Polyurethane Technology International Forum 2023, jointly organized by Shanghai Polyurethane Industry Association, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, and Suntower, and sponsored by companies such as Wanhua Chemical, Huntsman, Changhua Chemical Technology, Maysta, Menhover, Cangzhou Dahua, and Hengguangda, was held in Shanghai from September 13 to 15.
Industry participants including raw material suppliers, equipment providers, downstream manufacturers as well as universities and research agencies gathered to discuss the latest research findings and industry developments in the field of polyurethane.
Event Site
The event focused on new industry pattern and emerging applications in the post-covid era, attracting participants from more than 180 globally renowned companies in the polyurethane industry, including Wanhua Chemical, BASF, Huntsman, Covestro, Cangzhou Dahua, Huafon Group, Huayi Group, Maysta, Changhua Chemical, Xiangyuan New Materials, Menhover New Materials, Hengguang New Material, Befar Group, Tosoh, Bluestar Dongda, Honeywell Sinochem Lantian New Materials, Shanghai Electric, Wynca Group, IKEA, Sinomax, Oriental Yuhong, Haier Smart Home, Sleemon, Yanfeng, 3TREES, Lear Corporation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhejiang University, Qingdao University, Anhui University, Beijing Technology and Business University, Shanghai Research Institute of Chemical Industry, Tianjin Petrochemical Research Institute, Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industry Commercial Company (PGPIC), EGIDA, Morphix Technologies, ECONIC, European Association of Flexible Polyurethane Foam Block Manufacturers (EUROPUR), China Plastics Processing Industry Association (CPPIA), China Electronics Energy Saving Technology Association, and more. A total of 300 delegates attended the event.
Business Leaders Roundtable
The Business Leaders Roundtable, held in the afternoon of September 13, officially kicked off this event, outlining a clear development path for the polyurethane industry.
More than 30 business leaders in the polyurethane industry, including Wei Jianhua, president of Shanghai Polyurethane Industry Association, Michel Baumgartner, secretary general at Euro-Moulders, Liu Mingsong, general manager at the marketing department of Wanhua Chemical, Li Tao, strategic market director at Huntsman Asia Pacific, Sun Yu, chairman at Maysta Chemical, Qin Sanglu, head of marketing strategy department at Changhua Chemical Technology, Jiang Taosong, global circular economy manager at Covestro (Shanghai) Investment Co., Ltd., Gu Feng, director of product management in the specialty consumer goods industry at BASF in Greater China, Li Guang, chairman of Hengguang New Materials (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd, Zhou Beiling, general manager at Suzhou Xiangyuan New Materials, Liu Lu, chairman at Butian New Materials Technology, Zhang Wenkai, chairman at Menhover Chemical Technology, and Zhang Qiming, chairman at QG Group, attended the forum and shared their insights on key issues such as sustainable development, circular economy, and low carbon emission in the polyurethane industry.
In the following two days, the forum focused on application areas such as wind energy, new energy vehicles, green furniture, sports goods, healthcare, cold chain logistics, aerospace, and bullet trains. Through activities such as one-to-one meetings, booth resources showcase, and panel discussions, the forum aimed to share the latest development achievements and application cases, and explore the application potential of cutting-edge technologies in the field of polyurethane.
Wei Jianhua, President, Shanghai Polyurethane Industry Association
The conference was opened by Wei Jianhua, chairman of Shanghai Polyurethane Industry Association. In his welcome speech, Mr. Wei stated that polyurethane materials have been widely applied in various industries related to clothing, food, housing, and transportation due to their excellent performance, bringing profound changes to human life and achieving remarkable achievements.
However, facing the unpredictable world and the popularization of green and low-carbon development concepts, the polyurethane industry urgently needs new thinking, innovative solutions, and a more open international perspective to pave the way for sustainable transformation and upgrades.
2023 Polyurethane Technology International Forum has emerged as a platform for stimulating thoughts and inspiration, which will help industry participants reflect on how to address new challenges in a smarter and more sustainable way, and promote market recovery and development.
