NASF Bulletin
March 2013

Economic Update
March 2013

Washington Report
November 2012

Technology Report
January 2012

NASF has partnered with Products Finishing to present "The NASF Report" a periodical resource for information about NASF and the surface finishing industry.

December 2012

Contact Phil Assante:
passante@nasf.org
703-887-7235

News Updates

Senate Bills Would Require High-Risk Facilities to Implement "Inherently Safer Technologies"

Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced two bills seeking to require certain high-risk facilities to implement measures — including so-called inherently safer technologies (IST) — to protect them from terrorist attacks. The Secure Water Facilities Act (S. 67) and the Secure Chemical Facilities Act (S. 68) would require high-risk drinking water and wastewater treatment plants and chemical facilities to assess their vulnerability to attack, develop a plan to address those vulnerabilities and respond to an emergency, and provide worker training to carry out the plan.

The bills also would require facilities using certain chemicals to evaluate whether they could reduce the consequences of an attack by, for example, using ISTs. A facility would be required to implement ISTs if it has been classified as one of the highest-risk facilities, implementation of safer measures is feasible, and implementation would not increase risk overall by shifting risk to another location.

The bills would also require the protection of sensitive security information from disclosure, allow communities to have a role in ensuring local facilities comply with these regulations, and authorize grants to help defray the cost of implementing the legislation. The bills are similar to legislation Senator Lautenberg introduced in the last Congress.

2013 NASF Management Conference Gets High Marks

The NASF just completed its 2013 Management Conference, and we are pleased to report that this year’s event was an exceptional success. Throughout the years, many have used the NASF Management Conference as a strategic tool for positioning their company for future success, and the quality of this year’s meeting reached a new level. Industry executives, managers and business owners attending have given extremely positive feedback.

Highlights of the Meeting Included:

Economic & Business Update – Dr. Ken Mayland, author of the NASF Economic Report and President of ClearView Economics, presented the latest data on business trends and his prognosis for the global economy and the state of manufacturing in North America.
Public Policy & Advocacy – Christian Richter and Jeff Hannapel gave an overview of NASF’s policy agenda for 2013, focusing on pending U.S. and global regulatory decisions on nickel and chromium uses and industry litigation in federal appeals court in response to the U.S. EPA’s latest air emission standards for chromium finishing.
NASF 1000 Initiative – Attendees made significant financial commitments to the NASF 1000 initiative. The goal of the NASF 1000 program is to have over 100 leaders in the industry contribute $1,000 per year for five years and raise $500,000 to rebuild the industry’s Government Affairs fund and sustain the NASF’s advocacy and government relations efforts for the next decade. Joelie Zak of Scientific Control Laboratories and chairman of the NASF Government Advisory Committee was joined by Ray Lucas of Valley Chrome to discuss the effort and its role in promoting the industry’s agenda.
Association Update – NASF President, Rick Delawder of SWD gave a “State of the Association” update, which focused on an uplifting overview of the NASF’s turnaround and now its resurgent membership growth and plans for the future.
Business Strategy – Author, Fast Company blogger and former McKinsey consultant Kaihan Krippendorff keynoted the conference with an informative session discussing his new book, Outthink the Competition. He focused on utilizing a range of strategies and seeing opportunities that many businesses ignore.
NASF Bright Design – Tony Revier of Uyemura and NASF Immediate Past President, announced the successful launch of the fourteenth annual Bright Design Challenge with the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. This annual competitive program, along with the association’s partnership with the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, invites students from around the country to think beyond traditional design and apply their very best creative spirit in developing “next generation” applications for surface finishing.

Attendees left the event motivated and energized by the association’s strong commitment to fulfilling its mission of advancing a sustainable future for surface finishing. Congratulations goes to Blair Vandivier of Asterion, chairman of this year’s management conference.

Plans for the 2014 Management Conference are already underway, which will be chaired by Mike Kelly, ASKO Processing, Inc. We encourage you to visit the NASFmanagementconference.com for up-to-date announcements on the conference.

New Report Offers State-by-State Analysis
of America’s Small Businesses

From: Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy

For Release: February 14, 2013

SBA Number: 13-03 ADV

Contact: Brad Howard (202) 205-6941

Small Businesses Employ 55 Million Workers, Key to States’ Economic Recovery

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Small businesses are leading most states’ economic recovery, according to a new state-by-state report released today by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy, an independent office that serves as the voice for small business within the federal government.

The Small Business Profile for the States and Territories, an annual analysis of each state’s small businesses, finds that small businesses employ 55 million workers nationwide, nearly half – 49.1 percent – of the private-sector labor force. All in all, the country’s 27.8 million small businesses now represent 99.7 percent of all employers in the United States. The report also states that self-employment improved over the last decade nationwide, while minority self-employment saw the largest growth.

