The Color Pigments Manufacturers Association (CPMA) celebrated key accomplishments from the year, honored its outgoing President and elected new officers at the 88^th CPMA Annual Meeting on Dec. 5, 2017, at the Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan in New York.

The CPMA Board of Governors met in the morning and heard from CPMA Committee leadership and industry experts about industry achievements and anticipated challenges in 2018. George Fuchs, director of Regulatory Affairs at the National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers (NAPIM), shared insight on issues of common interest and opportunities for collaboration. Robert Helminiak, vice president of Legal & Government Relations at the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA) discussed the current political climate and regulatory trends for the chemical sector.

In the afternoon session, Dale Pritchett, group publisher of Rodman Media, shared top stories from the coatings and inks markets in 2017, and Jennifer Abril, President and CEO of SOCMA, discussed SOCMA’s new direction and enhanced partnership with CPMA.  

“The Board has worked to establish a long-range strategic focus and expand CPMA’s proactive philosophy as an industry leader,” said CPMA President John Marten. “The association is proactively engaged with stakeholders to provide solutions and address public policy challenges as we move forward into 2018.”

Highlighting the Annual Meeting, CPMA recognized outgoing President and Chairman John Marten, Shepherd Color, for his dedicated leadership and service over the last two years. Eric Christman, BASF Colors and Effects, was elected as CPMA President to succeed Marten and Mark Vincent, Dominion Colour, was elected as CPMA Vice President.

Additionally, CPMA celebrated 2017 accomplishments and recognized the leadership of General Issues Committee Chair Steve Camenisch of BASF Colors & Effects, Organic Pigments Committee Chair Dr. Robert Mott of Sun Chemical, and Inorganic Pigments Committee Chair Aram Terzian of EMD Performance Materials.

In 2017, the association:

• Successfully advocated for a common-sense nanomaterials definition in the United States, which was reflected in the final EPA Nano Reporting Rule;
• Collaborated with industry stakeholders and EPA on implementation of the Lautenberg Act and evaluation of Pigment Violet 29;
• Provided technical industry expertise to assist Canadian Ministries with the screening and evaluation of color pigments under the Canada Chemicals Management Plan;
• Represented industry at partner association events, including the National Association for Printing Ink Manufacturers annual conference, the EUROCOLOUR International Technical Meeting and ETAD’s General Assembly;
• Grew by two new members: Tomatec America Inc. and Nutec Bickley.