Frequently Asked Questions on the SSPC and NACE Merger

As you know, SSPC (The Society for Protective Coatings) and NACE (National Association of Corrosion Engineers) International are merging to form a new organization. What will happen to individuals who hold both SSPC and NACE certifications? What will become of CIP and PCI training in the new era? I have attempted to answer all the questions being asked below. In May 2020, the SSPC-NACE Transition Team approved the appointment of integration teams composed of members and employees from both organizations to manage the process of combining the associations' operations and services. The official transition to a single organization is expected to take place on 1 January 2021, with full integration of the organizations expected to occur in intervals following this date. Following the work completed and the progress made in the process, on 21 September 2020, SSPC (The Society for Protective Coatings) and NACE International, The Corrosion Society, announced that the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office issued a statement indicating no objection to the merger of the two organizations. This milestone also meant that the final approval required to combine the associations had been obtained.

NACE International

NACE International, The Worldwide Corrosion Authority, was founded in 1943 by eleven corrosion engineers from the pipeline industry as the "National Association of Corrosion Engineers." Today, NACE International, The Worldwide Corrosion Authority, is the world's largest nonprofit organization with more than 38,000 members in 130 countries. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, the organization has offices in the United States, United Kingdom, China, Malaysia, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia, and a training center in Dubai, serving all sectors affected by corrosion. NACE International provides its members with numerous advantages and offers the world's most specialized technical training and certification programs, industry standards, reports, conferences, and publications focused on corrosion prevention and reduction.

SSPC (The Society for Protective Coatings)

SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings was founded in 1950 as the Steel Structures Painting Council, a nonprofit professional community focused on the use of protective coatings to protect industrial steel structures. In 1997, the association's name was changed to SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings to reflect the evolution of coating technology and the expanding range of structural materials. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with offices in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and China, more than 16,000 professionals worldwide and 420 companies hold active SSPC certifications. Today, SSPC promotes the protection and preservation of concrete, steel, and other industrial and marine structures and surfaces through the use of high-performance protective, marine, and industrial coatings. SSPC is a leading source of training and information on surface preparation, coating selection, coating application, environmental regulations, and health and safety issues affecting the protective coatings industry.

Frequently Asked Questions About the SSPC & NACE Merger

  What inspired the idea of combining the organizations? How was the discussion process for this idea conducted? For 70 years, NACE and SSPC have represented different segments of the asset protection industry. Both organizations have developed standards respected by the industry, provided training and instruction to professionals serving many functions, and contributed to the advancement of technical and practical knowledge critical to protecting the world's infrastructure. In many cases, we have collaborated for the benefit of our industry. The leadership of each organization recognizes the value and importance of collaboration, and in 2018 representatives came together to discuss the possibility of combining both organizations to better serve the sector and prevent duplication of effort. What were the guiding principles of the task force in considering these decisions? Regarding membership, the following guiding principles have directed and will continue to direct these discussions: • Provide minimal impact and minimal disruption to the majority of existing members • Increase ease of access to benefits • Increase participation opportunities • Increase access to knowledge and professional networks • Preserve existing membership fee levels where possible.

1. Certifications

Recognizing the value professionals and employers place on credentials and the importance shown by those who earn them, both NACE and SSPC maintain robust, long-standing, and internationally recognized certification and accreditation programs. The NACE-SSPC Task Force, which preserves the overall program quality and continuity, focused on minimizing disruptions to the sector. To this end, the task force adopted the following: • All existing certification and accreditation programs will continue to be recognized and supported throughout the combination process. • When there are overlapping certification or accreditation programs, a member task force will be established to evaluate the programs and make recommendations to a program committee. • Existing certificate holders will be allowed to continue with the existing program. • Financial burden or economic impact on certified and accredited parties will be minimized.

How will SSPC programs such as CAS, PCI, and QP or NACE Institute programs such as CCA, CIP, and NIICAP be affected? Will they be merged with overlapping products from the other organization at the end of the combination process?

