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The American Filtration and Separations Society (AFS) held its 2008 Annual Fall Conference in Charlotte, NC September 22-25th. The event consisted of two Tracks including its 3rd Bi-Annual Testing Conference, with the major filtration testing laboratories, equipment suppliers and a number of filtration companies and end-users attending.
The Testing Conference was held concurrent with the AFS Infrastructure and Sustainability Conference, which took a different tact and twist from traditional industry Conferences in the past with its subject matter focused on Un-Met Needs in filtration. The Conference concluded with a Workshop, run by Anita Highsmith, Former Head of Water Quality at the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Highsmith tied together the various segments of Un-Met Needs presented during the Conference and how companies might address critical Un-Met Filtration Need issues in national security.
As with all AFS Conferences, the week started with 8 short courses taught be recognized industry experts covering subjects such as Basics in Filtration for Liquid and a separate course on Air. The courses were designed for newcomers to the industry and journeymen alike seeking to understand other filtration products and applications as well. Included were separate courses on Microporous Membranes, RO/UF Filtration, Filter Testing, Wastewater Treatment and the Basics & Applications of Particle Characterization.
Keynote speakers included Dr. Irwin Pikus, Former Head of the President’s Commission on Infrastructure as the main Banquet Speaker. A surprise speaker at the Banquet was Wells Shoemaker, who spoke on the topic of Heritage of Hope and AFS growth. Ed Gregor presented Shoemaker with an enlarged copy of the Forward he wrote for the Proceedings for first AFS Conference in Ocean City, MD in the spring of 1988.
Our daily luncheon speakers had excellent presentations and certainly opened our eyes with new thinking; Susan Goldsmith from IBR spoke on how filter companies position their products in the consumer market. Chef Chis Ivens-Brown, VP and Head Chef from the Compass Group, the largest food service company in the world, spoke on the subject of sustainable seafood and how we need to reconsider our priorities in terms of ocean fishing and fish farming. A highly interesting talk and quite captivating.
The Filter Testing Track is a well-established and traditional AFS program and continues because of its importance to all filter media suppliers and filter producers. Attending the Track were new product development, quality and testing engineers in addition to a number of end-users.
The Infrastructure and Sustainability Track was new to the AFS in 2008 and likely to be repeated as it addressed the Un-Met Needs in Filtration, a topic of wide interest to every company associated with filtration industry, whether a filter manufacturers, supplier or end-user. Attending this Track were an array of senior filtration executives including company presidents, new business development and marketing managers in addition to investment banking firms and companies with an interest in making acquisitions who were seeking to gain deeper insight into the industry.
For 2009, the AFS will host its Annual Spring Conference in Minneapolis, MN, May 4-7, 2009 and is titled Filtration and Separations Quality and Reliability by Design. The 2009 Fall Conference is the 4th Bi-Annual Emissions Solutions in Transportation Conference in Ann Arbor, MI, October 5-9, 2009.
