PANEL SESSION:
Regulatory pressures within the coatings industry – problems and solutions - Panel session - Hosted by Oil & Colour Chemists’ Association (OCCA)
Time & Location
Thursday: 12.00 to 13.00, Stage 2
Host/Panellists:
Oil & Colour Chemists’ Association (OCCA)
About this Session
Confirmed panellists/speakers include:
1. Paul Sheppard Regulatory and Compliance Manager, HMG Paints Limited
2. Graham Armstrong Sales and Technology Mentor, Indestructible Paint Limited
3. Con Robert McElroy Senior Lecturer in Green Chemistry, University of Lincoln
Regulatory pressures within the coatings industry – problems and solutions (OCCA)
Paul Sheppard will open the presentation by listing the various regulatory pressures and coatings industry specific chemicals that are affected. Con McElroy will follow this by discussing safer and greener alternatives to restricted dipolar aprotic solvents used during the process for recycling Lithium-Ion batteries. Graham Armstrong will finish the session by discussing Chrome free alternatives to the REACH Authorised substance Chromium Trioxide traditionally used in inorganic coatings for corrosion protection of compressor blades in aeroengine and industrial gas turbines.
Panellists:
Paul Sheppard
Regulatory and Compliance Manager - HMG Paints Limited
Paul Sheppard is currently the Regulatory and Compliance Manager for HMG Paints Limited, and part of the Senior Leadership Team of the largest independent industrial paint manufacturer in the UK.
Paul gained a joint honours degree (Chemistry and Economics) and joined HMG through a work placement as part of a Graduate Gateway programme organised by the University of Salford. In his 27 years at HMG Paul has experienced many facets of the business, starting within the Colour Library (working with pigments and colourants), moving on to Quality Control and then Quality Assurance.
Paul gained most of his paint and regulatory knowledge during his formative years within Quality Assurance, from fixing paint problems to authoring quality manuals and co-ordinating REACH activities. Given his experience Paul moved into a research role and headed-up major development projects gaining the company’s largest customer. Following these successes, he moved on to manage the Laboratory which saw him handling compliance matters again centred around formulations.
Regulatory pressures (especially Brexit) saw Paul in great demand, tackling issues surrounding imports, exports and new UK and existing EU legislation, so he now heads up the Compliance Team at HMG Paints as Regulatory and Compliance Manager.
Paul has always been an avid OCCA supporter and has worked at a local level as a Manchester Section Committee member, Secretary and Chairman, and more recently on Council as Honorary Secretary and now President.
Dr. Con Robert McElroy
Senior Lecturer in Green Chemistry, University of Lincoln
Dr Rob McElroy is a Senior Lecturer in Green and Sustainable Chemistry at the University of Lincoln. His main research is around surfactants, phytomining and phytocatalysis, mesoporous carbons, bio-derived polymers and solvents.
He is one of the co-inventors of the solvent Cyrene and the CTO of the start-up Starbons Ltd. From his PhD in bio-derived pressure sensitive adhesives at Keele University, to a 2 year post doc in dialkyl carbonate chemistry at Ca Foscari (Venice), to 12 years at the University of York, Dr McElroy has always worked in the field of Green and Sustainable Chemistry.
He is particularly interested in working with industry to help solve issues and find opportunities in and around the transition to a circular economy. Rob
Graham J Armstrong FIMF FTSC
Sales and Technology Mentor, Indestructible Paint Limited
After over 50 years in the paints and coatings industries, Graham Armstrong should really be considering retirement, but the “buzz” of the industry keeps him going!
Starting in 1968 as the laboratory junior, paint just seemed to get in his blood, and a career full of interesting and exciting times has whizzed past in the blink of an eye! These 50 plus years have seen him in technical, marketing, sales and general management roles within several large and small paintmakers. During all these years, Graham has fully supported the technology societies linked with the paint industry. After several years as an OCCA member, he was delighted to be offered, and accept, the role of President from 2018-2021
In addition, Graham has long been involved with the Institute of Materials Finishing and was their President from 2013-2016. In 2019 he also accepted the role of Vice Chair of the Surface Engineering Leadership Forum (SELF