The Cleveland and Pittsburgh Societies of Coatings Technology will be holding the 48th annual technical symposium "Sink or Swim, Waterborne and Innovative Coatings Program," at the University of Akron, student union, May 23 and 24, 2005. This year's program includes a variety of meetings, presentations, technical workshops, tours, and exhibits for both days. The event will feature the foremost speakers in waterborne technology and coatings innovation. Workshops include an introduction to coatings, design of experiments for outdoor weathering effects, and a short course on nanotechnology. Visit www.csct.org or call 800-325-5788.

SDC Technologies Inc., a California-based global supplier of functional surface technologies, coatings and materials, has acquired 100 percent ownership of Nippon ARC Co. Ltd., located in Anageseki, Japan, which was established in 1989 through a joint venture between SDC and Nippon Sheet Glass Co. Ltd., a Japanese corporation.

Structural Preservation Systems Inc., a unit of Structural Group, a $200 million Baltimore-based specialty-contracting firm that delivers services, systems and technologies that build, repair, protect, strengthen and reinforce concrete, steel, masonry, timber and soils, has acquired Corrosion Restoration Technologies Inc. (CRT) With headquarters in Jupiter, Fla., CRT specializes in applying engineered solutions to structures with corrosion problems. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Proton Energy Systems has launches a new interactive web site at www.protonenergy.com, which offers economic calculators and technical resources for hydrogen users. One of the site features is an interactive needs assessment survey for potential customers to complete, which is then submitted electronically to Proton's customer service department.

Motorsports manufacturers will find what they need at the Society of Manufacturing Engineers' (SME) event, Manufacturing for Performance. This new event features exhibits and a full technical conference January 23-25, 2006, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. Visit www.sme.org.

Surface Specialties Inc., Atlanta, announced that three of its North American production sites have achieved all-time safety records. Two plants have achieved "zero" lost-time incidents for more than 11 consecutive years, while a third has just recorded 800,000 working hours without a lost-time incident. The Surface Specialties plant in Langley, S.C., which produces acrylic resins for the graphic arts and adhesives industries, and the laboratory/ pilot plant in Indian Orchard, Mass., which manufactures a range of adhesives and liquid coating resins, combined have achieved more than 1.2 million working hours without a lost-time incident. A third site in North Augusta, S.C., has just reached the milestone of 800,000 man-hours worked without a lost-time incident. Visit www.surfacespecialties. com.