Products Finishing magazine is the No. 1 industrial finishing publication in the world. We keep our readers informed about the latest news and trends in plating, painting, powder coating, anodizing, electrocoating, parts cleaning, and pretreatment.
Issue link: https://pf.epubxp.com/i/620919
PRODUCTS FINISHING — pfonline.com 13 Upcoming NASF Events Register at nasf.org. NASF/AESF Training: In-Person and Online Visit short.pfonline.com/nasfclass for the full 2016 NASF/ AESF course catalog. NASF Leadership Conference Feb. 28 – March 3, 2016 Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Beach Resort Rio Grande, Puerto Rico Washington Forum April 19 – 21, 2016 Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City Washington D.C. Sur/Fin Manufacturing & Technology Trade Show & Conference June 6–8, 2016 South Point Hotel and Convention Center Las Vegas It's Never Too Late to Begin a Home Study Course NASF, through its education and training arm, the AESF Foundation, brings distance learning courses that deliver the best education directly to your door. This program represents the same high stan- dards as classroom courses and can be taken anywhere in the world. The courses are written by leading experts in the industry, and are based on the course materials you receive when you sign up for any NASF programs. Automotive Industry Developing Global "Regulatory Radar" The automotive industry is working to develop a monitoring system that collects information on emerging global regulations. Its aim is to inform automotive companies about future chemi- cals requirements before regulations are fnalized. The new Global Regulatory Monitoring System of Substances (GRMS), or "regulatory radar," is aimed at evaluating upcoming decisions before they're taken in order to react before it's too late. Hyundai is currently leading the initiative. The project would keep a database of information and regulations, issue fndings and produce brief reports on specifc chemicals and the pending decisions covering them. Because more industries and countries are challenged by the complexities of regulations that impact global supply chains across so many jurisdictions, the new tracking system may in the future be transferred to a global inter- governmental body like the United Nations or the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Other industries have agreed they face similar challenges and NASF itself has launched the Global Surface Technology Roundtable to bring fnishing trade associations together to exchange information on regulatory trends and upcoming policy decisions that can afect fnishers across supply chains and national jurisdictions. In the meantime, NASF has developed its own "Regulatory Risk Tracker" with fact sheets on individual issues in order to assist its members in monitoring emerging policies and regulations likely to impact the surface treatment industry. For more information, contact Jef Hannapel at jhannapel@thepolicygroup.com . NASF Management Conference Moves to "Leadership Conference" in 2016 The annual NASF Management Conference has brought industry leaders together for years to share and learn from the experience, challenges and successes of others. Starting in 2016, the event will take on a new name: the "NASF Leadership Conference." "We've been pleased by the success of the event and want to ensure we look for ways to upgrade the quality and utility of our program—we also want to welcome an even broader audience of industry leaders in the future, says Erik Weyls, NASF president. The conference will be held Feb. 28 – March 3 at the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Keynote speakers include Volvo's Tim Woods, global tech- nology specialist for Group Purchasing, and Ben Porritt of Outside Eyes, a crisis management consulting frm. "It's truly a venue for those in the fnishing community who think about how the industry is likely to evolve, how their colleagues and competitors are solving problems, how they can innovate successfully and shape their businesses to excel in the future," says Tripp Walen, chair of the 2016 event. For more information, contact Cheryl Clark at cclark@nasf.org . NASF Launches Supplier Business Barometer The association thanks all the suppliers who took time from their busy schedules to respond to the NASF Business Barometer survey. Through the eforts of its Supplier Committee, NASF will be sending out the survey each quarter. The survey received responses from a range of suppliers in both product type and size. The majority of the respon- dents felt that business in North America is either satisfactory (42.3 percent) or good (38.4 percent). Respondents said that compared with six months ago, sales in their businesses were growing (46.1 percent) and no change (38.4 percent) while 15.3 percent said their sales were declining. 61.5 percent of respon- dents expect business conditions to be the same six months from now while 38.4 percent felt they will be better. Overall, most programs sponsored by NASF ranked well with respect to perceived value to supplier companies. The associa- tion has more plans ahead for 2016, including tailoring key programs to the supplier community needs. NASF appreciates its Supplier Committee's volunteer leadership: Mike Goralski, Molly Kellogg, Curtis Goad and Jody Richards. BECOME A MEMBER AT NASF.ORG