Document K6KyRzqbDGwqB65D6G2kb6mB0

TELEPHONE HUDSON 3-6126 Manufacturing Chemists' Association, Inc. (FOUNDED 18721 1825 Connecticut Avenue, N. W. " Washington, D. C. 20009 MINUTES OP MEETING PLASTICS COMMITTEE Oyster Harbors Club Osterville, Massa.chusetts September 9, 1965 Messrs. Werner C. Brown (Chairman);, 'Hercules Powder Company Richard G. Askew, Phillips Petroleum Company H. Harold Bible, Monsanto Company Earle S. Ebers, U. S. Rubber Company James W. Ferguson, Hooker Chemical Corporation William C. Goggin, The Dow Chemical Company George M. Hale, Shawlnigan Chemicals Limited Carl A. Setterstrom (for R. M. Knight) Rexall Chemical Co. L. B. Kuhn, Firestone Plastics Company Thomas B, Nantz, B. F. Goodrich Chemical Company Frank M. Norton, Allied Chemical Corporation Glenn L. Pltzer, Union Carbide Corporation Frank Cameron (for R. G. Richards), Celanese Plastics Co. Harry B. Warner (Board Liaison), 3. F. Goodrich Company F. H. Carman, MCA The Chairman, on his own behalf and for the Committee, expressed appreciation to Mr. Glenn L. Pitzer for the fine arrange ments set up for this conference, particularly the excellent speak ers obtained. On question as to the availability of the Club in :ne future, MCA has been assured the Clubhouse would be available in 1966 and 1967. Consideration is now being given to reburblshing the Clubhouse rather than tearing down this facility. 5PI Construction Council The Chairman advised that he thought it appropriate to give a capsule report to the full membership on the status of the SPI Construction Council and future plans of that group. Through last minute changes, T. T. Miller, Chairman of the Board of the SPI, had arranged to attend and had been invited to make this presentation in the general business meeting. A copy of his remarks with the accompanying charts Is included as Appendix A. .SOCMA Task Force for GATT Information The Chairman had been contacted by William F. Christopher of Hooker, Chairman of the SOCMA Plastics and Resins Task Force, CMA 078691 2 was supplied general details of the activities of that group obtaining foreign and domestic information on the industry to id the technical advisors to the Office of the Chief Trade Nego tiator, Mr. Herter. Since the general meeting agenda would not llow time for a report of this nature to the entire group, the of the Task Force was well under way, and it was not a Committee of the MCA, Chairman Brown commented at length from the memorandum supplied by Mr. Christopher in this meeting per Appendix B. Mr. Brown then stated that meetings of various task groups were scheduled in the coming week to review results of surveys to date, and the work on plastics and resins which had oeen undertaken by Horace J. De Podwln Associates Inc. Since this was financed only by SOCMA, It was concluded that no action on the part of the Plastics Committee was necessary at this time. Weatherabllity Project The Secretary commented very briefly on progress and some of the problems confronting the Research Associates at the National Bureau of Standards. Appendix C constitutes a report covering this in greater detail. A meeting of the full Steering Committee is scheduled for September 30 at the Bureau. Several technical representatives working on this research project and one interested member company research director had com mented on the need for qualified Industry technical direction of the work at the Bureau of Standards and that Dr. Warren F. Busae, du Pont, and Chairman of the Liaison Committee had very adequately filled this spot to date. Because of Dr. Bussee's pending retire ment January 1, 1966, it had been proposed that some arrangements be made for him to be retained on a part-time basis to continue direction of this program. Following a short discussion on this, the Washington office was authorized to negotiate with Dr. Busse to work out a. mutually agreeable plan for such consultation begin ning January 1, 1966. MCA Seml-Annua.1 Meeting Chairman Werner C. Brown commented briefly on Committee members' reaction to the panel proposal for plastics in construction or other plastics oriented subject to be considered in the meeting program November 23. Since a heavy majority were of the opinion this would not be proper in 1965, it was concluded that the Commit tee should keep this in mind for the 1966 November meeting and that It be given consideration well in advance of the usual program Planning during July and August. i CMA 078692 -3 Unde ^writers Labeling Program A new UL "yellow card" rating is being used for approval materials. This prompted technical representatives to e the Laboratories' criteria for thermal aging of plasLcs to assist in providing data for individual member laborato ries for advisory service to fabricators and end users. The ^orrner UL Advisory Subcommittee for the appliance project at UL ;va3 reactiva.ted and will meet with UL representatives at Melville, Long Island, September 16. Chairman Nomination The Committee approved the suggestion of Chairman Brown :;aat a Nominating Committee for Vice Chairman be composed of William C. Goggin, Thomas B. Nantz, and Earle S. Ebers. Subse quently, W. C. Goggin, reporting for this Committee, nominated Glenn l, Pitzer for Vice Chairman of the Plastics Committee. On motion, 3uly seconded, Mr. Pitzer was unanimously elected. Plastics Financial Package An Interim report had been included with