I’ve really enjoyed reading the various posts on this site, and getting a sense of how my colleagues are approaching some tough challenges in the industries and professions they represent. This seems like a good forum for sharing some ideas that might be adaptable by other groups. In that vein, I’d like to share a few of the ways my organization, The Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC), is providing support to its members in this economic environment:
Educating our Industry’s Customer Base
o Developing a new educational web portal (www.adhesives.org) designed to educate engineers/designers/architects about adhesives and sealants to assist them in developing next generation products that offer superior design and functionality and will be competitive worldwide. In conjunction with the website, providing a new Adhesive CAD Symbol that designers can incorporate in AutoCAD drawings to enable them to easily represent an adhesive, thus streamlining their future CAD efforts;
o Providing an analysis of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment (Stimulus) Act that may positively impact our members;
o Creating new forums for our members to receive business leads from our industry’s customers; and
o Developing partnerships with engineering and designer professional societies that represent the broader manufacturing sector and need to know about adhesives and sealants – co-sponsoring web-based seminars and providing educational information to enrich their memberships
Education for the Adhesive & Sealant Supply Chain
o Lowering web-based seminar registration fees to make them more affordable;
o Offering a broader array of programming to appeal those on travel restrictions; and
o Providing timely speakers on the economy and ways to deal with the Great Recession at our conventions
Industry Information
o Creating a new weekly Economic Report webpage on the ascouncil.org to provide timely information for members; and
o Forging new relationships with third party providers of technical books (Smithers Rapra and Knovel) at discounted prices or complimentary access available to members only
Building Community
o Leveraging social media to help generate online dialogue about solving design problems using adhesives and sealants;
o Hosting roundtable peer group discussions at ASC Conventions to discuss such issues as managing tight credit, optimizing inventory control to help free up cash; and
o Hosting various member peer groups to address the recession (e.g. HR – managing labor force in these challenging times; compensation/benefit issues)
Government Advocacy
o Participating in a Manufacturing Sector coalition (with other associations) to help influence future tax code with sound policies designed to spur on demand for building products via tax credits and deduction incentives.
Thanks for the opportunity to post, and I look forward to the continuing dialogue on the Power of A site.
Larry Sloan, CAE
President
The Adhesive and Sealant Council
