The International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) has published its Annual Review for 2020/2021, detailing the activities and achievements of the Association on behalf of its members over the last year.
IMOA is a non-profit trade association, representing the majority of the molybdenum industry worldwide.
Speaking after IMOA’s 33rd AGM, held virtually for the second year, Eva Model, IMOA’s new Secretary-General, commented: “Despite challenging market conditions, I am delighted to report that IMOA has continued to successfully deliver significant progress across its market development, health, safety and environment and other programme areas.”
IMOA’s ability to adapt and operate effectively online led to a significant audience expansion across its market development programmes. Thousands of attendees accessed IMOA’s webinars in China, hosted in partnership with domestic organizations such as the China Stainless Steel Council, AT (Architecture Technique) and New Steel. Elsewhere over 20 webinars, hosted with the Nickel Institute and local associations, were attended by thousands of engineers, architects and fabricators in Singapore, Malaysia, India and Vietnam. The recent development of AISC standards for structural stainless steel in North America, funded in conjunction with several partner organizations, will open up new opportunities for growth in building and construction, including large infrastructure projects such as bridges.
“Facilitating the use of stainless and high strength steels is a key element of IMOA’s market development work. The benefit of having a new AISC structural stainless steel design specification in the US will be far-reaching and is anticipated to expand the market potential for molybdenum-containing stainless steels globally.”
Eva Model, secretary-general, IMOA
Model spoke of the Steel Construction Institute’s High Strength Steel Design and Execution Guide, published with the support of IMOA, which explains the specification, design and fabrication of HSS in structures. “This will support an increased use of HSS in building and construction projects,” she said, adding that HSS developed in joint projects between IMOA and leading steel makers, are now being commercially produced and used in a number of industries.
According to IMOA, the work of the HSE Committee – seeking to ensure that regulatory decisions are based on rigorous scientific evidence – remains as important as ever and there have been some notable successes this year. The Association has provided its ‘robust scientific datasets’ for use in several regulatory proposals on water quality standards in Canada and the USA.
Where human health is concerned, an IMOA authored chapter on molybdenum for Patty’s Toxicology, a well-known, prestigious reference handbook for industrial hygienists and toxicologists, was completed and accepted for publication. Eva commented: “These developments underscore the importance of robust science in ensuring regulatory decisions are appropriate and we remain committed to developing and disseminating high-quality scientific data about molybdenum.”
“Despite challenging market conditions, I am delighted to report that IMOA has continued to successfully deliver significant progress across its market development, health, safety and environment and other programme areas.”
Eva Model, secretary-general, IMOA.
Model praised the work of outgoing IMOA secretary-general Tim Outteridge who retired after 13 years in the role during which he had ‘many successes’.
Looking ahead, she concluded: “I am very much looking forward to working with the experienced and well recognized IMOA team, our members, committees and our many industry stakeholders to ensure that IMOA continues to go from strength to strength. Over the next few years our key priority will be to deliver our strategic plan through a market development programme that adapts to changing market needs, and an HSE programme that maintains an effective radar, drawing on our extensive network of experts to proactively respond to emerging regulatory issues and embedding IMOA as the go-to body for robust scientific molybdenum data.”
