PITTSBURGH, PA, October 9, 2002 - John Quarmley, Senior Partner of Principia Partners, spoke at the American Chemical Society's 162nd Fall Technical Symposium in Pittsburgh, PA, to share the Firm's experience in New Product Development (NPD) process improvement. TPE producers are increasingly recognizing the importance of new products to meet their sales and earnings objectives. However, custom tailoring TPE compounds to meet the wide variety of customer requirements results in a proliferation of new grades and must be managed carefully. While an efficient NPD process is the key to market expansion, revenue growth, and improved profitability, the desired results are only achieved when direct customer input on the market need is employed. Successful TPE suppliers drive NPD by integrating this process with the rest of the business organization. The attached presentation includes a review of key developments in TPEs, a highly innovative industry, and examines the importance of marrying product innovation with market need.