Our Spring Bulletin provides me with an opportunity to highlight some important features of our programme over the forthcoming months. This Bulletin marks the start of our focused themes, with articles relating to Metals Processing. Inside you will find contributions from Namtec, ECM2 and the Materials Advisory Service. It is our policy to give members an opportunity to promote their activities in our Bulletins.

Our mailing list can be measured in thousands and so for a modest membership fee you can achieve wide coverage amongst others in Wales with an interest in Materials and their applications. Remember our Bulletin also appears on our website which in turn is linked to the central WDA web pages. Our membership list is growing faster than we originally anticipated in our Business Plan. We are pleased about this but would encourage others to join and benefit from the Materials Technology Forum. You will find an address to contact us about membership on the back page.

A further benefit of membership is free attendance at our events and seminars. In May - on Thursday, 8th - we are holding our annual prestigious event at the Deeside College. Registration details are included with the brochure. This year the topic is on Aerospace Materials which, arguably, is the most challenging industry for materials engineers.

Certainly, the aerospace industry has provided major advances in technology over the past fifty years, and Materials have made a significant contribution to that process. What changes in materials, their form and processing will now be required to maintain growth into the twenty first century? We are fortunate, therefore, to have two high profile speakers in Dr Steve Garwood, FR.Eng. from Rolls Royce and Dr Roger Digby from Airbus UK to answer these questions. Both have a wealth of experience and expertise in their fields and will, I am sure, provide fascinating insights into 'The Art of the Possible' and material developments over the forthcoming decade.

Our programme, however, does not finish with the prestigious event. Later in the year, we will address leading issues including NANO technology and Sustainable, renewable materials.