2006 Midwest Composites Conference

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Program-At-A-Glance
Registration Form
Session Descriptions
Plant Tour Information
2006 Exhibitors
Conference Logistics
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Download the Exhibit Hall Floor Plan

ABOUT THE SHOW

ACMA's 2006 Midwest Composites Conference provides a program that is designed specifically for fabricators/manufacturers in the Midwest and a platform to exchange ideas with industry experts and peers. This year, ACMA is pleased to offer ALL NEW educational programming. At this conference you will gain insight into the most current industry trends, MACT training and regulatory updates, and ever-evolving technical information which is necessary to operate most effectively in today's competitive environment. By attending the Midwest Composites Conference, you will take away knowledge on a
wide range of operational areas such as how to control shop conditions, improve overall quality and operate more efficiently. This program will allow you to examine management strategies and garner information on the most relevant technical issues such as how to get the right glass to resin ratio and how to address gel coat matching problems.

By combining the right mixture of educational sessions, including a tour of Fabwel's Business Development Center and Production Facility, ACMA's 2006 Midwest Composites Conference offers two days of the most in-depth learning and a convenient opportunity to reach out to industry colleagues. This conference is the best chance for composites professionals to get the training they need to seek out or expand new business.

Who Should Attend? The conference is designed for composites professionals at all levels of expertise. In particular: Owners, Upper Management, Key Facility Managers, Production Managers, Shop
Floor Managers, Tooling Department Personnel, New Plant Employees, Regulatory Compliance Personnel, Suppliers and Distributors.

EXCITING OPPORTUNITY!!! * DON'T MISS OUT!!

Join us on a tour of Fabwel, a fabricator and manufacturer of RV components for over 30 years, and a division of Owens Corning. At the brand new Business Development Center in Elkhart, IN, you
will learn about:

• the capabilities of the facility including testing (materials and chemistry), prototyping and product development
• the success Fabwel has had in consistently meeting its clients evolving needs

This overview will be followed by a visit to the Goshen Composite Production facility where you will:

• tour the 250,000 sq. ft. facility that boasts three production lines with the ability to produce up to 20,000,000 sq. ft. of finished composite exterior sidewall panels.
• examine the two different processes (open molding and vacuum infusion) by which the products, Performance Plus and CTEC fiberglass exterior sidewall panels, are produced
• gain an understanding of Fabwel's current markets and product applications

Transportation and lunch included in registration fee. Bus will depart from the Century Center to the Elkhart Business Development Center at 12:00pm, and will be followed by a visit to the Goshen Composite Production Facility. Bus will return to the Century Center at approximately 4:30pm.

Midwest 2006
Program-At-A-Glance

Session Descriptions

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2006

9:00am -9:45am
Dealing With the Local Fire Marshal
Questions about fire codes and regulations are some of the most often asked throughout the composites industry. Many times these questions come to the surface after interaction with the local fire marshal. This presentation will discuss three NFPA codes; NFPA 704, NFPA 30 and NFPA 33. Each of these covers a different aspect of fire regulations, including: container labeling, storage of flammable materials and spraying of flammable materials. The industry has used these documents for years, but like most things, over time they change. The most recent editions of NFPA 30 and 33 were updated in 2003, and NFPA 704 was revised in 2001. These changes may modify the way we label, store and use flammable materials.
Larry Craigie, CCT

9:00am - 9:45am
How to get the Right Glass to Resin Ratios Every Time
In this informative session, the implementation of proper procedures to determine the appropriate glass to resin ratio will be explored. The methods of measuring the glass to resin ratio before, during, and after production for both “Hand Lay” and “Spray Up” processes will be discussed. A close look will be taken at the problems associated with not knowing the correct ratio and more importantly, how to correct this.
Chad Macer, CCT, GlasCraft, Inc.

10:00am–10:45am
From the Project to the Product
This presentation provides an overview of how AOC chemists, in close coordination with Baja Marine, designed and refined a Hydropel™ high performance vinyl ester resin blend for marine closed molding process. A close look will be taken at how AOC research and development teamed up with Baja's laminate schedule group to engineer the Hydropel resin for exceptional wetting of the reinforcement. In this discussion, the benefits of moving to closed molding will also be examined.
Daniel Rodriguez, AOC/TSO

10:00am - 10:45am
How to Make Your Plant Cleaner
Maintaining a safe, clean and well organized environment is crucial for your operation to function most effectively. This presentation will examine the tools and strategies that many companies are implementing in order to reach this high level of performance. You won't want to miss this presentation. Applying these techniques could not only change the way your company looks, but above all, how well it performs.
Tim Wallis, Aqua Glass Corporation

11:00am–11:45am
Balancing Laminate Properties with Cored Structures
Cored structures have high strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios. This characteristic has led to its wide use in many applications that require light and strong structures such as boats, aircraft, trains, and wind turbine blades. This session will highlight the basic theory, advantages,
disadvantages, and common misconceptions about cored structures and laminate properties.
James Jones, CCT-I, DIAB, Inc.

