The Plastics Hall of Fame has named 18 new members, who will be honored at an induction ceremony Oct. 7 in Dusseldorf, Germany, the day before K 2025 opens. It marks the first time the ceremony has been held outside the U.S.
Established in 1975, the Plastics Hall of Fame's 253 members represent nine countries and include five Nobel Prize winners in chemistry. Induction in the Plastics Hall of Fame is based strictly on accomplishment, and members represent all aspects of the plastics industry.
The class of 2025 includes:
Helmut Bacher, Helmuth Schulz and Georg Wendelin, founders of Erema, a plastics recycling technology company.
Erwin Bürkle, former head of injection molding technology, KraussMaffei Technologies GmbH.
Norm Fowler, Xerox Corp., Strategic Initiative Lean Six Sigma, and member of the Society of Plastics Engineers International Executive Committee, 1990–2000.
Yukio Iimura, former chairman and CEO of injection molding machine manufacturer Shibaura Machine Co. Ltd.
Bill Knight, Dow Chemical Co., a key player in recognizing and developing Insite PE technology.
Robert Langer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), pioneer of drug delivery and growing transplantable tissue via biodegradable plastic scaffolds.
Matthew Naitove, chief editor of Plastics Technology magazine.
Chul B. Caleb Park, University of Toronto, a leader in academia and industry in developing and applying polymer foaming technologies.
Irene Schwarz, Engel, a leader and defining presence in the company’s history.
Charles Sewell, head of CKS Packaging, a global manufacturer of extrusion blow molded and injection molded containers.
Bill Stavropoulos, former CEO of Dow Chemical Co., who led a major restructuring, including the acquisition of Union Carbide Corp., and advanced Dow’s PE franchise.
Peter Steinbeck, CEO of Windmöller & Hölscher, a 155-year-old German company that produces flexible packaging machinery.
William Young, chairman and CEO of Plastipak, a leader in the design, manufacturing and recycling of rigid plastic containers.
Historical inductees
The hall also honors historical pioneers who died more than 25 years ago. These industry figures often lack champions in the election process but made vital early contributions.
Otto Röhm and Otto Haas, founders of Rohm and Haas Co., best known for Plexiglas, patented in 1933.
Hans H. Wanders, Rawson Moulding Co., who patented what is believed to be the first semi-automatic rotary molding press and was a charter member of the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI), now known as the Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) and the PPA.
For information, visit https://www.plasticshof.org or contact [email protected].
