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Another year of progress for IMOA
17/09/2018
The International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) has published its Annual Review for 2017/18, detailing the achievements of the Association on behalf of its members over the last year.
Speaking at IMOA’s AGM in Seoul, South Korea, last week, Tim Outteridge, Secretary-General, said: “Our principal mission is to develop and maintain access to markets for our members. This Review details the ongoing programs in Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) and Market Development (MD) which help to achieve that goal.
“In HSE, we continued our work to promote evidence-based regulation, closely monitoring the international regulatory arena and engaging in dialogue with authorities where necessary. Following a 14-month review process, molybdenum and molybdenum compounds were removed from the List of Chemicals of High Concern to Children (CHCC) in Washington State’s Children’s Product Safety Rule. We believe this sets an important precedent for other U.S. states. We also contributed to the public consultation process for the review of molybdenum toxicological profile by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
“In the EU, we were active on a number of fronts, addressing regulatory initiatives which could have implications for molybdenum substances. The Molybdenum Consortium (MoCon) continued its important work of ensuring that the 12 REACH technical dossiers are kept up to date as new information became available.
“In Market Development, we made excellent progress in driving demand through the promotion of molybdenum in new and existing applications. In carbon steels for example, two major Chinese gear producers are trialling new molybdenum-alloyed gear steels thanks to an IMOA-funded project. In stainless steel, promotion of molybdenum-containing grades to the Architecture, Building and Construction (ABC) sector continued. This work, including guidance through seminars, webinars and project meetings in North America and elsewhere, is helping to increase the selection of molybdenum-containing stainless steels due to their high-performance, sustainable properties.
“China is another key area for Market Development. The publication of ‘Made in China 2025’, the country’s blueprint for industrial modernization, presented new opportunities for increased molybdenum use. Promoting specialty steels involving molybdenum was also a key activity.
“Elsewhere, our joint service water pipe project with the Nickel Institute and the International Stainless Steel Forum, promoting a leak-resistant corrugated stainless steel piping solution, gained further momentum, while our work with Team Stainless focused on the collaborative development of design tables for structural stainless steel and dissemination of information on its use in the design and fabrication of bridges and highway structures.
“Communications continued to play an important role in raising awareness of molybdenum and its properties, as well as supporting our HSE and Market Development activity, with IMOA’s website attracting an average of 12,000 visitors each month,” he added.
General information for media
IMOA is a non profit trade association, representing the majority of the molybdenum industry worldwide. It works to raise awareness about the unique properties of molybdenum, its beneficial effects on materials performance, its safety in use and its contribution to sustainable development.
Molybdenum is added to alloy steels to improve strength, toughness, hardenability and weldability for numerous applications in the automotive, shipbuilding, construction, mining, chemical, oil & gas and energy generation industries. In stainless steels and superalloys, it improves corrosion resistance and high-temperature performance and finds uses in many industrial applications. It is also used in a variety of products from catalysts and lubricants to pigments and paint.
IMOA has a strict antitrust compliance policy which delegates of all meetings are required to observe. All such meetings are observed by legal counsel.
For more information please email the communications team at media@imoa.info.
For up-to-date information please follow IMOA on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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