the Agenda. Estimates based on first three months operations were well within the budget, although it was explained that it is a little early to determine costs of the Weatherability Project Program, particularly on the equipment that may be needed. Assessments are in keeping with the forecast. Next Meeting The next meeting of the Committee was scheduled for a luncheon at 12:30 p.m. at the New York Hilton Hotel on November 22. Also, the Secretary was authorized to arrange for the group dinner meeting at the New York Hilton Hotel on the evening of November 22 with an informal program as in the past. Respectfully submitted F. H. Carman, Secretary Plastics Committee FHC/bk Enclosures GC: Plastics Committee, Members and Alternates Mr. Lloyd Symington Mr. Harry B. Warner, Board Liaison September 15, 1965 CMA 078693 APPENDIX A THE SOCIETY OF THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY, I N C. 250 PARK AVENUE . NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10017 Z12 MU 7*2675 HOW THE FLA3TICS INDUSTRY IS ORGANIZED TO BEACH THE CONSTRUCTION MARKET by T. T. Miller Chairman of the Board The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. Presented at MCA Meeting of September 9, 1965 CMA 078694 ffnw THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY IS ORGANIZED TO REACH THE CONSTRUCTION MARKET by T. T. Miller, Chairman of the Board The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. jjoSt of you will recall the Yankelovich and Kinsella reports which the Manu facturing Chemists' Association authorized several years ago. Some considerable ^ogress has been made since the reports were prepared. ^fter these surveys were evaluated, MCA and The Society of the Plastics Industry reviewed the findings to determine what action the industry should take. rt was recognized that the proper relationship between MCA and SPI was for MCA to support the more or less basic research projects as to the properties of plastics materials in relation to the requirements for their performance in construction applications. SPI comprising, as it does, both the materials Tjariufacturers and also practically all responsible fabricators of plastics, would continue to be the sponsor for fabricated plastics to the construction industry. SPI undertook to expand its programs in this field. Since no across-the-board organization was in being within SPI to undertake certain of the suggested activities, it was decided to establish within the framework of SPI the Plastics in Construction Council. (Chart 1, attached) The Council has four working committees: ... Code Advisory ... Research ... Standards and Certification ... Education The chairmen of these four committees, together with the chairman of the Construction Council, constitute a planning committee. Affairs of the Council and its policies and programs are supervised by a Policy Committee of twenty members who meet several times a year. SPI's Code Advisory Committee has been in operation since March of 1955* For organizational purposes, it is assigned to the Plastics in Construction Council. Ihe members of this committee are men who have a knowledge of plastics suited for the construction market and who are familiar with building codes. In addition, code consultants are retained on the West Coast and in the East. Our attached Chart 2 shows the areas on which it will program its code activities in the future. Ibe Research Committee has as its main objective the investigation of environ mental performance criteria for plastics In construction. In studying the total fire hazard, as distinguished from such individual factors as smoke density, toxicity, etc., the committee hopes to determine scientifically the proportionate amounts of different types of combustible materials that could reasonably safely be used in buildings depending on their design, type of occupancy, ventilation, escape avenues, etc. The committee has contracted CMA 078695 -2 - The Standards and Certification Committae concerns itself with successful ways of initiating standards programs and with evaluating segments of plastiea in construction which could use standardization and, ultimately, certification programs. t | And finally, the Education Committee is primarily Interested in the means and. media by which the many different groups concerned with building construction, including architects, builders, engineers, housing and code authorities, fire and safety authorities, home and building owners, can better be informed of the desirability of plastics in building construction. * f The Education Committee has contracted with the Opinion Research Corporation of Princeton, New Jersey, to undertake an opinion survey of the design pro fession in greater depth than was possible in the Yankelovich study to acquire \ valuable data for the direction of its efforts in public relations and education f programs. This data will also be available to individual member companies who * support the budget financially and who may find the data very valuable as a guide to their publicity and programs for their own individual products entering the ; construction field. 