Contact: Jennifer Dills
(202)974-5282

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPI STRUCTURAL PLASTICS DIVISION ANNOUNCES ANNUAL DESIGN AWARDS

Washington (April 11, 2000) — Fifteen products showcasing the latest in design technology were honored at the new product design competition sponsored by The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc.'s (SPI) Structural Plastics Division (SPD). The competition's 52 entries showcased the diversity of the industry's materials, processes and markets. The awards were presented during Structural Plastics 2000, the SPD's 28th annual conference and design competition held March 26-28 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

FGL Precision Works Ltd.'s structural road mat took top honors, winning the Conference Award and the Building and Construction category award.

The recipient of the People's Choice award was decided through ballots cast by conference participants. GI Plastek's rear hood for the John Deer F-1400 and F-1500 mowers was the winner in this category. Horizon Plastic's radbox captured the prestigious Judge's Award, while the same company's Magellan end panel garnered the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)/Plastics News Design Award.

Category awards went to the following companies: Environmental Award: Attwood Corporation; Computer & Business Equipment: APW Enclosures; Consumer Electronics: Black and Decker; Industrial: GI Plastek; Lawn & Garden: Bemis Manufacturing Co.; Materials Handling: Buckhorn; Medical & Scientific: Modern Plastics Corp.; Recreation & Leisure: Camoplast; Retail/Consumer Products: MSI Mold Builders; Single Part: Goshen Rubber Cos.; Transportation: Decoma/Polyrim.

Awards were also given for the best technical papers presented during the conference. John Bundy, Incoe Corp. achieved top honors for his paper "Coupled Fluid Injection," while Robert Grace, Plastics News was runner-up for "How to Exploit Online News & Information to Your Competitive Advantage."

The SPD conference has become an industry mainstay for professionals who want to learn about applications and markets for structural plastics. Nearly 250 designers and educators attended this year's conference. Technical presentations and papers examined design, product development, technology use and manufacturing techniques.

The Structural Plastics 2001 29th Annual Conference and New Product Design Competition will be held in Atlanta April 1-3, 2001.

Founded in 1937, The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc is the trade association representing the fourth-largest manufacturing industry in the United States. SPI's 2,000 members represent the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw material suppliers. The U.S. plastics industry employs 1.3 million workers and provides $274 billion in annual shipments.

Note to Editors: Photos are available from the SPI Structural Plastics Division, (202) 974-5247; e-mail kmiles@socplas.org.

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