11:00am - 11:45am
How to Improve Employee Training
This session will focus on safety training programs and how to develop the most effective program that serves the company and its employees. Monaco Coach’s safety training is based on four components: orientation, awareness, job specific and supervisor. To achieve compliance, improve performance and change behavior, the development of a training plan is essential. This session will examine the elements of a training program that makes sense and can be effectively implemented.
Kurt Anderson, Monaco Coach Corporation

2:00pm–3:15pm
General Session: Controlling the Uncontrollable: Moving Forward in Today’s Composites World
We live in a time where the composites world is productive, exciting and unsettling. The composites business is at an all time peak and yet there are orbiting issues we can’t fully control. In some cases, what we’ve known is no longer relevant, what we know will change, and where we think we are going will evaporate. In this atmosphere perspective is everything.

The old order management style assumes challenges arrive sequentially and can be addressed in an incremental fashion. With all the appropriate information in hand, short term planning leads to long term planning and the path for success is established. In the world of today nothing like that happens. The simple “path”, so clearly described by a plan, turns out to be a series of intersections, roadblocks, freeways and off-ramps. The destination, in fact, moves as the variables change. The difference between the decision making model and reality can be terrifying to those in the company food chain and baffling to corporate leaders.

This presentation, by Bob Lacovara, ACMA Technical Director, examines the need to transform composites industry thinking to a flexible approach that can cope and respond to change. See how early adopters of change have the advantage and opportunity to fail, while late responders reap the benefit of experience and yet are always behind the curve. Learn where stepwise linear thinking gives away to parallel decision-making that allows flexibility and rapid shifts in response to the changing environment. The best laid plans are as likely to fail as to succeed, because it’s not about the process or perception through experience. The complexity of fluid and intuitive thinking, required for success today, is the focus of this session. Challenge your method of doing business and see if there might be a better way of overlaying thinking on the reality of today’s composites world.
Bob Lacovara, CCM,CCT-I, American Composites Manufacturers Association

3:15pm-4:00pm
One Month to MACT Compliance - Are You Ready?
The MACT deadline is rapidly approaching. The big question is “Are you ready?” By April 21, 2006, all composite manufacturers should either have a Title V operating permit and comply with
MACT or have a minor source permit that specifically exempts them from MACT. This session will teach you the “Five things you really need to know about MACT.”
John Schweitzer, American Composites Manufacturers Association,
Dave Lipiro, Environmental Compliance & Risk Management, Inc.

3:15pm-4:00pm
How to Address Gel Coat Matching Problems Panel
The issue of color matching is prime for production consistency and product repair. This panel will discuss color and how we perceive it. Learn how gel coat manufacturers match color, and what is required to develop a standard leading to batch to batch consistency. In addition, the panel will consider the molding production process, and what is required to maintain shop color consistency. The issue of color matching problems in patching will be highlighted, as well as methods to reduce post-molding repair problems.
Larry Chirpich, CCT-I, CCP, Cook Composites & Polymers; Peter Gottschalk, Ph.D., CCT, Interplastic Corporation; Noel Searles, CCT-I, Ferro Corporation; Denny Fink, CCT-I, CP, Norac, Inc. Concurrent Educational Sessions

THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2006

9:00am-9:45am
Controlling Shop Conditions to Improve Safety, Quality and Productivity
Gold Shield of Indiana, Inc. has spent the last six years implementing Visual Management & 5S as part of the Lean Production System. The result is improving safety by 73%, reducing delivered defects by 89%, and improving productivity by 34%. This presentation will share this experience with you, highlighting how to use the tools of 5S to create a safe and efficient work layout in your facility.
Jeff Bigelow, Gold Shield of Indiana, Inc.; Chris Rhymer, Gold Shield of Indiana, Inc.

