Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/665686
12 POWDER COATING, April 2016 The Powder Coating Institute, Taylor Mill, Ky., has named its 2016 Executive Officers: John Sudges, Midwest Fin- ishing Systems, president; Ron Cud- zilo, George Koch Sons, vice president; C h r i s M e r r i t t , G e m a U S A , secretary/treasurer; and John Cole, Parker Ionics, past president. In addition, serving on the Board of Di- rectors for 2016 are: Kevin Biller, The Powder Coating Research Group Inc.; Greg Dawson, Nordson Corp.; Shivie Dhillon, SunDial Powder Coatings; Craig Dietz, Axalta Coating Systems; Steve Kiefer, Akzo Nobel Coatings Inc.; Suresh Patel, Chemetall US Inc.; Paul West, Sun Polymers International Inc.; and David Goch, Webster, Chamber- lain & Bean. PCI is a nonprofit technical and professional association that pro- vides information and education on powder coating technologies worldwide. ASTM International, West Con- shohocken, Pa., has announced an offi- cer transition for ASTM D01 Commit- tee on Paint and Related Coatings Ma- terials and Applications. After three suc- cessive 2-year terms in office, John F. Fletcher, Elcometer Ltd., has stepped down as the chairman of the D01 Com- mittee. He will now serve as the first vice chairman in support of the new chair, Cynthia Gosselin. Fletcher will con- tinue in his role as chairman of D01 Subcommittee D01.23: Physical Prop- erties of Applied Paint Films. This event offers an excellent network- ing opportunity to help coaters gain new resources and tools to improve their business and to develop relationships with other powder coaters. Attendees benefit from immediate knowledge to enhance business practices. For more info, visit www.powdercoating.org. Dr. Mark Soucek, a professor at the University of Akron Department of P o l y m e r E n g i n e e r i n g , has been named the recipient of the esteemed 2016 Roy W. Tess Award in Coatings. The Officers and the Award Commit- tee of the Division of Polymeric Materi- als: Science and Engineering (PMSE) of the American Chemical Society an- nounced Soucek as this year's winner. The annual award recognizes outstand- ing individual achievements and note- worthy contributions to coatings sci- ence, technology, and engineering and reinforces PMSE's longstanding and continuing support and dedication to excellence in the coatings field. Soucek will receive the Tess Award in August during the 252nd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. Soucek serves as a member of Powder Coating's Editorial Advisory Board. He has published more than 150 peer-re- viewed pieces and has filed 15 US patents and pending patent applica- tions. Soucek's most significant contri- bution to coatings science and technol- ogy is his work on environmentally be- nign coatings based on nonpetroleum feedstocks. This contribution has in- volved extensive work with industry to develop green technologies. He is also recognized as a leading authority in re- active diluent technology, in which VOCs are replaced with biobased liq- uids that dissolve the polymeric binder and participate in film formation by re- active crosslinking reactions. Most re- cently, he has worked on isocyanate-free technology using cyclic carbonates and acrylic crosslinkable, cycloaliphatic epoxides as replacements for bisphenol A in food-contactable coatings. UPDATE:People association's Learning Academy, which offers online video training for the in- dustrial process heating industry. These free videos provide the training and education needed for those respon- sible for the operation, design, selection, and/or maintenance of fuel-fired indus- trial process furnaces and ovens. There are 13 presentations available; all topics are presented by IHEA member ex- perts. Nonmembers can rent the com- bustion training videos individually or as the complete video collection. For complete descriptions and more info, visit www.ihea.org. Axalta launches educational campus in Canada PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Axalta Coat- ing Systems LLC, a leading global sup- plier of powder and liquid coatings, has launched the Axalta Learning Campus in Canada, a web-based portal that serves as a gateway to Axalta's Learning and De- velopment programs. The campus al- lows customers to register online for in- person technical training or take courses online by accessing a comprehensive li- brary of training programs. Both class- room and online courses are available in English, French, and Spanish. Axalta Learning and Development pro- grams are designed to boost customer performance by developing skills and knowledge to help eliminate waste, re- duce costs, keep cycle time to a mini- mum, and increase retention by invest- ing in employees' careers. Instructor-led programs are offered at three centers in Canada, eight centers in the US, virtu- ally in your own shop, online, and through blended learning methods. Custom Coater Forum set for Las Vegas TAYLOR MILL, Ky.—The Powder Coating Institute (PCI) has announced that its Custom Coater Forum will be held May 2-3 at the Treasure Island Hotel in Las Vegas, Nev. This is the world's only educational and network- ing event designed by and for custom coaters. The forum provides presenta- tions and roundtable discussions on business solutions, new product tech- nologies, PCI programs, and more.