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This issue of PCI contains the 17th annual listing of top coatings manufacturers for 2008, both globally and in North America. Surprisingly not all that much changed from 2007, and the declines were not as severe as could have been expected given the global economic distress.

Usually a conference write-up will touch on a few highlights, give some statistics and be fairly brief. Not so the TiO2 conference report in this issue of PCI. In my 35 years in the industry I don’t recall ever reading a conference report that in fact was so thorough and all inclusive as to be an industry market report on the global business today. And it was enjoyable reading!

The U.S. Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), and President Obama signed it into law on Feb. 17. As the dust settles and details of the plan begin to emerge, we all wonder how the bill will impact our lives, our jobs and the industries where we work.

Technical meetings (Symposiums/Conferences/Congresses) are analogous to the human arterial system. They provide communication among various individual members of the coatings community and larger technology-focused groups regardless of geographical location.

Once again it is time for this extraordinary event in the coatings industry – the European Coatings Show and Congress. The 2007 show attracted over 23,000 trade visitors from 99 countries – all of whom were seeking technical and business information from over 800 exhibitors.

One day a couple of years ago, I woke up and realized I was 60 years old. On that particular day, I looked at myself in the mirror and said, “Sara, you are 60 years old.” So, what do I have to say to that? Some questions came to mind. Questions like: Have I done all that I wanted to do in my career? In my work, did I leave the earth a better place than I found it? Did I make anyone laugh? Did I make a difference? Do we really know what rust is? Will anybody remember me?

We take this opportunity to wish all of you, our readers and advertisers, a healthy and prosperous New Year, and we do so starting on an optimistic note. The last several months have been tumultuous, causing widespread fear and anxiety. We – as an industry – MUST focus and look to the future.

On behalf of the PCI staff I want to take this opportunity to wish our readers, advertisers and contributing authors a very happy holiday season. We are successful because of your continued support, encouragement and feedback.

This issue has a wide variety of industry-important features and again emphasizes the focus on lower VOCs through the use of new polymer and additive technology, low-energy curing and environmental concerns.

Its fall already and, as we wind down this year, I find myself looking forward to 2009, as I think it bodes great technological advances. The last 12 months have seen a consistent increase in “green” and “sustainability” themes. Some of this is pure market spin, but a great deal of it is not, and our industry is rising to the challenge of introducing eco-friendly and bio-based products, sustainability, green technology, nanotechnology and green nanotechnology.