This week in Cali, the Colombian technical association ACOTEPAC is hosting its 32nd congress and exhibition at the Dann Carlton Hotel. The main themes of the conferences revolve around Sustainable Energy Transition, Bio-solutions, and Artificial Intelligence.
Hugo Castillo, the President of the association, officially inaugurated the event with an introductory speech and a lively tribute to Javier Mendez Kafury, a longstanding member and superintendent of various mills throughout his career, who passed away last week. The occasion also served to recognize the merits of two prominent figures in the industry. John Amaya, VP mills for Smurfit Kappa Americas, was honored as Papermaker of the Year, and César Trillos, plant manager at Corrugados de Risaralda, received an award for his lifelong dedication to the paper industry.
The conference program comprehensively covers all aspects of the papermaking process, with a focus on the latest sustainable solutions, and the sessions are well-attended.
The exhibition floor, larger than ever, welcomes a lengthy list of international suppliers who have invested significant efforts to make it appealing and welcoming for all participants. Attendees can enjoy quality social time with local drinks and live music. Among the exhibitors are all the companies in the portfolio of PrismaNova (Techpap, Ircon Solaronics, Kadant Lamort, ACelli, Bellmer, Erhardt+Leimer, etc.), the agency formerly known as PrismaQuimica, founded by Pablo Meneses.
In addition to major players like Voith, Valmet, Andritz, Cellwood, MAN Energy Solutions, or Hergen, Spanish industrial expertise is well-represented with companies such as IDM Test, Basalan, Safem, Lantier, Copasa, etc. Several active Italian machinery suppliers are also present, including ST Macchine, OMC Collareda, or Tecnofer.
On the last day, delegates will have the opportunity to visit the local mills of Smurfit Kappa and Sonoco.
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