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 Spring Meeting Wrap-Up: Marlan Boultinghouse Award, Steve Larkin Retirement, Presentations by Jeb Bush, Matthew Dionne, Parks Dodd, and MoreFollowing are highlights from the Aluminum Association's Spring Meeting, held April 7-9 in Ft. Myers, Fla. A New Look at Aluminum's Value Proposition—Matthew Dionne, President, Hydro Aluminum North America—U.S. aluminum extrusion demand has become de-linked to gross domestic product (GDP), so the industry must develop new applications, said Matthew Dionne, President of Hydro Aluminum North America. Currently, there is a big opportunity for aluminum to take market share from copper due to a growing price difference between the two materials—and with the advent of the “smart grid,” the opportunity for substitute applications will grow in the next 10-20 years, he said. The Economic Outlook: Vigorous Recovery or Slow Growth Ahead?—Parks Dodd, President, Aluminomics LLC—In his presentation, “The Economic Outlook: Vigorous Recovery or Slow Growth Ahead?” Parks Dodd, President of Aluminomics LLC, came out somewhere in between both scenarios. The relatively strong economy in the fourth quarter of 2010 was “a good sign” and orders through February are well ahead of last year’s pace. But he predicted a slowdown in the second part of this year, continuing into 2012, before a consumer-led rebound in 2013. For details, click here. The Hard Choices Ahead to Assure America's Greatness—Jeb Bush, President, Jeb Bush & Associates—Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said that burdensome regulations are killing business investment and in many cases their implementation costs are greater than their benefits. He called hydraulic fracking and horizontal drilling—which allow for the recovery of natural gas from deep shale formations—one of the greatest innovations in recent decades and urged for the end of what he termed the “slowatorium” on drilling for gas in the Gulf. The Greening of Aluminum—Engagement with policymakers is critical for aluminum to be recognized for its sustainable value, speakers on the “Greening of Aluminum” panel told the audience. The metrics used currently in building codes to assess a material’s green value are “hostile” to aluminum, Aluminum Association EHS VP Chuck Johnson said, particularly for door and window applications. Consumers and policymakers are largely ignorant of aluminum’s utility in building applications, as well as of its recyclability, he added. For details, click here. That’s not the case with aluminum in packaging applications, according to Aluminum Association Communications VP Steve Gardner, who said consumers associate aluminum with sustainability. Nevertheless global and domestic efforts to streamline sustainability-in-packaging standards—by Walmart, the FTC, and ISO—constitute a “Wild West” of organizations vying to establish the accepted benchmarks. For details, click here. 2011 Marlan Boultinghouse Award—Steve Williamson, Vice President, Commercial, ARCO Aluminum was announced as the recipient of the 2011 Marlan Boultinghouse Award for service to the aluminum industry. For details, click here. Association President to Retire at Year's End—Aluminum Association President Steve Larkin announced to the Association’s Board of Directors that he will retire at the end of 2011. Larkin joined the Association in 1998. Aluminum Association Chairman Steven J. Demetriou, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aleris International Inc., is leading a search committee to identify Larkin’s successor. “While the board of directors is sorry to be losing such an outstanding leader, this is a well-earned retirement,” said Demetriou. “Steve has remade the Association into a lean, cost-effective organization that provides real value to its members.” For details, click here. |
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