At the beginning of the year, and even as recently as March, the extent of our shared health crisis could not have possibly been imagined. Very quickly, however, following updates from national and international health organizations and the federal government, everyone, including all of us at the Pressure Sensitive Tape Council (PSTC), began to make strategic decisions regarding how to not only navigate the perilous situation, but how to move forward.

One of the bigger decisions, which was indeed difficult to make, was to cancel our inaugural Tape Week that was originally slated for May 4-7 of this year in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. In the end, it proved to be the right choice in consideration of the health and safety of our members and attendees, and we have since rescheduled the event to next year at the same time and place.

Through this crisis, though, one major lesson was reinforced for us at PSTC: Our network is resilient, and our bonds in the face of adversity are strong. Our ongoing dedication to our industry comes in many forms, and we have been busy both preparing for our collective future and ensuring that we give support to our community where it is needed, making available numerous resources to assist our members in this difficult time and help them mitigate potential financial and market declines.

Go with Tape

In my last ASI column in September 2019 and in a Bonding with ASI podcast this past April, I discussed PSTC’s move to begin delving into the automotive vertical. Following our successful introduction of sessions covering building and construction in 2019 at Tape Summit, we are excited to drive ahead and add this vertical to our list of educational offerings at Tape Week 2021.

We will publish a number of resources on this topic that we are currently working on, including research studies and infographics. A brief introduction to the benefits of pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) tape usage in the automotive industry can be found on our website, and we look forward to fully building that out in the months to come as we begin to make our research publically available.

Coming Together

Every year, PSTC holds two Member Business Meetings, one in the spring that coincides with Tape Week and a standalone in the fall that focuses on high-level, strategic discussion. Our theme for this year’s Fall Member Business Meeting is “Adapt, Survive, Thrive.” At the time of this writing, we expect to hold this event in person October 28-29 at the Hyatt Gainey Ranch and Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz.

We invite individuals from our member companies who are involved in the decision-making processes of their organizations to join us for what will be a recap of our collective efforts during the health crisis. We will provide a learning experience on how to successfully move forward to ensure a more stable future, along with, as always, a couple of days of relaxation, entertainment, and catching up with colleagues and friends.

Open Channel of Communication

One of the greatest benefits of being part of a robust organization like PSTC is the extended network and true community of like-minded individuals that members are able to connect with, whether it be in person or online. Through tumultuous times when we are all faced with uncertainty, our bond is stronger than ever.

Since March, we have remained committed to keeping our communications frequent and open with our members to offer multi-faceted support. Whether that includes webinars from law firms on labor and employment during a pandemic, economic forecasting and market prediction tools, or educational resources to continue honing technical and hands-on knowledge, we are dedicated to keeping our members informed and prepared when it matters most.

As we finish out the summer and move into the fall, stay on the lookout for our steady release of automotive industry materials. We will also share additional details about the much-anticipated Tape Week 2021.
 

For more information, visit www.pstc.org.