Annual Blow Molding Conference features speakers, awards, connecting
Join us for the 40th Annual Blow Molding Conference (ABC), which takes place Sept. 8-10 at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Hotel at Station Square. Conference registration, hotel reservations and a full schedule of events can be found at www.blowmoldingdivision.org/abc-2025-overview.
Conference registration costs $765 and includes all technical sessions and Plastics 101 sessions, exhibits, meals and a dinner cruise on the Gateway Clipper. One-day passes, student and faculty passes and dinner cruise-only tickets are also available.
Williams’ talk is titled “Navigating Change: It Is Better to Be the Disrupter than the Disrupted.” For most companies, a crisis can serve as a wake-up call, inspiring new thinking. But recognizing the need for change in non-crisis situations can be challenging, as companies focus on their strengths, and new ideas are considered distractions. Successful organizations understand that transformation is essential, and that navigating change requires the proactive effort of crisis management without the crisis.
Competitions and scholars
Winners of the student design competition and scholarships will be honored during Monday's dinner cruise.
Seven teams entered the student design competition, which was judged by a panel of professionals from the Board of Directors.
Taking first place was a team from Penn State Behrend — Drew Tracy, Andrew Pfister and Kaitlyn Ezzone — with the “AquaBloom Floating Hydroponic Plant Bed.” Judges’ praise included: “novel application,” “good document and research,” “very feasible all the way around,” “neat idea and nice design.”
Scholarship winners will be named at the conference.
Sarah Ross, Brady Dore and Luke Adams, students at the University of Massachusetts – Lowell, will present their senior project, which was executed under the guidance of division members, at a session Wednesday.
The project involved an HDPE food-grade bottle to be used in the nutritional dry powder market, and the students were to account for all costs and components, including materials, energy, machinery, labor and packaging. The goal for the project was for the students to understand the complete process from ideation to commercialization of a product.
The annual Lewis E. Ferguson Blow Molded Parts Competition winner will be awarded during ABC. Apply at blowmoldingdivision.org/2024-parts-competition-overview. The entry deadline is Aug. 15 with a shipment deadline of Aug. 29.
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Blow Molding Division will present its Lifetime Achievement Award during a luncheon Sept. 9. It is bestowed upon an individual who has demonstrated outstanding achievements and contributions to the business, science and technical engineering aspects in the field of blow molding.
The awardee is selected by the Blow Molding Division's Board of Directors from nominees sponsored by the members of SPE. The award reflects a consideration of the candidate’s professional record inside and outside of the industry, and the continuing influence the candidate’s work has had in the industry. The awardee is presented with an engraved plaque and a donation in the candidate’s name is made to the division’s Grant Fund.
This year's nominees are:
- Harald Feuerherm, founder, Feuerherm GmbH
- John Rathman, retired, Chevron Phillips Chemical
- Mridula “Babli” Kapur, fellow, Dow Chemical
- Dan Weissman, owner, DW & Associates LLC
- Jon Meckley (posthumous), Penn State Behrend
- Ambrogio Invernizzi, global product manager, Meccanoplastica Group
- Bernhard Schulte, founder and CEO, BBM Maschinenbau und Vertriebs GmbH
This article appears in the summer 2025 issue of The Journal of Blow Molding.
© 2025, Society of Plastics Engineers Blow Molding Division
Lynne Sherwin | Managing Editor
Managing editor Lynne Sherwin handles day-to-day operations and coordinates production of Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing’s print magazine, website and social media presence, as well as Plastics Recycling and The Journal of Blow Molding. She also writes features, including the annual machinery buying survey. She has more than 30 years of experience in daily and magazine journalism.
