Hoofddorp -- DuPontSA, formerly a 50/50 Joint Venture Company of DuPont de Nemours and Sabanci Holding, now wholly owned by Sabanci Holding, has changed its name: today, ADVANSA is unveiling its new identity and is writing a new page in its history. As a symbol of an enterprise that is moving forward, the name ADVANSA stands for a genuine change catalyst, conveying the values of a reliable, responsive, attentive and multi-cultural enterprise. ADVANSA offers its clients not only flawless polyester quality but also a new approach to their challenges. As a major player in its sector, the company fully intends to strengthen its leadership position in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Thanks to the skills of its teams and its policy of investing in manufacturing and R&D, ADVANSA continues to pursue its growth strategy while maintaining its pioneering values and commitment to corporate responsibility. As a true partner of its customers, ADVANSA will continue to support them by supplying not only high-quality raw materials, resins, and specialty fibres that are at the cutting edge of innovation, but will develop customised solutions that are perfectly adapted to their needs. ADVANSA looks towards the future with total confidence based on the strength of the DuPont technology heritage and Sabanci's industrial might. The reputation it has built up through its know-how in the fibres, resins, and intermediate products it has been producing and marketing since its inception underlines this confidence in the future. As ADVANSA CEO Wahid Tawfik points out, "we will continue to provide our clients with innovative, high-quality and high value products. In a highly competitive and constantly changing market, our aim is to strengthen our position in Europe by investing in R&D and by continuously fine-tuning our manufacturing facilities. Our potential and our competencies are the bedrock of the future of our enterprise. We have every intention of leveraging the outstanding reputation of our key company assets – our products and our people". Source: DuPontSA

The two IFAI International Achievement Awards in Geosynthetics went to American Parking Solutions/TemPark (where gsa's Terrafix and I-CORP INTERNATIONAL were involved), and Jones Edmunds & Associates.

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics will present a workshop on the possibility of creating a Geogrid Aperture Stability standard during the June Committee Week in Reno, Nev. The workshop will take place June 15 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Steve Valero, Vice President - Technology, Tensar, will chair the workshop. Valero promises a productive and lively workshop that will be focused on educating all attendees on the process, purpose and application of an aperture stability test. Presenters will include academics/researchers, as well as representatives of testing labs and materials manufacturers. "The ultimate goal of this meeting is to begin to identify the consensus of the group as it relates to the development of a standard for this test method," says Valero. According to Valero, the proposed standard will be designed to measure geogrid aperture resistance to torsion force, similar to that induced on aggregate by rolling wheel loads. For further technical information, contact Steve Valero, Tensar Earth Technologies, Inc., Atlanta, Ga. (phone: 404/250-1290; mailto:svalero@tensarcorp.com). Committee D35 meets June 15-17, in Reno, Nev. For membership or meeting details, contact Christine Sierk, ASTM International (phone: 610/832-9728; csierk@astm.org/). Please go to the "continued" link for a full schedule of the D35 Meeting in Reno. Learn more here.;

Contech Construction Products has named John Gilbert to the position of vice president, sourcing & logistics. This new position was created to provide added focus and strategic direction to this critical component of the company's operation.

IECA is giving away this great 12" X 18" educational poster, "Top 10 ways to Avoid NPDES Phase II Fines!" (bilingual - English and Spanish). Learn more here.;

Rob Marshall of the U.K. Environment Agency (EA) announced at the April 2005 British Geomembrane Association Seminar that the EA has fully endorsed GSI's specifications for HDPE and LLDPE geomembranes and has included them in its technical guidance documents.

Congratulations to Tony Eith who, on May 6th, was named Philadelphia Engineer of the Year at the Philadelphia Section ASCE Social.

GFR magazine invites short project articles for bilingual publication. In its May issue, the magazine has published its first Spanish and English article (written by ML Ingeniería’s Marco Sánchez). More bilingual pieces are encouraged. Please submit materials in English and original language of authorship; or contact the editor, Christopher Kelsey, for more information: gfr@ifai.com.

Anchor Wall Systems today announced April 22, 2005, the hiring of Dean Sandri, P.E. as regional engineer for engineered wall products in the western region. Based in southern California, Sandri will lead Anchor Wall Systems licensed manufacturer and contractor efforts in the western region for Anchor Wall Systems engineered products, including Diamond Pro, Stone Cut Series Diamond Pro, Landmark, Vertica, and Vertica Pro. “With nearly 25 years of geotechnical experience, Sandri brings tremendous industry knowledge, technical expertise and great communication skills to Anchor Wall Systems,” said Brad Meyer, engineered wall products business director for Anchor Wall Systems. “We’re thrilled to have Dean on our team.” Sandri joins Anchor Wall Systems after previous engineering and sales positions at Soil Retention Systems, Inc. and Mirafi, Inc. An industry expert, Sandri has authored and been published in more than 20 geotechnical-related publications. Sandri received both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in civil engineering from Michigan Technological University.

Registration for the ASTM June Committee Week June 12-17, 2005 Reno Hilton Resort Reno, NV. Important notice: The Reno Hilton Resort has agreed to extend the Hotel Cut-Off Date to: May 21, 2005. ASTM Pre-registration Cut-Off Date is June 9, 2005. Learn more here.;