The latest design and technology trends in interior and exterior, smart surface technologies, process-reliable manufacturing, digitalization and AI, circular economy and sustainability concepts: These are the topics that are currently driving the plastic films community and will be the focus this year at SKZ's renowned „Folien + Fahrzeug / Plastic Films in Mobility“ Industry Meeting on April 26th and 27th, 2023.

[Translate to Englisch:] Die SKZ-Fachtagung am 26. und 27. April 2023 bietet zahlreiche Highlights für die Folienwelt (Bild: SKZ)

Nearly 200 participants are expected at the German Plastics Center (SKZ) symposium in Veitshöchheim

"With Sam Livingstone, we have been able to attract a passionate keynote speaker on the changing design in interior and exterior at this„Folien + Fahrzeug / Plastic Films in Mobility“ symposium," says a delighted Dirk W. Pophusen, Global Segment Manager, Specialty Films, Covestro Deutschland AG as chairman of the five-member advisory board, which also includes Norbert Bendicks, Head of Technology Development, KOSTAL Automobil Elektrik GmbH & Co. KG, Andreas Brüninghaus, Principal Expert Haptics & Appearance, Continental Automotive Technologies GmbH, Jens Jaworski, Design Feasibility Production, Volkswagen AG and Volker Schuster, Director NICE, Nissha Innovation Center Europe.
Livingstone, as Director of Car Design Research, has long interacted with renowned automotive OEMs as well as trend-setters from other industries and influencers to track the impact that so-called megatrends have on the designs and technologies of the automotive world. His core competency is understanding the nature of the automobile and mobility design from the perspective of the future end user in the context of rapidly evolving brands, socio-cultural and technological developments. He addresses how the world's most sophisticated and development-intensive product emotionally connects with the customer, how it is changing along with the broader mobility landscape and the sharing economy, and the leading ways that design adds commercial value to brands. 
"I am very much looking forward to the one-and-a-half-day event and the valuable exchange with the leading experts in this industry, for which the program leaves adequate space and time," Livingstone emphasizes with regard to the SKZ symposium in the Mainfrankensälen in Veitshöchheim.

Not only the top-class speakers from the Leonhard Kurz Foundation, KraussMaffei, Symate, Engel, New Albea, Schöfer, Canatu, Covestro, Flabeg, Polysecure, Carl Zeiss Jena, Walter Pack, Grupo Antolin, Zanini, Dr. Schneider, WIPAG, and others promise that this year's conference will again be highly exciting. The topics are also red-hot for the almost 200 participants expected, as last year.

"Of course, we also talk about the current technology trends set by, for example, the i Vision Dee, which was just presented by BMW at CES in Las Vegas," says Pophusen. "Because this visionary new development of course promises significant changes for the interior and also the possibilities of film technology within these future solutions for the automobile."

"Last but not least, we want to present the results and initial solution approaches of our initiative from the 2022 Films Conference in our sustainability theme and attract further comrades-in-arms," says Volker Schuster, NICE Nissha Innovation Center Europe, who led the workshops of the 2022 „Folien + Fahrzeug / Plastic Films in Mobility“ sustainability initiative last year. "Participation is worthwhile. After all, the accompanying trade exhibition with renowned industry representatives will once again present numerous innovations and offer opportunities for direct exchange and networking with relevant experts and industry representatives," says Bettina Dempewolf, Head of Network and Event at SKZ. "The event closes with an opportunity to visit the new SKZ Model Factory, where the industrial and digital worlds meet and specific Industry 4.0 tasks can be implemented."

Detailed information and registration: www.skz.de/148