Member leaders of SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings and NACE International, The Worldwide Corrosion Authority, leading associations in the field of corrosion and coatings, met in March at NACE's CORROSION 2019 Conference & Expo in Nashville to advance discussions about the pursuit of synergistic opportunities between the two organizations.
The meeting included designated board members and executive officers of both SSPC and NACE, and built on initial discussions that originated in 2018. The Nashville meeting focused on identifying information that is required to move any initiatives forward, and resulted in the formation of board task groups who will explore potential synergies up to, and including, a full merge of the organizations. The task groups will negotiate on behalf of both boards.
The group also identified potential obstacles and agreed to embrace the following core tenets throughout the process:
- A mission-driven combination of two thriving organizations resulting in stronger service to industry, this is not a cost cutting initiative
- Protecting both SSPC and NACE brands in the marketplace
- Service to the many industry segments currently covered by each, or both, organizations
- Developing plans to address overlapping programs
- Maintaining or expanding the global geographic footprint of both organizations, with a continued strong presence in both Pittsburgh and Houston
In Nashville, neither group envisioned roadblocks that would prevent talks from progressing, and in the next step the board task groups will create hypothetical models for a possible combined board structure.
NACE and SSPC member leaders and staff will continue to deliberate the potential synergies, other benefits and challenges and will continue to communicate regularly about progress. To provide input or to receive regular updates from the associations please email cooperation@nace.org or news@sspc.org.
About NACE International
Founded in 1943, NACE International, The Worldwide Corrosion Authority, is the world’s largest nonprofit of its kind with more than 38,000 members in 130 countries. Based in Houston, Texas, with offices in the U.S., the U.K., China, Malaysia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and a training center in Dubai, the organization serves all industries impacted by corrosion. NACE International provides its membership with numerous benefits and offers the world’s most specified technical training and certification programs, industry standards, reports, conferences, and publications focused on corrosion prevention and mitigation. www.nace.org
ABOUT SSPC
SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings was founded in 1950 as the Steel Structures Painting Council, a non-profit professional society focused on the use of protective coatings to protect industrial steel structures. In 1997, the name of the association was changed to SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings to reflect the evolution of coatings technology and the expanding types of construction materials. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with offices in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and China, more than 16,000 professionals and 420 companies worldwide carry active SSPC certifications.
Today, SSPC promotes the protection and preservation of concrete, steel and other industrial and marine structures and surfaces through the use of high-performance protective, marine and industrial coatings. SSPC is the leading source of training and information on surface preparation, coating selection, coating application, environmental regulations, and health and safety issues that affect the protective coatings industry.
www.sspc.org
SSPC NACE Board Meeting Highlights