CARY, NC — January 17, 2005 — The vital role played by the filtration industry in personal and business safety and the environment was a recurring theme during the successful Filtration 2004 International Conference and Exposition last month in Philadelphia.

Living up to its pre-show billing as “the world’s largest gathering of the filtration industry” close to 2000 industry professionals from every corner of the globe attended the three-day event in the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Organized by INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, the Filtration 2004 International Conference and Exposition featured more than 100 exhibitors representing all segments of the business of filtration. Attendees came from 30 countries.

“Filtration 2004 brought together the entire supply chain of the filtration business, including raw material and equipment suppliers, converters and end product manufacturers,” points out Rory Holmes, president of INDA. “The three days of Filtration 2004 were all about introducing new products, educating the industry’s professionals and networking all along the value chain.”

Both attendees and exhibitors appreciated the business and networking opportunities that came with participation in the largest filtration gathering in the world.

“We are here because we can meet with both our suppliers and customers in one location at the lowest cost possible,” says Alisa Edmunds, of Filtrair. “This is the only show that is focused just on filtration. We bring in people from both engineering and sales because both sides can get a lot of work done here.”

“I came to this show to get a better feel as to what the vendors have to offer and to see what the upcoming trends are in filtration,” says Andy Fox, of 3M, “I am looking for an overall awareness of what is going on in the industry. I just want to take it all in.”

Among the highlights of Filtration 2004 was a keynote presentation by Ellen Kullman, group vice president for DuPont Safety & Protection, who urged the industry to make safety an integral part of any corporate culture. Kullman pointed out that as individuals feel less secure in an increasingly threatening world, safety is a more “marketable” sales tool.

“Safety can be a part of the value equation a company can bring to the marketplace,” Kullman said. “Our core desire as individuals is to live a safe life and to protect ourselves and our children. DuPont research has found that people will do business with companies that care about safety.” The filtration industry has long been an important player in this arena, and Kullman suggested that collaboration in technology and marketing can yield growth for all companies as well as provide safer lives for people.

Another highlight of Filtration 2004 was the recognition of the Best Booths among the hundreds of exhibitors. The recipients for Filtration 2004 were:

Large Booth (more than 200 square feet): First Place: DelStar; Second Place: American & Efird

Small Booth (less than 200 square feet): First Place: Porous Materials; Second Place: Liquid Control

Filtration 2004 has become the industry’s leading global gathering of professionals from all aspects of the business, serving as a marketplace and information resource that is unmatched by any other event in the world. Comments from exhibitors and attendees reinforce the event’s role in the business of filtration.

“Our customers and prospective customers – and their customers – are here and we talk to all of them,” says Louis Clark, of Sunoco Chemicals. “I come here to network with our customer base and to take a look at developing markets in filtration.”

“We are here mostly to find out the latest trends in filtration,” says Michael Haufe, of Columbus Industries. “There are a couple of tutorials that are going to look at test methods and compare U.S. and international methods and that interests us. The people from our company are here to meet with our vendors and our customers.”

“There is a very focused audience here that covers pretty much the entire value chain,” says Rich Chapas, of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. “Our customers are here and we are also looking to find some partnerships with companies that are a good fit with us. This is the place to do it.”

“Filtration is a new market for us so we are here to learn about all parts of it,” says Larry Hufford, of Atkins & Pearce. “We are doing a lot of market research as we look to introduce a new product and we have had a good show doing just that.”

“Since we are looking to expand our filtration line this is a natural place to spread the word about it,” says Mark Fries, Freudenberg Nonwovens. “We are niche player in the filtration market and this is a good show for us.”

Filtration 2005 is scheduled for November 15-17, 2005 at Navy Pier in Chicago, Ill. For information: www.inda.org