st36

Spray Dec 2014

SATA meets in Myrtle Beach The 34th annual Southern Aerosol 36 Spray December 2014 Technical Association (SATA) Fall Conference met in October in Myrtle Beach, SC. The meeting offered an array of networking opportunities, social activities and two days of educational sessions. SATA’s Aerosol 101 course will be held March 18 and its Spring Meeting will be held March 19 in Atlanta, GA. The keynote Speaker was Jim Scalfani, Senior Product Development Manager for Wal-Mart, who emphasized that aerosols should be marketed not as a product, but as a brand. He explained that the reason retailer K-Mart struggles against competition is that it never branded itself correctly. The positives of aerosols should be promoted, and the negatives not discussed. He gave examples of Tylenol pain reliever, Audi automobiles and Jalisco cheese. All three brands had consumers die as a result of using their products, but as they never mentioned these negative facts afterward, consumers forgot and learned to trust these brands again. Aerosol marketers, he emphasized, should promote the convenience, recyclability and easeof use of the products and not dwell on past CFC issues. Stuart Corr of Mexichem presented Recent Developments Impacting 134a: The LegalChallenge to Importers. Dumping refers to predatory pricing, especially in the context of international trade. It occurs when manufacturers export a product to another country at a price either below the price charged in its home market or below its cost of production. The International Trade Commission and the U.S. Dept. of Commerce (ITC/DOC) began investigating trade practices with respect to Chinese R-134a in late 2013, initiated by Mexichem Fluor. The ITC/DOC looked at two aspects of unfair trade practice relating to R-134a imported from China to the U.S. market: the sale of goods by a company at an unfair price and unfair subsidies to private enterprise by a government. Both ITC and DoC found basis for dumping and unfair subsidy in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Duties that are company-specific and calculated to restore to a fair market value were proposed, payable to the federal government; domestic chemical manufacturers do not receive any of the duties. If maintained, the measures will act to provide a level playing field in which domestic and imported products can compete fairly. Additionally, said Corr, there is increasing pressure in the U.S. to reduce climate impact, including the reduction of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The U.S. is using the existing Clean Air Act authority of the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program to approve climate-friendly chemicals and prohibit some uses of harmful chemical alternatives. The use of R-134a in aerosol propellants remains essential in a range of application sectors, such as medical aerosols and many industrial or technical aerosols, said Corr. However, industry needs to preserve flexibility and the market needs to decide on requirements of each application, such as using HFCs (including R-134a and hydrofluoroolefins HFOs) when required and using alternatives when suitable and available. This is essential in a complex technological market. Craig Bernard of Dorf Ketal Chemicals presented Challenges of Small Shipments to Europe/Global. Shipments must deal with customs clearance. The process, requirements and documentation can vary by country. What are a country’s duty rates and codes for chemicals? Does it vary by raw material vs. mixture blend vs. finished goods? What are the Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) numbers? Bernard also recommended shippers know their supply chain, always be in regulatory compliance with the country receiving goods and have a global inventory list that includes existing or new substances. Other challenges include Registration, Evaluation, Authorization & Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). REACH requires all companies manufacturing or placing a substance on the EU market in quantities greater than one ton per year to register that substance with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Additionally, REACH-like regulatory components are establishing a chemical safety shift from government to industry in regions such as North America and Asia-Pacific. Scalfani Corr Bernard


Spray Dec 2014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above