From market intelligence to technology choices to decision making via a hands-on case study – attendees will be exposed to the full lifecycle of nonwoven product development.

The Nonwoven Product Development and Innovation Short Course, presented in cooperation with INDA, the Association of the Nonwovens Industry, is a dynamic training, combining classroom activities with a hands-on exemplar. Attendees will have the opportunity to work through options for creating a new nonwoven product, examining tradeoffs from raw material selection to process settings to cost basis and end-product functionality. In doing so, emphasis will be placed on how to effectively utilize the stage-gate process to explore feasibility in terms of material availability, manufacturing readiness level and costs.

If you attend this course, you will:

• Understand relationships and team dependencies between product design, manufacturing, purchasing, marketing and business disciplines.
• Learn critical product development methodologies and tools to help ensure success (patent landscape, innovation culture, commercialization strategy, etc.)
• Get hands-on experience with a real-world product development exemplar in NWI’s state-of-the-art fabrication and testing labs, taking your product from lab to pilot scale and final testing.

Featured Topics Include:

• Product Development – Stage Gate
• Intellectual Property Considerations
• Market Research and Marketing Strategy
• Innovation Culture Practice
• Commercialization
• Sustainability and Circularity
• Design of Experiment
• Laboratory – Hands-on developing a specific product utilizing NWI’s world-class nonwoven production labs.
• Prototype Testing

Expert Instructors:

• Angelo Corino, Spunbond and Meltblown Lab Manager, NWI
• Tom Daugherty, Member Emeritus, NWI; former Procter & Gamble
• Raoul Farer, Ph.D., Executive Director, NWI; former Freudenberg Performance Materials
• Benoit Maze, Ph.D., Director of Education and Administration, NWI
• Amy Minton, Analytical and Filtration Testing Lab Manager, NWI
• Behnam Pourdeyhimi, Ph.D., William A. Klopman Distinguished Professor of Materials, Wilson College of Textiles, NC State University, and Executive Director Emeritus, NWI

Who Should Attend? 

• Business and Product Development
• Finance and Purchasing
• Manufacturing and Engineering
• Process and Plant Management
• Quality Control
• Research and Development
• Technical Sales and Marketing

Attendee Feedback:

• “This course was excellent, providing a balance of hands-on work, one-on-one detailed education, collaboration opportunities with a diverse group, and practical applications of the knowledge learned.” — Product Manager, Nonwoven End-Product Manufacturer
• “What I liked most about this course was the opportunity for collaboration and the great balance betweeen in-classroom and hands-on instruction” — Account Manager, Nonwoven Fabrics Manufacturer
• “Definitely the next step needed for my professional growth journey. I can’t wait to start implementing these learnings in my day to day adventures at work. We even got a chance to be hands on by processing our very own wipe prototypes!” — Chief Science Officer, Fiber Producer

Price: 

• Non-Members: $3,300
• NWI/INDA Members: $2,500 (NOTE: If you are an NWI Member, please e-mail registrar@inda.org with your Member Name and Short Course title to register at the NWI Member Rate.)
• Group Discounts: If you have a group of 5 or more from your organization, the INDA/NWI Short Course Value Pack program enables organizations to purchase a block of registrations, which can be used by any combination of employees to register for any combination of training courses, at progressively discounted rates. Learn more.

Learn more: https://www.inda.org/training/nonwoven-product-development-workshop.php