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The General Secretary and his staff, co-ordinate the many and various activities at all levels. They administer the Association, its publications, conferences and exhibitions and provide help and assistance to Members.
The General Secretary and the Assistant General Secretary support and co-ordinate the work of the Committees. The General Secretary is the policy advisor to Council and Company Secretary to SURFEX Limited.
Association activities have a considerable interface with those of other organisations that share an interest in the surface coatings industry. Recognising this, the General Secretary seeks to liaise with his counterparts in those organisations, to ensure that the technical meetings and exhibitions organised, are co-originated for the benefit of the Members.
The Association is represented and presents papers, at overseas conferences and is actively pursuing a policy of joint seminars and conferences with other surface coating organisations. It has adopted a policy of expansion into Europe and intends to hold at least one technical meeting in Europe each year.
In 1999 the Association, in partnership with other Surface Coatings societies organised 'Coatings for Asia' in Singapore. In partnership with the South African Division, 'Coatings for Africa', which included a SURFEX exhibition, were held in Cape Town (1996), in Durban (1998) and in Johanesburg in 2000.
Close co-operation with other international organisations in the Surface Coatings Sector has led to the signing of a technical co-operation agreement with the SLF. This agreement covers publications, technical meetings and professional qualifications.
The Association administers the International Register of Professional Members on behalf of the organisations that have sprung from it, Surface Coatings Association Australia (SCAA) and Surface Coatings Association New Zealand (SCANZ). These, now independent, Associations together with the Scandinavian Society (SLF), nominate their Professional Members to the register. OCCA Professional Members are registered automatically.
The Association arganises SURFEX, the leading UK Exhibition for the surface coatings industries. SURFEX has been held biennially since 1986 and is the UK show-case for raw material suppliers and equipment manufacturers. In 1998 over 150 companies exhibited and 3,000 visitors attended the Exhibition.
To complement SURFEX, the Association organises an Exhibitor's Dinner and social activities such as a golf tournament. Over the years, SURFEX has become the focus for other technical events organised by the Association and other bodies. This has resulted in a full programme of events forming the UK Surface Coatings Week. This attracts not just UK, but international visitors and delegates.
Prior to SURFEX, the Association had organised its forerunner, the OCCA Exhibition, 34 times since 1949, at various London venues.
SURCON, is a biennial conference, which succeeded the OCCA Conference. It is a major technical event of the Association. The two-day Conference, in a location appropriate to the subject area, includes a mini-exhibition and a conference dinner. The papers are invited from international experts, which in turn attracts international delegates. The prestigious Ellinger-Gardonyi Medal is awarded to the author of the best paper.
The Association organises seminars and conferences relevant to other industrial sectors, such as the printing ink industries. This is usually in conjunction with other organisations. These have included the Paint Research Association (PRA), Institute of Corrosion (ICorr), British Colour Makers Association (BCMA), British Coatings Federation (BCF) and European Resin Manufacturers Association (ERMA), and the Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC).
Co-operation is also very evident within the area of UK and International Standards. The Association nominates representatives to serve on many BSI Committees and works closely with relevant organisations to ensure that there is proper representation from industry in the formation of standards. The Association has a particular role in raising the awareness of its Members and, therefore, their companies, to the importance of standards.
Each Section is run by its own, locally elected, committee. Committees have a Chairman and Vice-Chairman, who are normally elected for a two year term. These are supported by Officers such as a Secretary, Treasurer, Social Secretary and Publications Officer, who stand for re-election each year. There are also committee members elected for a specific term.
The Officers, apart from fulfilling Section duties, represent the Section on the Council and national committees and sub-committees. They then assist their Section committees to translate the policies, made by the national committees, into appropriate local action.
All UK Sections organise technical meetings during their active season, from September to April. These meetings are central to the Association's activities and a focus for Section committee meetings. Overseas, the Irish, Ontario and Singapore Sections and South African Division also arrange their own programmes. In total, there are well over 100 meetings each year.
The technical meetings provide a balanced programme of lectures, both technical and of general interest. They are held in the evening and usually include refreshments provided by a sponsor or by the Section from their own resources.
The technical meetings are informal and the local Members welcome visiting Members and Non-members alike. They are publicised through individual Section Programmes and notices in the Surface Coatings International Bulletin. The non-UK Sections use their local publications. Posters in companies, personal invitations and whipping systems are also used. A whipping system, for example, is where information about a forthcoming event (often a written notice) is passed to a network of Members. These Members pass on the information to both Members and Non-members to try to create interest in the event. They encourage their contacts to attend and may feed-back potential Members.
Many Sections organise their own Symposia. Attended by Non-members, as well as Members, these events raise the professional profile of these Sections. Such Symposia contribute to the advancement of technical knowledge within the surface coatings industry and provide funds to support other Section activities.
The Association, although a learned society, considers a wide ranging social and sporting programmes, an important feature of its activities. The Sections hold annual Dinner Dances, attended by large numbers of guests, golf tournaments, football and skittle matches, quiz evenings and treasure hunts. A feature of UK Sections programmes are social and technical visits to Continental Europe. These visits are increasing as more links are established with European Surface Coating Organisations.