HOUSTON — The Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC) and the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) have halted discussions of a possible merger, the groups announced. The NACE board of directors voted to reject a merger proposal submitted by a panel of representatives of the two groups, which have been discussing such a combination for two years. The NACE board also moved “to suspend further negotiations at this time,” NACE said.

In a statement announcing the decision, NACE said that “although the benefits of a merger appear to outweigh the disadvantages, it became increasingly clear during the negotiation process that the operating philosophies of the two organizations are very different.”

The SSPC board of governors took no action on the merger proposal at a meeting prior to the NACE decision. SSPC representatives identified some “problem areas” in the merger proposal, and delayed any vote until several issues were resolved. NACE said its board “was not comfortable” with some of the recommendations made in the merger proposal and the additional issues raised by the SSPC.

The discussions “made it clear that NACE and SSPC are still very far apart in the merger negotiations,” NACE said. The organization said its board will “actively pursue other alternatives to benefit members in the protective coatings industry.”