with Tredegar Corporation. He holds a deeply rooted belief that innovation is the result of the intersection of marketing and technology, and this is reflected in his career path, which encompasses both disciplines. His career has entailed developing and bringing to market a range of hygiene and packaging films and nonwoven laminates. Within the hygiene area, he has worked on the development and commercialization of topsheets, surge layers, waistbands, fit and closure elements, breathable films and laminates, backsheets, pouch films, and bags with more recent focus on sustainable solutions.

Matt has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and a Masters of Engineering Administration from Virginia Tech, and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University with a heavy emphasis on the processing-structure-property relationships of polymeric materials.

Beyond Porter’s Five Forces – When Regulation Reshapes Markets

This presentation will review supply and demand of filter media in a post-COVID world with an eye towards pending regulatory driven impacts.

Included will be consideration of ASHRAE 241, PFAS elimination efforts, and PFAS targeted drinking water standards on filtration/separation media and processes.

Gajanan Bhat, Ph.D.

Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors, The University of Georgia

Recent Advances in Melt Blown Nonwovens and Filter Media Research

Gajanan Bhat, Ph.D.

Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors, The University of Georgia

After earning his Ph.D. from Georgia Tech in textile and polymer engineering, Dr. Bhat joined the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in August 1990, where his research covered nonwovens - melt blown, spunbonded and biodegradable; plastics recycling; nanotechnology; sustainable materials; and high-performance fibers. As the director of UTNRL he successfully demonstrated commercially feasible production of nanofibers from thermoplastic polymers by meltblowing. In July 2016, he joined UGA as the Head of the TMI department. He has served as the president of the Fiber Society and is also an active member of INDA and TAPPI. Some of the awards/recognitions he has received include: Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni by Georgia Tech; Distinguished Achievement Award from the Fiber Society; Fellow of the Textile Institute; TechniTex India Research Achievement Award; TAPPI NET division Technical Achievement Award.

Recent Advances in Melt Blown Nonwovens and Filter Media Research

Melt blowing is a technology that has been commercially used for the past three decades to produce microfibers. Because of their extremely high specific surface area, meltblown fabrics are used as high efficiency filter media for aerosols and liquids, scaffolds, sorbents, artificial blood vessels, wound dressing materials etc. Using melt blowing process, it is also possible to produce nanofiber fabrics without use of any solvent at very high production rates. That is why meltblown fabrics have been extensively used in Personal Protective Fabrics. Charged melt blown fabrics are also part of the N95 masks and this was a topic of major concern during the current pandemic. Recently University of Georgia (UGA) has established a laboratory with multiple melt blown pilot lines, Corona charging, mask production pilot line as well as needed characterization facilities. Addressing the issues of sustainability is one of the major focus. Ongoing efforts in UGA in this direction, current research in filter media, as well as the future plans will be presented.

Sara Porter

Global Business Development, Unifi Manufacturing Inc.

Sustainability Goals: How can you know what is transparent, and trusted?

Sara Porter

Global Business Development, Unifi Manufacturing Inc.

Sara Porter, Global Business Development for the Repreve brand of post-consumer recycled polyester manufactured by Unifi Manufacturing, Inc. Sara has proven and extensive experience in the nonwovens and packaging industries. Successfully launched products in global markets converting projects from concept to commercialization. Expertise built in global strategic account management, marketing, and sales training. Proven track record of balancing strategic and tactical objectives to consistently meet and exceed corporate goals.

Sustainability Goals: How can you know what is transparent, and trusted?

REPREVE is the world’s number one brand of recycled polyester performance resin, fiber and filament. 100% recycled materials, including post-consumer plastic bottles and pre-consumer waste. Using Unifi’s proprietary regeneration technology, Repreve has transformed more than 35 billion plastic bottles into sustainable consumer goods worldwide. The U Trust product verification system certifies transparency and traceability working today for the good of tomorrow