FPMA, IAFIS agree to merge

On Nov. 2, the board of directors of the Food Processing Machinery Assn. (FPMA) announced that it had approved a merger with the International Assn. of Food Industry Suppliers (IAFIS). In a memo informing members of the proposed merger, FPMA President George Melnykovich said the union of the two groups would be called the Food Processing Suppliers Assn. He remarked that the intent behind the union is to provide the members of each association "the strongest possible programs to meet the challenges and exploit the opportunities this new millennium will bring."Melnykovich said there will be a special meeting of the FPMA membership at the association office on Nov. 28 to vote on the merger.FPMA is currently based in Alexandria, Va.; IAFIS' headquarters are some 20 miles away in McLean, Va. Neither association has revealed where the new trade group's offices might be located.For more information on FPMA, visit www.fpmamail.com. To learn more about IAFIS, visit www.iafis.org.