Fall PFA Highlights

Polyurethane Foam Association Fall Meeting Addresses
Sustainability, Industry Innovation
Gollnitz and Khalil Inducted Into Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall Of Fame

TORONTO, ONTARIO (November 14, 2023)— Sustainability was at the forefront of the
Polyurethane Foam Association’s Fall
Meeting recently in Toronto.

Top industry executives, EHS specialists,
scientists, marketers, and regulatory analysts
met at the Omni King Edward Hotel for
networking sessions and presentations
covering everything from European end-of-
life requirements to irradiation of
polyurethane foam to yield 3-D printing
resins.

PFA’s Industry Issues Session provided
updates on key markets in the flexible foam
industry, including bedding and carpet
cushion. Additional presentations addressed
legal and regulatory developments,
isocyanate research projects, trade
remedies, and more.

In the Technical Program on the following day, presentations covered foam making equipment
and process controls, biocontent and recycling of automotive foam in Europe, inclusion of lignin
and soy polyols into foam formulations, upcycling of EOL foam into 3-D printing resins, and the
Virginia Tech/Arizona State closed loop recycling project.

Awards: Bill Gollnitz of Plastomer Corporation (L) and Dr. Hamdy
Khalil of Woodbridge Group (R) were inducted into the Flexible
Polyurethane Foam Hall of Fame.

Chip Holton of NCFI
Polyurethanes (Center) was presented with PFA’s Lifetime
Achievement Award.

Chip Holton of NCFI Polyurethanes, PFA’s President, recognized new PFA members including
Reticulatus, Ingenieria Del Poliuretano Flexible, S.L., and PCC Rokita. He noted that since the
lifting of pandemic restrictions, 23 new companies have joined PFA.

“PFA continues to be a very effective voice for the flexible polyurethane foam industry,” Holton
noted. “PFA frequently reminds us that industry advocacy is much stronger as a group rather
than as individual companies; PFA also provides an exceptional forum for the exchange of
knowledge and critical industry information.”

As a highlight of the meeting, two long-term veterans of the industry were inducted into the
Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was established to honor the
leaders and innovators. It serves as an information source for future industry members and
researchers regarding the contributions of individuals and companies who have led the growth
and betterment of the flexible polyurethane foam industry in North America.

Bill Gollnitz, Technical Director of Plastomer Corporation, and Dr. Hamdy Khali, Senior
Technology Advisor for Advanced Technologies and Innovation at Woodbridge Foam
Corporation, became the latest inductees, making a total of 35 individuals and companies
honored.

Gollnitz has more than 51 years’ experience in the flexible polyurethane foam industry. For
nearly 30 years, he has been Technical Director at Plastomer Corporation. Prior to that, he held
group management positions at ARCO Chemical Company and Olin Chemical. He began his
career in the foam industry with Firestone Foam, working as a special assistant to Firestone
President Bob Hay, a founding member of PFA and also a member of the Flexible Polyurethane
Foam Hall of Fame.

He has a deep understanding of how chemistry, manufacturing and suppliers can work together
to advance the polyurethanes industry, and developed a reputation for being able to oversee the
construction of flexible foam manufacturing plants from concept to full scale production. He is a
Past President of PFA, and currently serves on PFA’s Executive and Technical Committees.
“Every time there’s a threat to the industry, be it technical or regulatory, PFA has met it head on.
And I’m sure that’s going to continue in the future,” Gollnitz said in his acceptance speech. He
also expressed gratitude for the education tools PFA has developed to attract young professionals
to the industry, and to assist in continuing education of those who have made flexible foam their
careers.

Dr. Khalil pioneered the introduction and commercialization of renewable materials into the
polyurethane chemistry used in interior automotive parts manufacturing. Under his guidance,
Woodbridge became one of the early adopters of green technologies using biobased polyols.
Khalil also played a leading role in ongoing efforts to harmonize OEM specifications for VOC
emissions from plastics in auto interiors.

He served on the Board of Directors of the Ontario Bio Auto Council, and the Center for
Research and Innovation in the Bio Economy (CRiBE). He acted as an advisor to the National

Research Council of Canada on renewable and sustainable materials technology. Dr. Khalil
received the Outstanding Leadership from the Center For the Polyurethane Industry (CPI), and
the Technical Leadership Award from The Nano Division of the Technical Association for the
Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI). He was selected to the Advisory Panel For Arbora Nano for
the Advancement of Lignocellulosic Products. Dr. Khalil received the “Le Sueur Memorial
Award” from the Society of Chemical Industry for Outstanding Industrial Contribution.
His passion is in mentoring a new generation of scientists and engineers.

“Polyurethane is the most versatile polymeric system, and it has been serving humanity in more
applications than any other material known to mankind,” Khalil noted. “However, we have many
challenges. Our industry needs to be aggressive in innovation and building partnerships with
institutions and universities. There is much yet to discover about the potential of polyurethanes.”
After the Hall of Fame inductions, outgoing PFA President Holton was presented with PFA’s
Lifetime Achievement Award.

“All of us in the association appreciate Chip’s leadership over the last seven years,” said Russ
Batson, PFA Executive Director. “Chip has the unique ability to analyze a challenge and focus
everyone on the critical elements, so that we can decide on the most sensible pathways forward.”
Dr. Mojgan Nejad won the Dr. Herman Stone Technical Excellence Award. Her presentation,
“Sustainable PU Flexible Foams: Utilizing Renewable Materials from Biomass and Soy,” was
voted best by those attending the Technical Program. The award is named for Dr. Herman T.
Stone, who served as PFA’s first Technical Director. In 2007, Dr. Stone was inducted into the
Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall of Fame.

The Polyurethane Foam Association is a trade association founded in 1980 to help educate foam
users, allied industries and other stakeholders. PFA provides facts on environmental, health and
safety issues and technical information on the performance of flexible polyurethane foam (FPF)
in consumer and industrial products. FPF is used as a key comfort component in most
upholstered furniture and mattress products, along with automotive seating, carpet cushion,
packaging, and numerous other applications.

To learn more, visit www.pfa.org.