Reed awarded FSK medal for services to PU sector

Stuttgart, Germany-David Reed, former editor of Urethanes Technology magazine and now the magazine's consulting editor, has received the prestigious medal of honour of the German foam sector association, the FSK (Fachverband Schaumkunststoffe eV).

Liz White, who has taken over Reed's role as editor of Urethanes Technology, was also given an award during the brief ceremony on Wednesday 15 Nov at the FSK's foam fabricator's meeting, held in the new House of Sports venue in Stuttgart. She was honoured for her "dedicated important work as a journalist in the polyurethane and foam plastics industry."

Presenting Reed with the FSK's gold medal, Albrecht Manderscheid, chairman of the organisation, said new technical ideas and innovations are good for the sector, but emphasised that, “to communicate this is a very important role.

“Do good and speak about it,” is a valuable motto here, and “competent, well-researched, fine reporting is a necessity,” Manderscheid added.

The medal is intended to honour people who have furthered the interests of the foam plastics sector, as exemplified by Reed's roles in setting up Urethanes Technology magazine as founding editor in 1984, and in the genesis of the UTECH conferences running alongside the international exhibitions organised by Crain Communications Ltd and IPI BV of Goor in the Netherlands.

The first UTECH meeting in the Hague in 1986 attracted over 2000 visitors, Manderscheid pointed out, and the conference also brought in more than 500 PU specialists from around the world.

Since then the event has gone from strength to strength. This year saw UTECH Europe 2006 in Mastricht, in the Netherlands, as well as a PU China 2006 event in Shanghai, China, from the same organisers, and next year will see a further extension of the concept into the US, as UTECH North America is being organised in conjunction with the Alliance for the Polyurethanes Industry.

Manderscheid quoted Paul Mitchell, MD of Crain Communications Ltd and publisher of Urethanes Technology, who recently described Reed's 'well-known figure with white beard, loaded down with camera and plastics bags,' saying, "I've known David a long time and I can't express it any better.”

Manderscheid concluded that he was looking forward to many future words from Reed as consulting editor, a role he has now taken on following his retirement from Crain Communications Ltd, the London-based publisher of Urethanes Technology, earlier this year.

From Urethanes Technology (A Crain publication)