What Processors Thought of NPE 2000

 As always, I found the show to be [bigger] than the last time and physically daunting. It's the one place where you can "walk" from Italy to Taiwan and still have time to visit a Midwest mold maker. Over the years, I've gone from a molder to a material process researcher to a part designer, and yet NPE always remains the best place to keep up with it all. Chris Frank, Hewlett-Packard, Rocklin, Calif.

This was my first NPE, and I found it an outstanding experience! NPE had every product on display that was worth seeing. It took myself and a business associate three days to really see it all, and then we went back and revisited the highlights. Electric injection molding machines in particular got my attention. Ferromatik Milacron's new [Web-capable] control system with the built-in Web-Cam was the most impressive item of the entire show. Donald Deane Popma, Buehler Motor, Inc., Cary, N.C.

Outstanding show to obtain global suppliers for tooling and molding. Tom Talbot, GBS International, Plantation, Fla.

I've been to numerous shows where you fly in, do the show, and fly home all in one day. But that just isn't possible for a show like NPE. I arrived with the expectations of networking with vendors that I have worked with, yet never met. Also, I hoped to initiate dialogue with potential vendors that I might like to do business with. I left Chicago with much more than just that. I'm not referring to the bag of pens, key chains, whistles, and frisbees that I brought back for all my co-workers. I mean the information and knowledge that I gained. Richard Warren, Boston Scientific Corp., San Jose, Calif.

Nice fair, but I wish there was more organization as far as the type of machines displayed on each floor, for example, all injection machines in one place, all printing machines in another, etc. Juan Carlos Saca, Artisa, El Salvador

I attended to see the latest improvements in [injection] press controls and technology, and to see what the e-commerce businesses had to offer. Most impressive were the large electric machines from UBE and the HPM video-camera capabilities that are built into the machine control panel. The video conference capabilities from the shop floor definitely can help maintenance and process technicians as they work to solve problems. The application of the latest computerization and electronic technologies were evident in most of the equipment being displayed. There have been significant strides since the last show. I found a large diverse group of e-commerce companies, but I am still trying to decide how best to benefit from what they are offering. Steve Golson, Carlisle Engineered Products, Tuscaloosa, Ala.