4 The first summer session at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, arranged and partially financed by this Education Committee, entitled "Plastics in Architecture" was successfully completed in June. The course was directed toward the faculties of accredited architectural schools in the United States as well as to the practicing architect. A seminar for practicing architects is scheduled for later this month at the University of Michigan, jointly sponsored by the Cellular Plastics Division of SPI and the American Institute of Architects. To summarize at this point the functions of the SPI Plastics in Construction Council, I think it is by now evident to you that its activities and those of its four standing committees are designed to serve the Interested and to cut across the lines and coordinate the work of twelve divisions of SPI which are concerned in one way or another with promoting applications for plastics in construction. * Companies which are members of SPI include not only practically all the materials producers who are members of MCA, but also a very wide list of fabric** tors. Any of these two categories of companies who are interested in applica tions for plastics in construction can become active in the appropriate division* CMA 078696 -3 - cpr and can also join and support the Plastics in Construction Council, * Sh acts as the unifying front for all possible applications for plastics ^construction. plastics in Construction Council has its own budget. As initially proposed, *^e -^65 budget for the operation of the Council was $150,000. To date, f^y-one companies have contributed $124,000 to support its work. Even though "jj1 ajaount of the original budget was not fulfilled, it has been possible for l-al council to undertake most of its 1965 programs. _^e foUI- working committees of the Plastics in Construction Council have all been bard at work recently preparing their programs and budgets for 1966. -r^gse are to be coordinated into a comprehensive total program and presented to the Policy Committee of the Construction Council at a meeting in Hew York on September 28. The 1966 program and budget will then be communicated to 5pl company members which are actual or prospective members of the Construction Council. It is felt that by presenting the 1986 budget in the early fall, the company members will be able to schedule their own contributions to the Council's budget at the time of preparing their own company budgets for 1966. This should enable the Plastics in Construction Council to have completed its financing for 1966 and to embark upon its 966 program in the smoothest possible way. Next, we come to the SPI Plastics Pipe Institute. Its general objectives are to promote standards of quality, to establish recognized hallmarks bespeaking compliance with the established standards, and to advance, by all lawful means, the interests of the plastics pipe industry. Nov that standards have been promulgated for many classes of plastic pipe, code bodies are showing willingness to change codes to permit the use of plastic pipe in services where they sure appropriate. Concurrently with the promulgation of the standard on ABS pipe, the manufacturers of ABS materials and pipe made from such materials decided that it would be advantageous to establish an ABS Council to aggressively promote code changes which would provide for the use of plastic pipe and fittings in drain, waste and vent applications. The ABS Council was established in mid-1964, It has been successful in having the Western Plumbing Officials Association approve pipe and fittings for BWV services and has met with similar success in other jurisdictions. In other areas of plastics pipe and fittings, i.e., FVC, polyethylene, polypropylene and polyacetals, manufacturers are also aware of the need for a comprehensive plumbing code effort. As a results, SPI has agreed to organize a Plastic Piping Systems Code Committee. This committee will represent all classes of plastics pipe and fittings. The proposed annual budget for this undertaking is $184,000 with twenty-four companies agreeing to give their 3uppert. Others indicate they will likely do so. The Copper Development CMA 078697 -4 - Association operates its field force of piping system code experts on a budget of $225^000, and the Cast Iron Soil Pipe Institute operates on a budget of $325,000. To compete against these other materials, the plastics pipe and fittings industry must support the programs and the budgets of SPI, Now let me outline what MCA has done and is doing to bach up SPI in its Plastics in Construction activities. Years ago, MCA supported a fundamental plastics research project at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A strong plastics program was developed, which has served the plastics industry and the design engineer and architect usefully. And most important in this program, a number of architects acquired training -- a knowledge of plastics and where and how they could be used in the construction market. The result of this being that these "experts" have been used time and again in providing con sultant engineering service to architects and builders. A fine example of one such service provided was in the valuable advice Professor Albert G. H. Dietz gave to the architects who designed the U.S. Pavilion at the Brussels World's Fair in 1958* MCA financed the smoke test development research program at Underwriters' Laboratories which the SPI Code Committee made good use of In the code pro ceedings in San Francisco. This ultimately led to the San Francisco Board of Examiners establishing "livable" smoke density numbers. The literature research