NCCA Technical Director David Cocuzzi is scheduled to present a paper and conduct a 1.5-hour seminar on prepainted metal at the Galvanizing and Coil Coating Conference to be held September 12-13, 2017, in Abu Dhabi.

This area of the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, UAE, etc.) has experienced a surge in development over the last few decades. It’s easy to assume that oil revenue explains it all, and we know that a lot of money is being spent to build towers and islands, so why bother talking about coil coating? As these economies develop, each country has to grapple with their own unique set of conditions, not the least of which is that they cannot depend on an endless supply of oil. Each country must look to branch out into other areas of business that make the most sense for their economy while also studying what other global economies are doing.

Construction will always be a fundamental industry for developing countries, and not just putting up eye-popping skyscrapers. Offices, warehouses, and hospitals are also essential to growth. We in the coil coating industry know the benefits of our process: efficient, environmentally friendly, durable, tough. The list goes on. But those far less knowledgeable about our industry are much less likely to understand our capabilities. That’s why David is participating in the conference: to embed the idea that prepainted metal can satisfy any number of needs, especially those wherever construction demand is high. There is plenty of coil coating capacity to meet current demand, and the goal is to get people to think about using prepainted metal rather than other building materials.

During the 2016 Fall NCCA meeting, Rayed Alajaji and Gopala Bolisetty, both from Unicoil (Saudi Arabia) discussed the ways in which they compete with substandard imports in their region. This excellent presentation did a great job letting our U.S.-centric membership realize that we are not the only ones who have to deal with imports and substandard products. Unicoil has made a considerable effort to convince their market that 1) there are differences between prepainted metal products, and 2) that the buyer must truly beware. NCCA echoes their sentiments: look for quality products, don’t be influenced by low cost, and make sure that the product is lead-free.

Another NCCA goal is to do whatever we can to support the concepts of quality, integrity, and sustainability, and David is doing that with his presentation. Although some of the topics might seem rather basic to members of our industry, they will perhaps be revelatory to the audience in Abu Dhabi. Participating in this conference is a great opportunity for us to reach a broader audience and to help educate them on the many advantages of the coil coating process.

 

David Cocuzzi, Technical Director

August 2017