VINACHEM

The 2016 edition of the Global Plastics Summit once again will shed some light on a diverse industry.

This year’s event — again co-sponsored by the IHS Markit consulting firm and the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. — takes place Sept. 28-30 in Chicago. In addition to IHS presentations on various resin markets and on the economy, the GPS 2016 agenda includes input from major plastics processors, retailers and others involved in the plastics field.

“We’ll hear about hot-button issues from industry leaders,” IHS global polyolefins and plastics business director Nick Vafiadis said in a recent phone interview. “The GPS has really become the premiere venue for high-profile managers to discuss critical issues.”

The first full day of the event — Sept. 29 — will focus on markets and economics, while the next day will focus on innovation and specialty plastics. The first day will include a supply chain panel featuring executives from materials maker ExxonMobil Chemical Co., plastic film leader Novolex and grocery giant Kroger Co.

Day two includes sessions with officials with consumer products maker Tupperware Brands Corp. and with the Society of Plastics Engineers.

The effects of the wave of new polyethylene capacity that’s set to hit North America next year also will be covered at GPS 2016. More than 11 billion pounds of annual capacity is scheduled to become operational by the end of 2017, according to Vafiadis.

“As we talk to clients, we get a lot of feedback from the investment community and elsewhere about the impact of that new [PE] capacity,” he said. “It’s a big concern. People want to know about the capability of the market to export the volumes we’ll be producing here. The new capacity will have an impact on domestic logistics as well.”