TRFA hosts annual meeting.
Press Release Summary:
During TRFA's 2009 Annual Meeting, John R. Dunlop, Senior Technical Outreach Engineer for American Wind Energy Association gave keynote presentation. Meeting also featured 16 Technical Paper Presentations, including 2 that focused on relationship between thermoset resins and wind energy. Regulatory Affairs Update included TRFA's Fact Sheets, covering regulations that have been passed by governments and Issue Alerts, covering new issues and trends that are not yet regulations.
Original Press Release:
TRFA Hosts Annual Meeting
Glen Ellyn, IL-Attendees at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Thermoset Resin Formulators Association (TRFA) held September 13 - 15 at the Sheraton Station Square in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, gave the event an enthusiastic thumbs-up. All respondents to a post-meeting survey indicated the 2009 Annual Meeting met or exceeded their expectations, including the time and financial investment in attending!
The keynote presentation by John R. Dunlop, Senior Technical Outreach Engineer for the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) was among the meeting highlights.
Dunlop's presentation focused on opportunities in the wind energy marketplace. Wind energy installations have continued to grow even in these tight economic times, and total generating capacity from wind power in the U.S. is projected to grow over ten-fold in the next score of years. The industry installed $17 billion worth of new turbines in the 2008 record-breaking year, which is expected to double within the next decade to more than a $30 billion industry annually. With long term national policies on energy and a new transmission network, opportunities to supply materials into the wind industry are destined to grow.
The meeting schedule featured an impressive list of 16 Technical Paper Presentations, including two presentations that also focused on the relationship between thermoset resins and wind energy. As is the case with every TRFA Annual Meeting, the Technical Papers targeted topics represented by the association's market-focused committees: Adhesives & Sealants; Coatings, Civil Engineering and Floorings; Composites and Tooling; and Potting, Encapsulation and Electrical. All sixteen of the 2009 Annual Meeting Technical Presentations are now online at the TRFA's Members-Only website. They were also distributed to all attendees on a flash drive. Industry representatives who are not members of TRFA or meeting attendees may purchase the papers by contacting the TRFA office at info@trfa.org or 630-942-6596.
In other TRFA Annual Meeting news, the schedule also featured an important Regulatory Affairs Update that included the introduction of TRFA's new Fact Sheets covering regulations that have been passed by governments and Issue Alerts, covering new issues, trends, etc., that are not yet regulations. Both Fact Sheets and Issue Alerts are published via the association website to communicate information to TRFA members. Currently, Issue Alerts are available on : Bisphenol A (BPA), Greenhouse Gas Reporting, Globally Harmonized System (GHS), and TSCA Reform. Fact sheets are available on Canadian Chemicals Management Plan (CMP) and Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH). GHS is a regulation only in three countries so far, and TSCA is a regulation but the changes would have to go through a formal regulatory process, so these topics are covered as issue alerts as is BPA. The TRFA Regulatory Affairs Committee has also published an important list of more than 160 regulatory acronyms, also available on the association website, www.trfa.org.
As always the Annual Meeting included a Table Top Showcase, meetings of TRFA's Market Focused Committees, and the association's Annual Business Meeting. Since the association was founded in 2003, TRFA has filled an important industry and marketplace niche bringing together thermoset resin processors, suppliers and other industry professionals. The bottom line for meeting attendees was a wealth of industry information, unparalleled networking opportunities, and a minimal investment of time away from their businesses.
TRFA is comprised of thermoset formulators and fabricators, raw material suppliers, distributors, equipment manufacturers, manufacturer sales representatives of materials or equipment, importers of raw materials or processing or other equipment, consulting firms and academic institutions serving industries which include adhesives, coatings, civil engineering applications, electrical laminates, composites, tooling, castings and moldings. To learn more about TRFA, please visit the website at www.trfa.org or contact the association at (630) 942-6596.