at Southwest Research Institute which MCA underwrote relating to toxicity was helpful in the San Francisco proceedings, and it has served well in other instances. At present, MCA is sponsoring a weatherability research project at the National Bureau of Standards and an evaluation of the fundamental properties of polymers at Case Institute of Technology and at MIT. The results of these research activities will serve the plastics industry's interest in construction as well as the SPI committees. In practice then, MCA has undertaken principally basic research to support the field activity of the several SPI councils, institutes, divisions and committees. In a manner of speaking, this is somewhat of a progress report for It highlights the major organized activities that have been established to deal with code and related problems bearing upon the future progress which the industry is going to make in penetrating the construction market. ##### 9-9-65 J1 CMA 078698 HOW THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY IS ORGANIZED TO REACH THE CONSTRUCTION MARKET MANUFACTURING CHEMISTS ASSOCIATION SOCIETYOF H THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY WEATHERABILITY RESEARCH NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS I____________ EVALUATION OF FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTIES OF POLYMERS MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY CASE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY PLASTICS IN CONSTRUCTION COUNCIL ~~i____________ PLASTICS PIPE INSTITUTE CODE ADVISORY COMMITTEE PLASTICS PIPING .... ABS " - SYSTEMS COUNCIL CODE COMMITTEE RESEARCH STANDARDS & CERTIFICATION CMA EDUCATION CHART J O ~vl 00 CD CO h- ------------------------------------- ' SPI CODE ADVISORY COMMITTEE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AIRCONpmONING AIR 0UCTS DRAjNAGE AWNINGS CEILINGS garAges gAI s OIL Pl j>E SEWERAGE i WATER WIRE CONDUIT vent Stacks glazing GREEN (HOUSES partitioning rat|os roof Panels i si4ns sky LIGHTS wall Panels ________ jii_________ CONDi UIT LIGHtlNG FIXTURES OUTLETS SWITCHBOARDS i WIRING DEC LAMINATES INSULATION PLASTIC BOATINGS & SHIELDS VINYL SHEET walLtile CONSULTANTS-STAFF DUCTS HOUSINGS INSULATION PIPES SHIELDS STRUCTURES CHART 2 CMA 078700 appendix b PLASTICS AND RESINS TASK FORCE The Plastics and Resins Task Force was organized by ncMA in 1962 to prepare industry data for presentation to . vernment agencies concerned with trade and tariff negotiations. Task Force has conducted studies and presented three formal reports BDSA Tariff Commission Gov. Herter's Office April 26, 1963 January 29, 1964 January 28, 1965 rrjjg Task Force has also submitted information and served as a source for industry information for The Office of the Chief Trade Negotiator. From the start our Task Force has included representatives 0f SOCMA, MCA, and SPI, and information on our work has been fur nished to the headquarters of all three organizations. This has helped to assure coordination within the industry. In our present work, the Task Force is doing two important jobs for the plastics materials industry: (l) answering questions on trade, tariffs, and international competition as requested by Government agencies, and (2) organizing and presenting, on our own initiative, industry information and points of view on matters relating to trade and tariff policy. In our work we help keep individual companies informed on trade negotiation matters and encourage participation both through the Task Force and as indi vidual companies. Present membership of the Task Force is listed below: Ralph G. Biondi, W. R. Grace & Co. B. P. Dahlstrom, Rohm & Haas Company George Flanagan, B. F. Goodrich Chemical Co. Richard T. Clark, Monsanto Company Edwin Hallberg, Jr., Union Carbide Corp. George Harrington, E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Frederick L. Lawton, Allied Chemical Corp. R. A. Leonard, Hercules Powder Company Joseph D. Madden, SPI W. S. Sloatman, American Cyanamld Co. Clifford F. Thompson, The Dow Chemical Co. R. L. Van Bosklrk, Modem Plastics Magazine Wolfgang Schoellkopf, The Chase Manhattan Bank James W, Flynn, Celanese Plastics William F. Christopher (Chairman), Hooker. Chemical Inc. Corporation The Task Force is now working on a major study which is, in effect, an economic evaluation of the plastics Industry world wide. This study is being done to assist our negotiators in Geneva In conducting the "sector bargaining" that Is scheduled to begin this fall. The chemical industry is one of five basic industries CMA 078701 2- - APPENDIX B selected by the GATT negotiators to be discussed on an industry basis, world-wide. It is therefore most important for our 11,3 negotiators to be well-informed on competitive economics and* trends, the problems that can be expected from reductions in U.5. tariffs, and the opportunities that can result from tariff reductions abroad. The question is complex since we are judgina the probable future effect (1970 and beyond) of tariff reduction negotiated in 1965-1966 and going into effect in stages over a 8 four-year period. Our present study will provide information on which such decisions can be based. Our study takes the form of an industry a facts book" giving data for U.S.A., U.K., Japan, Germany, Prance, Italy, Netherlands, and Belgium-Luxemburg on each of fourteen major plastics materials. The following data