ChemEdge 2013 Projects Highest Participation Levels in Six Years in Dallas, Texas

DALLAS, Aug. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ChemEdge, the leading chemical distribution gathering in the United States, is kicking off today with a record setting year for both attendee and exhibitor numbers at the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) flagship event (August 21-23, Dallas, Texas).  Exhibitor numbers have grown 18% in the last three year with many new exhibitors joining the exhibit hall.  On the registration side, ChemEdge has seen an increase year over year since 2007, with 25% growth in individual participants. This year alone ChemEdge has over 130 first time attendees.  For 24 years, this event has provided critical information to help NACD members and others in the chemical distribution industry manage complex regulatory and operational issues affecting their operations and growth. 

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An additional workshop, held earlier in the week, concentrated on Responsible Distribution, enhancing members' ability to implement and continuously improve their implementation techniques.

Opening the Conference, NACD's president Chris Jahn stated, "You are here this week to learn how to make your operations better. To make sure you are knowledgeable about compliance requirements and meeting your Responsible Distribution commitments. Your commitment to 'Operational Excellence' is important to ensure our membership is ready to handle challenges in the future."  He went on to highlight a variety of resources available through the Association's government affairs department to assist member companies in understanding regulations that impact their operations. 

At the Conference, NACD announced a new program to support NACD's members' regulatory compliance needs in the form of a Regulatory Compliance Preferred Provider Program.  Jahn commented, "In this increasingly tough regulatory environment, it is imperative for your company to have direct access to the knowledge and information you need to be compliant. NACD is excited to introduce its new Preferred Regulatory Providers Program, a directory designed specifically for members to easily identify the NACD Affiliate that offers the regulatory expertise they need."  More information on this program can be found at: www.nacd.com/regulatory/providers.aspx.

New to the ChemEdge conference this year is a Poster Session in the Exhibit Hall providing case studies and new technologies in a visual format to allow attendees to bring new ideas and techniques back to their operations.  Also new to the Exhibit Hall is a featured area on Warehousing.  NACD Chemical Handler Affiliates filled that feature area demonstrating their warehouse capabilities to support NACD distributors and manufacturers.

Other key sessions include:

Keynote on Negotiations  - John Hamilton, author of KEEP Negotiation is this year's Keynote Speaker presenting his program, What's Mine is Mine, What's Yours is Negotiable. Hamilton identified the common mistakes made by negotiators, equipping attendees with practical sources of bargaining power and strategies that consistently achieve win-win results.

Regulatory Compliance and Strategy - A significant portion of the program is dedicated to regulatory compliance training.  Issues included an overview of regulatory initiatives and enforcement trends, the Global Harmonization System and more.

Challenges of Food Products Roundtable - This highly interactive session tackles questions such as: How does FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) affect distribution businesses? How does GMP and HACCP work in a food warehouse?

Benchmarking Success: Building an Operations Scorecard -  This session focused on building an operational scorecard designed to optimize operational efficiencies. When companies start to measure key elements of their operation, process evaluation and creativity begins to flourish.

For more information on ChemEdge, please visit our website at www.nacd.com.

NACD and its over 400 member companies are vital to the chemical supply chain providing products to over 750,000 end users. They make a delivery every six seconds while maintaining a safety record that is more than twice as good as all manufacturing combined. NACD members are leaders in health, safety, security, and environmental performance through implementation of Responsible Distribution, established in 1991 as a condition of membership and a third-party verified management practice. For additional information on our members, their safety record or NACD, visit NACD at www.nacd.com.

Contact: Lucinda Schofer
703/527-NACD (6223)

SOURCE National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD)