Contact: Paula Weis
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPI GLOBAL BUSINESS COUNCIL PARTNERS WITH INDUSTRY PUBLICATIONS TO PRESENT NPE 2003 BREAKFAST BRIEFING

WASHINGTON, DC (May 20, 2003) - The Global Business Council (GBC) of The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI), this week announced it has partnered with two publications, "Injection Molding Magazine" and "Plastics Machinery and Auxiliaries," to present an informational briefing at NPE 2003, at the McCormick Center in Chicago.

Slated for June 25, from 8 a.m. - 10:30 a.m., the briefing, "Crossroads: The China Factor" will address the impact of the growing presence of China in the international plastics market. The event will feature a panel of industry leaders who will provide first-hand accounts of their global business experiences and discuss the current state of the manufacturing industry in light of the economy. The featured speaker is Dr. David Friedman, Senior Fellow, New America Foundation, and the event will be moderated by James Buonomo, Vice President, China & India Relations, Nypro Inc.

Panelists include Larry Sippy, President, Sipco Molding Technologies and Chairman of the National Tooling and Manufacturers Association; Randall Ash, Manager, North American Molding Engineering, Delphi Connection Systems; Vincent Wu, President, China Operations, Milacron, Inc.; Mark Wall, President, Greater China, General Electric Co.; and Bill Primosch, Director, International Policy-National Association of Manufacturers.

"This joint effort with 'Injection Molding Magazine' and 'Plastics Machinery and Auxiliaries' will combine two good sessions that were originally scheduled separately, making it one outstanding program that will help attendees better understand the global marketplace," said Lori Anderson, SPI's Strategic Planning and Industry Relations Officer.

"Clearly, China must be a factor in the long- and short-term decision making processes for U.S. plastics companies," continued Anderson, "especially as more companies source products from China, locate manufacturing there or create markets for U.S.-made products in China." "The United States had a $3.7 billion trade deficit with China in plastics products in 2002, and imports of Chinese plastics products have grown at nearly 14 percent annually in the past five years," said Anderson.

The Global Business Council, formerly known as the International Trade Advisory Committee, is composed of more than 140 SPI members from every segment of the plastics industry. The mission of the GBC is to increase global awareness and competitiveness by providing resources to SPI members, while fostering growth of the plastics industry worldwide. Registration information for the breakfast briefing is available on the Web at http://www.plasticsindustry.org/business/international/npeflyer.pdf.

Founded in 1937, The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc., is the trade association representing one of the largest manufacturing industries in the United States. SPI's 1,300 members represent the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw materials suppliers. The U.S. plastics industry employs 1.5 million workers and provides more than $320 billion in annual shipments. For more information, visit SPI on the Web at www.plasticsindustry.org. Join SPI in Chicago June 23-27, for NPE 2003, the World's Plastics Showcase. The triennial event, sponsored by SPI, features innovations and technological breakthroughs from more than 2,000 exhibitors serving all facets of the industry, including automotive, appliance, medical, packaging and more. For more information, link to the Web at www.npe.org.

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