As a result of thorough work, the products of both organizations and areas where overlap exists will be examined, and the best of overlapping certifications will be combined. It is too early to know exactly what the outcome will be, but work will continue to make the transition to the new format developed as easy as possible for certificate holders and accredited companies. The following programs have been identified as overlapping and will be reviewed by a member task force: • Paint Inspector Certification Program * Protective Coatings Inspector (PCI) (SSPC) * Coating Inspector Program (CIP) (NACE Institute) • Coating Applicator Certification Program * Coating Application Specialist (CAS) (SSPC) * Certified Coating Applicator (CCA) (NACE Institute) • Contractor Accreditation Program * Qualification Procedure (QP / PCCP) (SSPC) * Contractor Accreditation Program (NIICAP) (NACE Institute) • Protective Coatings Specialist Certification * Protective Coatings Specialist (SSPC) * Protective Coatings Specialist (NACE Institute)

If my certification will be merged with another program, when will I need to renew my certification?

Your initial recertification date will remain consistent and will be applied within the continuing program. Your next certification date will not change. As member teams work to integrate certification programs, they will determine forward-looking recertification periods.

What will happen to my credentials?

The possibility of combining overlapping certification programs, such as Protective Coatings Inspector (SSPC) and Coating Inspector Program (NACE Institute), is being discussed by the organizations. Certified individuals will retain their certifications during the transition period as long as existing renewal requirements are met; after the transition period, individuals will be allowed to reregister with the continuing certification. Both organizations share the view that there will be minimal or no cost impact to cardholders as a result of program changes.

2. Membership

The new organization will maintain the same "hybrid" structure of both organizations, which includes individual or corporate membership options. Memberships will be transferred to the new organization, and student and young professional discounts will continue.

If I am a dual member of NACE / SSPC, when will I be required to renew my membership?

When dual membership is transferred to NewOrg, whichever membership period is longer, they will have Premium membership. (For example, if current NACE membership expires on 1 February 2021 and SSPC membership expires on 1 June 2021, membership will continue until 1 June 2021, and on 1 January 2021 these memberships will be transferred as NewOrg Premium members.)

Please explain the proposed value-based approach and membership options for the combined organizations.

*NOTE: "NewOrg" and "NewOrg Institute" are not proposed names for the combined organization; they are being used temporarily. • Members will be "NewOrg" members and will have full access to "NewOrg" and "NewOrg Institute" offerings, including equal voting and volunteer rights and privileges in both organizations. A hybrid structure containing individual and corporate membership options will be preserved. Both individual and corporate membership options will be value-based, and members will be able to choose a benefit level and corresponding dues. Following the combination, all current individual NACE and SSPC members will become "NewOrg" members at the highest membership level. • There will be two membership levels for individual members: Core and Premium. Premium memberships include more value-added offerings such as a certain number of standard downloads, subscriptions to products and publications in the Digital Library. Current NACE and SSPC members will automatically be added to "NewOrg" Premium Individual Membership effective 1 January 2021 for the remainder of their current membership periods. At the end of their current membership periods, individual members may renew at either Premium or Core membership level. • Four membership categories for individuals will be as follows: 1) Individual membership with the ability to choose between Premium or Core membership. 2) Students will have access to Premium membership free of charge while attending college, university, or trade school. 3) Young Professionals who are new members under 35 years of age will have access to Premium membership at a 50 percent discount for the first three years. Student and Young Professional membership options aim to maintain maximum benefit from membership. 4) Members age 65 and over who have at least 15 years of continuous membership in NACE, SSPC, and/or "NewOrg" will be covered under lifetime membership. Lifetime members will have the option to be Lifetime Core or Lifetime Premium members in exchange for a lump-sum payment fee structure. • For company membership, there will be a three-tier, value-based corporate membership structure; thus, the higher the corporate membership, the more benefits and scope the company receives. Benefits include, but are not limited to, complimentary individual memberships, conference registrations, and prominent exhibition presence at conferences, training workshops, and online venues.