9:00am-9:45am
Waste Reduction and Efficiency
Rather than being viewed as a regulatory burden, pollution prevention can contribute to plant efficiency and cost savings. In fact, if production management is focused on the efficient use of materials and resources, a by-product is the reduction of waste in all forms. Consider that every item purchased and every material used, but not found in the finished product, is waste. An examination of the traditional acceptance of a certain amount of waste is in order. This session by Bob Lacovara, ACMA Technical Director, will look at methods to enhance
efficiency, reduce waste, satisfy regulatory goals, and increase profit.
Bob Lacovara, CCM, CCT-I, American Composites Manufacturers Association

10:00am-10:45am
What is the Composites Growth Initiative?
The ACMA launched a new industry program called the Composites Growth Initiative to promote and expand the use of composite materials to future customers. This multifaceted program has focused areas in public relations, codes and standards, academic outreach, and market investigation. Composites material suppliers and manufacturers play a key role in the success of this program. Learn how your company can participate and take advantage of the exposure to consumers, engineers, specifiers in the markets your company has experience.
John P. Busel, American Composites Manufacturers Association

10:00am - 10:45am
Using Pultruded Fiberglass Structural Members To Reinforce Hand Lay-Up or Molded Fiberglass Parts
This presentation will explore the advantages achieved when pultruded fiberglass structural members are used in conjunction with hand lay-up or molded fiberglass parts. Increased physical properties, reduced labor costs and a reduction of styrene emissions are just a few of the many.
In this session, it will also be discussed how a fiberglass pultrusion can be designed to meet many different physical or mechanical properties.
Dan Smith, CCT, Strongwell

11:00am–11:45am
Potential Market Opportunities in the Gulf Coast
The ACMA Composites Growth Initiative recently completed an investigation to evaluate reconstruction opportunities in the Gulf Coast region. The flurry of successive hurricanes coupled with flooding has caused 90,000 sq. miles to be destroyed including 1.2 million homes and 125,000 businesses. The need to rebuild using products resistant to wind and flood provide huge opportunities for the composites industry. Learn what products have the best potential and how
to support industry programs to participate in the opportunity.
John P. Busel, American Composites Manufacturers Association

11:00am - 11:45am How to reduce FRP shop hazards
This session will discuss the practical means of reducing fire hazards in typical composite shop conditions, including flammable liquids, peroxides and dust hazards. This discussion will provide an overview of OSHA Regulations and NFPA Fire Codes associated with composite shop hazards. Managing the risks of injury, fire, or an unexpected visit from OSHA are all essential to business survival and profitability.
Perry Bennett, Molded Fiber Glass Companies

Plant Tour

EXCITING OPPORTUNITY!!! * DON'T MISS OUT!!

Join us on a tour of Fabwel, a fabricator and manufacturer of RV components for over 30 years, and a division of Owens Corning. At the brand new Business Development Center in Elkhart, IN, you
will learn about:

• The capabilities of the facility including testing (materials and chemistry), prototyping and product development
• The success Fabwel has had in consistently meeting its clients evolving needs

This overview will be followed by a visit to the Goshen Composite Production facility where you will:

• Tour the 250,000 sq. ft. facility that boasts three production lines with the ability to produce up to 20,000,000 sq. ft. of finished composite exterior sidewall panels.
• Examine the two different processes (open molding and vacuum infusion) by which the products, Performance Plus and CTEC fiberglass exterior sidewall panels, are produced
• Gain an understanding of Fabwel's current markets and product applications

Transportation and lunch included in registration fee. Bus will depart from the Century Center to the Elkhart Business Development Center at 12:00pm, and will be followed by a visit to the Goshen Composite Production Facility. Bus will return to the Century Center at approximately 4:30pm.

2006 Midwest Exhibitors as of March 1, 2006

CONFERENCE LOGISTICS

Conference Location/Hotel Information
The Midwest Composites Conference will be held at the Century Center, located at 120 South St. Joseph Street, South Bend, Indiana. Housing for the program will be at the South Bend Marriott, located at 123 North St. Joseph Street, South Bend, Indiana, which is adjoining to the Century Center. A discounted room rate of $119 (single/double) plus applicable taxes has been guaranteed for all participants through February 28, 2006 (based on availability). To make reservations, please contact the South Bend Marriott directly at (574)234-2000 or toll free at (800)228-9290 and cite ACMA to ensure you receive the discounted rate.

Questions
Any questions concerning this program should be directed to the American Composites Manufacturers Association at 703-525-0511 between 9:00am-5:00pm EST. You may also reach the office via fax at 703-525-0743 or via email at conferences@acmanet.org.

Special Needs
The Century Center and the South Bend Marriott hotel comply with all ADA provisions. If you require special accommodations or assistance during your stay, please contact ACMA in advance so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Cancellation and Refund Policy
All cancellations must be made in writing. Cancellations made prior to February 10, 2006 will receive a refund less a 25% processing fee. Cancellations made after February 10, 2006 will not be refunded. All refunds will be processed after the conference.

Substitutions and No-Shows
You may substitute registrants prior to the conference until the pre-registration deadline of Friday, February 24, 2006. After this date, all substitutions must occur onsite at the ACMA registration desk. ACMA does not accept responsibility for any “no-shows” at the conference. Regardless of their attendance, these individuals will be charged for the cost of their registration.