May 01 2025
Miami
Beach
The intersection of nonwoven materials & sustainability.
Contact:
Matt O'Sickey, Ph.D.
Dir. of Education
& Technical Affairs
T: +1 919 459 3748
[email protected]
Training Courses
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IDEA®25 provides a learning opportunity on Monday, April 28th covering the essentials of nonwovens and market-focused areas.
Newcomers seeking to learn the key elements of manufacturing nonwovens will benefit from the Nonwovens 101 short course. Seasoned professionals will get the knowledge they need in technical design and performance, within baby and adult care absorbent systems, wet wipes, and period products, by taking one or more of these short courses.
Get up to speed quickly and efficiently before heading off to the Exhibit Hall, Sustainability in Nonwovens Conference, and the Advances in Filtration Conference. Sign up today!
NONWOVENS 101
Instructor: Matt O'Sickey, Ph.D., Director of Education & Technical Affairs, INDA
This course is a bootcamp for those relatively new to the industry and those attending IDEA®25 and FiltXPO™ for the first time. Attendees will leave with an understanding of the many different types of nonwovens including the raw materials used to make the nonwovens, how the nonwovens are manufactured, key characteristics and properties of nonwovens, and new options to make these nonwovens more sustainable.
BABY & ADULT CARE ABSORBENT HYGIENE SYSTEMS
Instructor: James Robinson, Principal, Absorbent Hygiene Insights, LLC
This course reviews the various absorbent system technologies used in disposable hygiene products. Attendees will learn about the pros and cons of different superabsorbents (SAPs) and absorbent systems and why they are used, including representative example products in which the systems are used. The workshop includes a review of the state-of-the-art sustainable absorbent systems – often viewed as the final piece of making entirely sustainable absorbent hygiene products.
PERIOD PRODUCTS INNOVATION WORKSHOP
Instructor: Heidi Beatty, Chief Executive Officer, Crown Abbey, LLC
This course reviews the diverse approaches to period care, the materials and systems used, product innovation directions, and options for producing sustainable products. Attendees will gain an understanding of the whys and why nots of different approaches, changes in the market, and what’s happening in different regions of the world.
WET WIPES 101
Instructor: Heidi Beatty, Chief Executive Officer, Crown Abbey, LLC
This course is a condensed version of INDA’s highly-rated Wipes Academy, focusing solely on wet wipes in the post-pandemic world. State-of-the-art materials, lotion formulations, and manufacturing processes will be reviewed, including a focus on the challenges and opportunities of producing plastic-free wet wipes for diverse applications.
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS
Matt O'Sickey, Ph.D., Director of Education & Technical Affairs, INDA
Matt O'Sickey has prior experience as the Director of Application Engineering and Research & Development for the Americas at RKW North America and as Director of Global Market Development with Tredegar Corporation. He holds a deeply rooted belief that innovation is the result of the intersection of marketing and technology, and this is reflected in his career path, which encompasses both disciplines.
His career has entailed developing and bringing to market a range of hygiene and packaging films and nonwoven laminates. Within the hygiene area, he has worked on the development and commercialization of topsheets, surge layers, waistbands, fit and closure elements, breathable films and laminates, backsheets, pouch films, and bags with more recent focus on sustainable solutions.
Matt has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and a Masters of Engineering Administration from Virginia Tech, and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University with a heavy emphasis on the processing-structure-property relationships of polymeric materials.
James Robinson, Principal, Absorbent Hygiene Insights, LLC
With a wealth of expertise in absorbent hygiene, Jim Robinson has more than 40 years’ experience in the chemical industry. For the first 10 years of his career, Jim focused on pulp and paper chemistry, while the subsequent 30+ years were dedicated to working with BASF superabsorbent polymers (SAP) and evaluating and understanding absorbent hygiene products.”
In recognition of Jim’s tireless advocacy for the holistic system approach of leveraging nonwovens, fluff pulp, and super absorbents to provide superior absorbent hygiene product performance and his long contribution to industry education in this area, in 2023 Jim was presented with the INDA Lifetime Technical Achievement award.
Mr. Robinson has been a contributor on several patents on superabsorbent polymers with hygiene and industrial applications. Currently, he consults in the absorbent hygiene market and is a key presenter in several training courses and conferences.
Jim earned a BS in Chemistry (ACS) from Hampden-Sydney College, and an MS in Inorganic Chemistry and Spectroscopy from Duke University.
Heidi Beatty, Chief Executive Officer, Crown Abbey, LLC
Heidi Beatty has a successful track record as an innovator and project manager. Over her 20+ year career, she has launched products for some of the world’s leading brands as well as entrepreneurial start-ups. As CEO of Crown Abbey, Ms. Beatty and her team help a global client base across consumer, health care and nutritional categories to identify and commercialize new technologies.
After gaining a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of York, UK, she worked for Johnson & Johnson for over 10 years. From there, she worked at NicePak-PDI, launching many different wet wipes into the U.S. market.
Ms. Beatty has worked in the U.S., Germany and currently lives in the UK. She has a deep commitment to the environment and to supporting the voice of women, both in the work place, as well as well the products she helps develop for them.
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