UNITECR - Unified International Technical Conference on Refractories 2011

We would like to inform all of you with great pleasure that the 12th UNTECR will be held in Kyoto, Japan at Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, 2011.

Although the economy surrounding the manufacturing industries is steadily improving especially in Asian developing countries, there are still serious concerns for the refractories industry in other countries. To overcome the downturn and move forward, it is important that all of the refractory producers and users increase their efforts in the field and in the lab, to continue making improvements and develop new technology, which should include a multi-disciplinary approach with input and collaboration from other fields and technologies. Technical developments have supported the refractory industry throughout history, providing the key driving force for advancement and prosperity.

The refractories industry involves many fields and special topics. And in recent years a field that the refractories industry has given increasing attention is the “global environment”, because of the need to preserve and protect it. In the previous meeting, we have seen the high level of interest and activity in environmental issues, with a significant number of presentations on the subject. So we recognize that it is necessary for all of us to become more aware and devote more effort to effectively deal with the existing and new challenges, and overcome the problems.

Therefore, we have decided to adopt the slogan, "Refractories-Technology to Sustain the Global Environment", for the Kyoto meeting in 2011. This slogan shows our enthusiastic determination to tackle this difficult task directly. We hope that all of you agree with this theme for UNITECR 2011. Those of us on the staff of UNITECR 2011, sincerely hope that you will join us in supporting the theme that we have chosen and help us to successfully complete our meeting.

Finally, we would like to introduce you to KYOTO, which was the o