What happens to members who have been members of one organization longer than the other?

Any individual's membership tenure will be transferred, and if a member has participated in both organizations, the two membership tenures will be extended.

What will happen to Sections and Areas?

Because NACE and SSPC have very different models and approaches for Sections and Areas, and there are new models that are attractive in the association community, the task force chose to leave the decision to new boards to determine how these will be structured. In the meantime, existing sections and areas will continue to serve members and local communities. It is hoped that in areas where both NACE Sections and SSPC sections currently exist, they will begin working together.

How will a combined association be accessible and inclusive to all audiences regardless of education, instruction, and experience levels?

The asset protection industry needs professionals with diverse formal education, technical education, and practical experience. The combined association will exemplify and work to preserve the diversity of the industry.

3. Training

What will happen to my certification? All certifications will remain valid following the merger of the organizations. Member-led task forces will determine what changes, including updates related to overlapping programs, will occur to certifications. What will happen to the training facilities used by both organizations? The current expectation is that training facilities will remain operational, and the combined organizations will optimize the use of all facilities. Will instructors continue to teach the courses they currently teach? Yes. Instructors will be able to teach courses for which they are currently approved to instruct. If they wish to be approved for additional courses, they will need to receive training to address differences in course materials. Will instructors need additional training when the organizations combine? Yes. However, this will occur whether or not personnel join the organizations, as both NACE and SSPC are committed to making regular updates and improvements to training programs. As part of these efforts, ongoing instructor training is important. With regard to special training required as a result of combined programs, this will not happen immediately, but after overlapping courses and training programs are merged, instructors will receive training focusing on areas not previously overlapping. Will existing training licenses and agreements continue to be in effect at the combined association? Work will continue with existing license holders and instructors to meet the expected growth in demand for training and instruction programs. How and when will courses be integrated, and who will guide the process? In the short term, no changes will be made to courses. Member-led task forces composed of subject matter experts and personnel will determine how overlapping programs will be affected and will be tasked with ensuring that the best of both programs is incorporated into the final product.

What will happen to current initiatives related to updating and upgrading existing training programs?

When the decision was made to combine NACE and SSPC, all current efforts toward developing and advancing courses and training will continue uninterrupted under each organization until the combination is completed. Upon completion, these initiatives will continue in the new organizations.

4. Standards and Committees

NACE and SSPC have developed industry-respected standards that are referenced worldwide. In fact, the organizations have worked together on many standards over the years, including 15 joint standards, 2 joint visual guides, and 6 joint technical articles. In considering a combined organization, members leading these discussions agree that this is an opportunity for a renewed focus on developing standards that meet the needs of the entire international member community, asset protection professionals, and companies. By working together, the associations can facilitate the process of developing, adopting, and implementing standards for the entire industry.

How will existing standards be handled regarding maintenance and revisions?

If the decision is made to form a combined organization, existing standards will continue to be maintained according to current processes and procedures. There will be an opportunity to restructure to make the standard writing and revision process more efficient, so that standard development can be faster, more efficient, and responsive to industry changes. To advance the next generation of industry standards and best practices, expert technical expertise needs a forum and framework to put emerging theory into practice in asset protection. Both organizations, by combining their strengths, could potentially create this forum.

How will the new organization combine overlapping standards?

To efficiently combine the best of overlapping NACE and SSPC programs, a model has been envisioned consisting of the development of member-led program committees that will be responsible for providing recommendations to and supporting personnel for different program areas, such as standards. Both NACE and SSPC standards and programs will have a board liaison responsible for providing strategic guidance to the program committee and reporting progress back to the board. Source: www.sspc.org www.nace.org Seda Ömercikoğlu Yüce, MICorr, PCS General Manager STM Coatech