“From coast to coast, states all across the nation are depending on small businesses to lead them out of this economic downturn,” said Dr. Winslow Sargeant, Chief Counsel for Advocacy. “Most of the country’s small businesses continue to be very small, having fewer than 20 employees, but they paint a big picture of a recovering America. Advocacy’s state-by-state analyses give us a clear understanding of just how important small businesses are to each state’s economy – and to the nation.”

Each state’s small business profile contains detailed information about the number and type of businesses in each state, business owner demographics, industrial makeup, business turnover and income and finance. Most data are also presented in comparison with similar data over time. Each state’s small business profile can be read or downloaded by visiting the Office of Advocacy’s website at www.sba.gov/advocacy/848.

Highlights of the national small business profile include:

Overall Economy

The U.S. economy was strong in 2011, with real gross domestic product increasing 3.9 percent and private-sector employment increasing 1.6 percent.
The national unemployment rate decreased by 0.7 percent in 2011.
During the midst of the economic recession, the employment situation from 2007-2010 was weak, and small businesses had a net job loss.

Small Businesses

The nation’s small businesses employed 55 million workers in 2010, with most of the employment coming from firms with 20 – 499 employees.
Most of the country’s small businesses are very small as 79.4 percent of all businesses have no employees, and most have fewer than 20 employees.
In 2011, the number of opening establishments was higher than closing establishments, ending the year with a gain in net employment.

Self-Employment

Self-employment improved over the last decade by 5.8 percent.
Minority self-employment saw the largest growth overall in the last decade.

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The Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent voice for small business within the federal government. The presidentially appointed and Senate confirmed Chief Counsel for Advocacy advances the views, concerns and interests of small business before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, federal courts and state policymakers. Regional advocates and an office in Washington, D.C., support the Chief Counsel’s efforts. For more information, visit www.sba.gov/advocacy, or call (202) 205-6533.

Auto Show Interview with Mark West of College for Creative Studies

Mark West, Professor and Chair, Transportation Design/ MFA Transportation Design at College for Creative Studies took a few moments to speak about the program at the Detroit Auto Show. NASF pairs with the school to present the Bright Design Challenge, which gives students real world challenges and invites them to incorporate surface finishing in their designs. The 2013 Bright Design Challenge will be kicking off in Detroit on January 15. Visit NASFbrightdesign.com for more details.

NASF Files Legal Challenges to EPA’s Final Chromium Electroplating NESHAP

On November 19, 2012 the National Association for Surface Finishing (NASF) filed a legal challenge of EPA’s final chromium electroplating NESHAP with petition for judicial review in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and a petition for reconsideration with EPA. In its petition for reconsideration, NASF argued that EPA should reconsider the final NESHAP for chromium electroplating and anodizing facilities because the Agency’s final decision is not supported by sound science, does not have a rational basis in the record, relies on data and methodologies that are a departure from and not a logical outgrowth of the proposal, and is otherwise arbitrary.

In addition to NASF, Earthjustice also filed a legal challenge on behalf of Sierra Club claiming that the final rule was not stringent enough. These actions put NASF in the position of trying to persuade EPA to revise the final rule to more reasonable levels based on scientific data, while at the same time trying to prevent EPA from making the rule even more stringent pursuant to the claims of the Sierra Club.

NASF will continue to pursue this issue aggressively and will be seeking the full support of the surface finishing industry. If you have any questions or would like additional information on the legal challenge and NASF’s actions, please contact Jeff Hannapel at jhannapel@thepolicygroup.com.

Download the Petition for Judicial Review

Download the Petition for Reconsideration

Sales and Marketing VP Promotes NASF - SUR/FIN

In a recent article published by Products Finishing Magazine, former SUR/FIN Chairman and industry sales- marketing executive, Steve Smith applauded the NASF Technical Advisory Committee and NASF leadership for its steadfast commitment to attract high quality attendees to SUR/FIN, the Association’s annual Manufacturing/Technology Tradeshow & Conference. The conference, held annually in June, is widely touted as an exceptionally focused event for the surface finishing industry. “Of particular note was the high quality of attendees. The show drew key decision makers and people with active projects.”, stated Smith. This is high praise coming from Smith, who was not only SUR/FIN 2012 Chair, but an exhibitor as well. “The time and expense invested comes back several-fold. I would encourage other companies in the industry that might be sitting on the side lines to become more involved with NASF on the local or national level. The exposure you will receive is well worth it."

By the Numbers

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) reported that its summary Purchasing Manages' Index (PMI) edged 0.2 points higher, to 51.7. According to the ISM, a reading above 50 would typically be associated with an expansion of the manufacturing sector. Furthermore, based on the ISM's estimates, if the current reading of 51.7 were sustained, it would tend to be consistent with 3.1% real GDP growth (annualized).

Read more in the November NASF Economic Report