Membership Information

NCCA is a non-profit association of major producers of basic chemical and allied products. Association members are, in turn, members of one or more of NCCA's Divisions: Chemical/Plastics and International. Representatives of each Division sit on the Executive Board which governs the Association. The Association has, in addition, an Executive Secretary through whom various support services are provided, including the gathering and dissemination of credit reports on common customers. The members meet four times a year and exchange credit information about common customers.

Membership in the Association is open to major producers of chemical products having substantial national or, in the case of the International Division, multi-national distribution of chemical and allied products. Prospective members are required to meet a number of objective criteria to become members of the Association, such as: a.) having an independent credit department (so that credit information cannot be made available to sales personnel); b.) substantial national distribution; and c.) commonality (showing of substantial sales to debtors who are also members of the Division to which application is made).

All members distribute their products widely and are in every sense in competition with one another. The purpose of the Association is to assist the credit departments of member companies to make decisions with respect to the extension of credit based on current and accurate information. Experience has taught that the most important basis of an informed and impartial credit decision is accurate information showing the historical credit experience of the prospective customer. The decision of whether to extend credit is for the individual member to decide and is not discussed at meetings or in any way related to the purposes of the Association. NCCA exists only for the purpose of providing a forum and means for obtaining the most accurate and up-to-date data as to the most recent paying practices of common debtors, regardless of whether they are new or continuing customers. The purpose of exchanging such credit experience information is to help members distinguish fiction from fact so that they may be able to make a competent and realistic credit decision.

Finally, the Association encourages discussions at meetings relating to general credit management problems and procedures for the purpose of providing a forum for the continued education of members in developing improved day-to-day credit management policies and practices.