By Ben DuBose
Online Editor

NEW YORK -- Chemical processing executives descended upon New York City this week for the 2011 ChemShow, taking place from Nov. 1-3 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

The early November activities comprise the 54th edition of the exposition, which began in 1915 as a central place for American manufacturers to show off the capabilities of the chemical process industry.

This year, more than 300 companies lined the aisles of the convention center, with most showcasing their latest technologies.

In addition, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) held its Northeastern Regional Conference at the ChemShow, offering workshops and lectures to conference attendees.

Showgoers described business at brisk, with most attendees having very specific ideas as to what they’re looking for.

“The majority of people we’ve talked to have been decision makers or in the decision making process – definitely the people we want to target,” said Mike Curnutte, regional sales manager with Ohio-based process observation equipment firm L.J. Star.

Similar thoughts were echoed on Thursday, as the event drew to a close.

"We're seeing people looking to buy specific products, not the tire-kickers," said Jason Bauman, distributor with A-T Controls. "We've been coming for five years and this is the most quality we've seen."

Several members of the Hydrocarbon Processing editorial team also attended the event, bringing back a look at some of the more memorable industry booths.




Dr. Don Collins of Edwards was eager to discuss his company’s latest in vacuum pump developments.




Honeywell’s Frank Offenbacher, marketing manager for global life sciences, tells one professional about his company’s process solutions.




Spraying Systems offered a variety of spray technology, including nozzles.




GEA told attendees about several process engineering and filtration programs.




Josh Mayer and Laura Kane attended on behalf of Hydrocarbon Processing.




In addition to process tools, the Air Products team put forth several presentations at the show.




A number of automation solutions could be found at the A-T Controls booth.




NIBCO gave onlookers a view of their latest butterfly valves.




The flame (of sorts) was bright for Process Combustion Corp.




Fike offered a look at the latest in rupture disc technology.




The Swagelok team was ready to greet potential customers upon the show’s Wednesday morning opening.


The 2011 ChemShow conference ends on Thursday, Nov. 3. For more details on the conference, visit the official website by clicking here.