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NPCA and FSCT Decide to Fully Merge

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

The National Paint and Coatings Association (NPCA) and the Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology (FSCT) have announced plans to complete a full merger of the two organizations by March 31, 2009. Since June 2008, NPCA and FSCT have been operating as two separate organizations working in tandem. Due to current economic conditions and a decrease in short- and long-term FSCT revenues, the organizations have decided to pursue a full merger.

NPCA/FSCT will be governed by one executive committee and one board of directors. The companies announced that they intend to provide public policy programs that NPCA is traditionally known for, as well as enhancing the technically programs provided by FSCT.

Upon completion of the merger, all member services and programs will be provided by one organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Plymouth Meeting office location will be closed.

Programs and services that will continue under the new NPCA/FSCT include the following.

• Coatings Edge and eCoatings will be combined into a new e-newsletter called Coatings Today that will be distributed semi-monthly beginning in January.
• The NPCA newsletter will be discontinued, but its information will appear in Coatings Today and CoatingsTech through 2009. In 2010, a new publication will be created which will represent the voice of the combined NPCA/FSCT.
• The web sites will be merged into one sometime during 2009.
• During the years that NPCA/FSCT does not host the American Coatings Show and Conference, an industry-wide technical conference will be held in either with or following the NPCA/FSCT Executive Leadership Conference/Annual Meeting. This year’s NPCA/FSCT Annual Meeting and CoatingsTech Conference is scheduled for April 26-29 in Indianapolis, IN.
• FSCT’s Advancement in Coatings Series (ACSeries) and Virtual Learning Conferences (VLCs) will continue.
• Membership categories will continue at their current rates.

Beginning on January 27, 2009, NPCA/FSCT will distribute a survey to its entire membership in order to continue meeting member needs during and after the merger.

Visit www.paint.org for more information and updates as the merger develops.