The Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) traces its roots to the closing days of World War II when a group of entrepreneurs engaged in the still-fledgling industry involved in making parts from metal powder were faced with a looming crisis.

With the close of the war, the industry—which until then had consisted primarily of self-lubricating bearings—would be saddled with a severe surplus production capacity that had been geared up for the war effort. That is, unless the industry could expand its existing markets and develop new ones in what was sure to be a period of economic boom as GIs came home to resume life as consumers.

To promote their technology to a then-skeptical engineering community, to develop the essential standards and testing methods customers would demand, and to obtain crucial and reliable statistical data about the vitality of the industry and its future prospects, the industry would need to set aside differences and speak with single voice. So these visionary pioneers arrived at a momentous decision: they would form a trade association.

What began as a single association embracing all the diverse players involved in the industry—often with conflicting interests, agendas, and priorities—eventually evolved into a federation serving as an umbrella over six different associations, each representing a distinct segment of the industry: powder producers, parts fabricators, and process equipment manufacturers.

The Federation’s growth has paralleled the growth of the industry it serves. In 1973 the Federation moved its headquarters from New York City to Princeton, N.J., where it is currently located and where its staff of dedicated professionals strives to help the organization achieve its mission: to be the international trade association serving the global interests of the North American PM and contiguous industries.

Click above to watch a video celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of MPIF (produced in 2004).

(Click here to read a highly detailed history of MPIF’s first 50 years, written by the organization’s first executive director, Kempton H. “Kemp” Roll.)