Лако-красочные материалы — производство

People form naturally groups of like interests. Sometimes these are social organizations, some are service organizations, some are religious in nature, some are special interest groups. Some groups are professional organizations formed around a particular occupa­tion, and some groups are formed to promote the benefits of a particular industry or trade. According to the Encyclopedia of Associations published by Gale Research (see Directories), there are over 22,000 associations of one sort or another in the United States. Be assured that no matter what industry segment a researcher’s company may be a part of, there is a trade association, and probably several, directly oriented to that particular industry segment. There are usually other associations oriented to the research­er’s particular occupation that work to improve the professionalism of that occupation.

There is usually some overlap between associations that serve the same industry, or segments of an industry, but often the focus and charter of each association is different enough to warrant the existence of each. For the most part, trade associations serve to promote the interests of companies participating in that industry segment. A variety of functions are performed by most associations, and these are listed below. Not every association performs every function, and some do a better job on certain functions than others. Some charge fees for many of these services, some provide certain portions of the elements listed for members only, and some even provide information for free. Each and every association reflects its charter and the desires of the participating, and dues-paying, membership.

Promoting professionalism Most industry oriented trade associations work to promote the image of products produced by members of the association, and/or the members themselves, to the rest of the world. A number of associations oriented to specific occupations promote advancement and continued learning by their members. Often, associations sponsor and conduct workshops and tutorials to aid that learning experience.

Symposia and conferences Symposia are typically oriented to technical topics and are often thematically linked to a central topic. Conferences held by associations often cover technical topics, but also will cover other topics, such as government affairs, or management and marketing issues of interest to members.

Trade shows Often held in conjunction with an association meeting, although some of the bigger trade shows attract associations to co-sponsor, or hold conferences or work­shops in conjunction with a show organized by others.

Publishing Associations publish a wide variety of materials, including: Conference pro­ceedings, workshop manuals, membership directories, buyer’s guides, journals, magazines, newsletters, books, and standards and specifications.

Research Some organizations sponsor research at academic institutions, a few even have their own facilities in which to conduct research.

Education Many associations have scholarship programs for high school and college age students. Some fund fellowships and grants at universities. Many have education foundations that serve as a collection point for member contributions. Some have even developed programs and products for educating students on topics important to the industry, others are funding degree programs.

Specifications and standards Each segment of industry has its own set of rules and regula­tions that guide and/or govern activities of companies in the field. Specifications are developed to elicit agreement among members of a segment on the most acceptable materials or processes. Standards represent an agreement among members of a segment as the most appropriate methods for testing and/or level of performance accepted. Some associations set their own rules, some work through encompassing associations such as ASTM International or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to accomplish specification and standards’ development. Compiling databases and libraries Some associations serve as a repository for any pertinent information associated with their industry or occupations, collecting books, pro­ceedings, magazines, and other published data of relevance.

Government liaison An important activity for many associations is to keep track of the rules and regulations being developed by and imposed by government agencies, and to report this information to members on a regular basis.

Market research A few associations sponsor market research to determine the parameters of the market(s) for their members’ products. The results of these studies, often conducted by independent companies, are usually disseminated on a low or no cost basis to members. Some charge for nonmembers to receive the reports, others do not disseminate the reports to nonmembers.

Appendix A lists a few of the numerous organizations that can provide information on adhesives and sealants, particularly of the type noted above. Only those that are more or less directly associated with these materials are listed, rather than any organization that has had reports or papers or books on the subject. The list runs several pages longer when user associations and organizations are added to it. Of necessity, the concentration of organizations listed is for the United States, although similar organizations will exist in Europe and Asia. There are, in fact, many national adhesive associations and similarly associated organizations around the world.