FSCT and OCCA Form Strategic Alliance

By Kerry Pianoforte • Associate Editor

In a press conference held yesterday afternoon, Dr. Rose Ryntz, past-president of the Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology (FSCT), and Len Jennings, president of the Oil and Colour Chemists’ Association (OCCA), announced the formation of a strategic alliance to expand both organizations.

“The coatings industry is global,” said Mr. Jennings. “If we want to improve the offerings we can make to the industry we need to start operating on a more global basis as well.”

While FSCT and OCCA will still retain their own names and meet the needs of its members by operating on a local level, the organizations will now be able to harness their sizable resources on a global scale. “We will work on a cooperative basis by providing local benefits to our members, but also on a global level,” said Mr. Jennings.

The first completed project of the strategic alliance was the Journal of Coatings Technology and Research (JCTR), which has been pronounced a success by both organizations. The JCTR, which is now published in cooperation with FSCT and OCCA, is a forum for the exchange of original research, experience, knowledge and ideas among those with a professional interest in the science, technology and manufacture of functional, protective and decorative coatings including, but not limited to, paint, inks and related coatings and their raw materials.