is included in the Pacts Book: j- Annual production, for the past several years Imports, in units and dollars, for several years Exports, in units a.nd dollars, for several years Derived consumption, in units and dollars, for several Present capacity, by individual producer Present tariff rates ; TM In addition to the Facts Book, we have information obtained by questionnaire to plastics producers giving us information on the competitive strengths and weaknesses of each of the above-listed producing countries and anticipated trends. From this data, subcommittees of our Ta3k Force are now preparing evaluations of each of the fourteen plastic materials. It is most important that all interested producing companies participate In preparing these evaluation reports. Any companies that have not already done so may name representatives to our Task Force for this purpose. | I 1 i * William F. Christopher, Chairman SOCMA Plastics and Resins Task Force August 16, 1965 I CMA 078702 APPENDIX C REPORT OP THE LIAISON COMMITTEE TO THE STEERING COMMITTEE OP THE MCA PROJECT: "TESTING THE WEATHERABILITY OF PLASTICS" This cooperative research project on methods of predicting weatherability got under way last April, when Drs. W. F. Brucksch j. E. Clark started working as MCA Research Associates at the National Bureau of Standards. They will report in some detail on '-heir' accomplishments over the last six months, but we thought it jight be well to give you a survey of the results from the per3pectlve of the Liaison Committee. The excellent cooperative efforts of Bill Brucksch, Joe Clark, and the member company representatives to collect the available information on weatherabillty testing turned up some unexpected and potentially large fringe benefits. The member companies 1 representatives contributed weathered samples showing various types of deterioration, and reported unusual effects they had observed in outdoor or accelerated weathering tests. Some of :nese results were only items of curiosity by themselves, but together with items contributed by others, they became very signif icant and helpful leads for our project. The members have also cooperated in showing their methods of testing weatherabillty to the Research Associates. Bill Brucksch and Joe Clark found that some of the infor mation we need (e.g., concentration of Ch, NOg, SOp in the atmos phere) was already being obtained by U.S. Public Health Service (Cincinnati Air Polutlon Lab) in several cities. Other needed information (UV content, integrated temperature, etc.) is not being obtained, but they are exploring the possibility of getting such measurements made by the Environmental Science Service Admin istration (ESSA). People who have solar simulators (developed for the NASA space program) or other products of potential use in weatherabillty testing are coming to the N.B.S. to discuss these problems, and Bill Brucksch and Joe Clark are stimulating these new developments. New ideas and competition in the field of such test equipment will be good for all concerned. Another important phase of the work has been to reanalyze -he whole process of deterioration of plastics during weathering to recognize the individual factors in the weather that were involved, and the various types of reaction they produce in difsrent plastics. This analysis helped to classify and organize CMA 078703 2 available weathering information, and to show what measure ments should be made now that hadn't been made in the past to give us better means of predicting weatherability. Among the new things we recognize that need to be done are: measurements of UV content of sunlight, and the integrated effective temperature at various places (hopefully, to be done by the U.S. Government), and the development of a graded system of exposures and sensitive tests for initial stages of degradation (by MCA project). Perhaps the greatest single limitation to many previous studies of weatherability was the assumption (or wishful thinking) that it was possible to develop a single test that could be used to predict the weatherability of all plastics in all climates. Members' representatives have agreed on the composition of model rigid PVC compositions that should be used for the com parison of the effects of outdoor exposure tests and experimental accelerated indoor tests. Facilities for mixing and molding these compositions are being explored. Various compositions of other plastics are also being obtained for this purpose. This testing program will soon involve so much routine work that some non-technical help should be provided. l The time is also approaching when we will be ready to have a symposium on "Testing the Weatherability of Plastics", with contributions from our Research Associates, member companies, Government organizations, and members of our Advisory Committee, These industry-wide contacts by the Research Associates are of great value to the project, and to the men, and also to the companies the men will return to after their tenn on the project. For this reason, other companies undoubtedly willwant to have men from their organizations put on leave tojoin this effort at Washington. We believe that the project will soon be organized well enough to justify such an expansion. i I f Wea Prepared by W. F. Busse August 31, 1965 Liaison Committee W. F. Busse F. H. Caiman W. W. Walton ce fe ar. to dis com Sec | the CMA 078704