Extrusion International 4-2025-USA

30 Extrusion International 4/2025 30 INDUSTRY NEWS Keynote Speaker For 2025 National Plastics Conference Announced The Plastics Industry Association announced its keynote speaker for the 2025 National Plastics Confer- ence: Eric Termuende – entrepre- neur, author, advisor, and speaker. In his keynote presentation, Term - uende will share a practical guide to building more productive, en - gaged, and innovative teams, draw - ing on insights from global indus- try leaders to highlight the power of trust, strategies for navigating roadblocks, and the importance of fostering a culture of calculated ex- perimentation. “Eric’s keynote promises to in- spire thought-provoking conver- sations and equip each attendee with a powerful mix of actionable insights, proven frameworks, and practical strategies. He's not just talking about the future; he's pro- viding the audience with a blue- print to build a stronger team, ready for anything,” said Apryl Alexander-Savino, PLASTICS’ Vice President of Events and Market- ing. “His approach to building high-performing, innovative teams will set the tone for an incredible week of learning, collaboration, and forward-thinking that will help the plastics industry continue to evolve, innovate, and lead. The National Plastics Conference brings together the brightest minds in the industry, and this year’s keynote is sure to be a highlight.” Termuende’s keynote is sched- uled for Tuesday, September 23. Eric Termuende is the Co-Founder of NoW of Work author of Rethink Work, trusted advisor, and award- winning speaker on leadership, culture, and the future of work. His research into the DNA of top-per- forming workplaces reveals the se- crets of exceptional leadership and building resilient, forward-thinking teams. As co-founder of NoW of Work, Eric drives workplace innovation and has been recognized as one of American Express’s Top 100 Emerg- ing Innovators. His influence ex - tends beyond the stage, helping organizations navigate change and build thriving cultures. The National Plastics Conference designed “by industry, for indus - try,” unites the entire plastics supply chain for industry-driven education, collaboration, and progress. Held US Subsidiary Opened BGS US LLC, a subsidiary of BGS Beta-Gamma-Service GmbH & Co. KG, is commencing operations at its new location in Pittsburgh, Pennsyl - vania, as planned. With the official opening of the plant on July 30 in the US, BGS, a medium-sized com - pany headquartered in Wiehl that has specialized in radiation steril- ization and radiation crosslinking for more than 40 years, is expand - ing its international presence. BGS US thus offers locally available ca- pacities for fully automated elec- tron beam sterilization (E-Beam) and establishes a safe and power- ful alternative to gamma and EtO sterilization for medical devices. Two major medical device manu- facturers were won as customers from the very beginning. The decision to enter the US mar- ket is based on a clear need: “Lim- ited sterilization capacities make it difficult for US medical technol - ogy manufacturers to ensure long- term supply security. With our new plant in Pittsburgh, we are helping to close this gap,” explains Dr. An - dreas Ostrowicki, Managing Direc - tor of BGS Beta-Gamma-Service. “The northeastern United States is one of the most important regions for the medical technology indus- try – we expect dynamic growth there in the coming years. With its excellent transport connections and strong tradition as an industri- al location, Pittsburgh offers ideal conditions for our local activities.” The US market has been experienc- ing shortages in sterilization ca- pacity for several years – due to in- creasing uncertainties surrounding the use of ethylene oxide (EtO) and customer demand for alternatives to gamma sterilization. E-beam technology offers a powerful, en - vironmentally friendly, and resi - due-free alternative that has been limited in availability in the US until now. Leonard Zuba, Managing Di - rector of BGS US LLC: "The last few months have shown that there is a high demand for innovative steril- ization solutions based on electron beam radiation in the US market. This confirms our concept. I am par - ticularly pleased that we were able to complete the construction of the plant successfully and smoothly within the planned timeframe." “The rapid and on-schedule com- pletion of our US site is a significant milestone for BGS,” Ostrowicki continues. “The strong market de- mand reinforces our belief that we can rapidly expand our plant capac- ities. We see great growth poten- tial and very good conditions for a successful market entry.” BGS Beta-Gamma-Service GmbH & Co. KG www.bgs.eu The official opening of the new BGS US location in Pittsburgh, PA, took place with the BGS management and representatives of local authorities (Copyright: BGS US)