Still time to register for Hose & Belt Manufacturers Conference Oct. 1-2

There is still time to register for the Hose & Belt Manufacturers Conference, being held Oct. 1-2 in Schaumburg, Ill.

And the agenda for the Rubber News event just got stronger, with a presentation from Casey Selecman, director of powertrain forecasts at AutoForecast Solutions L.LC. He has been following the automotive market for two decades and will give an industry forecast, with a talk titled "Manufacturing Challenges and Opportunities in the Hose Market."

Full details on the conference—including how to register—can be found at rubbernews.com/events.

Talks at the two-day event include a combination of both technical and market presentations, covering all parts of the supply chain, from suppliers and manufacturers, to the distributors who are vital customers for many of the hose and belt makers.

One topic of interest to all in the rubber industry—sustainability—will be in the spotlight on Oct. 1.

Susann Geithner, head of sustainability for ContiTech Industrial Solutions Americas, will give a talk looking at trends and legislation in ESG. That will be followed by a panel discussion on "Working Towards a Sustainable Future," with panelists from DuPont, Beaver Manufacturing and Continental.

Speakers from the manufacturers side include a keynote from Mathew Augustine, ContiTech head of product development; NRP-Jones Joe Kochan talking on building growth in the industry; Brent Lilly of PT Coupling on the evolution of artificial intelligence in operations; and Brian Blake, president of Piranha Hose, part of the Kuriyama Group, on ways to deal with the current shortage of manufacturing employees.

Technical presenters will come from Smithers, BASF, Tyromer and Zeon Chemicals.

In addition, Mike Mortensen, president and CEO of Alaska-based distributor ARG Industrial, will team up with Dan Banks of Intelli.build for a presentation titled "Digital Transformation & e-Commerce Driving Change in Industrial Distribution."

There also will be plenty of time built in for networking, including a lunch and networking on the opening day. Representatives of 14 companies also will be on hand with tabletop exhibits to provide information about their products and services.

The Hose & Belt Manufacturers Conference is being held at Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel.