Approximately 5,000 participants took the opportunity to engage in face-to-face business meetings with global leaders in nonwovens and engineered materials at IDEA 2022 in Miami Beach, Florida from March 29-31.

The exhibition was  co-located with the second FiltXPO,  North American’s only exhibition and conference dedicated exclusively to filtration and separation.

“While most professionals have now become accustomed to the greater flexibility working from home provides, and conducting Zoom or Team meetings, there’s no substitute to meeting in person,” said INDA president Dave Rousse. “The event attracted a high level of participation among key decision makers despite lingering travel restrictions, which is a testimonial to the show’s importance within the international nonwovens and engineered materials industry.”

A highlight was the announcement of the winners of the IDEA Achievement Awards on March 30.

The winners in the six separate categories were:

-Equipment – The elastic thread anchoring (ETA) sonotrode technology of Germany’s Herrmann Ultrasonics allows the precise placing of elastics in the production of diapers and incontinence products that is reliable, adhesive-free and extremely soft. The fixation of the elastic threads is accomplished with ultrasonic energy that offers a wide process window, without the need for tool changeovers, at processing speeds above 600 metres a minute.

-Raw materials – The patented ODOGard technology of Kentucky-based Rem Brands is an advancement in odour elimination that has a mechanism which works by covalent molecular bonding to malodours, changing them into non-odorous molecules forever. ODOGard can be impregnated into pulp fluff and other kinds of media.

-Short-life product – LifeSavers personal wipes, developed in Jamaica, change colour if they detect abnormal health indicators in the urine. The launch product is a diabetic wipe, which will change colour if there are abnormal levels of glucose in the urine. The wipes are therefore triple purpose as they assist with personal hygiene after urinating, act as an early warning system, and serve as an instant glucose monitor. UTI and kidney disease wipes are next in line.

-Long-life product – Germany’s Mann+Hummel has developed a hybrid media by combining electret-based spunbond and a pure mechanical filtration layer of ultrafine polymer fibres. This results in an outstanding separation of PM1 particles up to 95%, according to DIN EN ISO 16890. The technology enables stable filtration performance and long-term efficiency over the whole filter lifetime. The nanofibre layer can be combined with any cabin air filter media of the Mann+Hummel range.

-Nonwoven product – Suominen’s latest moist tissue product, Hydraspun Aquaflo, achieves dry tissue dispersibility through a proprietary blend of 100% sustainable cellulosic materials, minimising environmental impact. This flushable nonwoven has a premium hand feel and passes dispersibility standards set by INDA and the International Water Services Flushability Group (IWSFG.)

-Sustainability – Swedish start-up Blue Ocean Closures has partnered with Glatfelter and Alpla to accelerate and produce sustainable and environmentally-friendly packaging solutions. The companies have optimised renewable and recyclable wood fibres and airlaid materials to create paper-based screw caps that are durable, strong, and water-resistant. Proprietary vacuum press forming allows for low production costs and high scalability.

In addition, the IDEA 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Val Hollingsworth, CEO of Hollingsworth & Vose, and the IDEA Entrepreneur Achievement Award went to Doug Brown, president of Biax-Fiberfilm/5K Fibres.

The next IDEA will be held from April 23-25, 2024, again in Miami Beach, Florida.

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