MD&M West shows out in Anaheim, despite El Nino

ANAHEIM, Calif.—"Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night…"

Isn't that the motto for the U.S. Postal Service?

Like the medical industry, the USPS, which sits in booth No. 5325 at this year's IME West Show in soaked Southern California, uses a lot of packaging.

And West Pack, along with the LSR-heavy MD&M West Show, are two of the five "sub-conferences" that comprise the cutting-edge mix of engineering, packaging and medical device development companies present at the Anaheim Convention Center Feb. 6-8.

El Nino has not dampened attendance, as more than 1,600 exhibitors from across 70 countries have purchased real estate on the floor of the 300,000-sq.-ft. center.

About 14,000 patrons are expected over the three days, searching for the best contract manufacturer, injection molder, material supplier, automation firm or medical device testing company with which to partner.

"Traffic has been pretty good," said Bilal Rafiq, business development manager for the Americas at Elmet, an Austrian LSR-dosing and automation firm at the show. "We have had a steady stream of people come through."

Elmet's dosing systems can be paired with many of the injection molding machine makers also present at the show, like Arburg and Engel. The company also is working on a cutting project with other OEMs in the development of the silicone-heavy adaptive headlight system.

The show floor (and indeed the bars and restaurants around Anaheim) is also the place where deals are closed, as SilcoTech North America Inc. purchased two Arburg injection molding machines Feb. 6.

SilcoTech, based in Bolton, Ontario, works in the LSR injection molding space in the medical, automotive, consumer electronics and solar industries, providing complex parts with complex geometries in mid- to high-volume.

Contract manufacturing certainly is a theme at MD&M West, with many of the firms providing LSR components in high-margin, low-volume markets, like Beacon MedTech in Leominster, Mass.

Jim Colony, who took over as president and CEO of the firm Dec. 12, told Rubber News "the sky is the limit for Beacon MedTech" in the medical and aerospace markets.

"I wanted to pursue a role as Beacon MedTech's president because I truly believe in the company's value … in vertical integration and materials expertise," he said. "The horizon is bright for Beacon MedTech."

The conference runs through Feb. 8 in Anaheim. Check back at rubbernews.com for featured profiles on many of the companies at MD&M West.