ASTM InTernATIonAl · PDF fileASTM INTERNATIONAL 3 Helping o ur World Work Better Defined and...

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www.astm.org ASTM INTERNATIONAL Helping Our World Work Better Every Day

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Page 1: ASTM InTernATIonAl · PDF fileASTM INTERNATIONAL 3 Helping o ur World Work Better Defined and set by us, some 12,000 ASTM standards operate globally. Applied to just about everything

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ASTMInTernATIonAlHelping our World Work Better every Day

Page 2: ASTM InTernATIonAl · PDF fileASTM INTERNATIONAL 3 Helping o ur World Work Better Defined and set by us, some 12,000 ASTM standards operate globally. Applied to just about everything

ASTM INTERNATIONAL 3ASTM INTERNATIONAL 3

Helping our World Work Better Defined and set by us, some 12,000 ASTM standards operate globally. Applied to just about everything from steel to sustainability, our work improves the lives of millions every day.

We were founded in 1898 by a forward-thinking group of scientists and engineers, getting together to address frequent rail breaks in the emerging railway industry. This willingness to innovate – and to find practical and relevant business solutions – is still core to our character.

Today, as one of the world's largest and most established standards creating organizations, we work across political and geographical borders, disciplines and industries; it’s attention to detail with a worldview.

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FOREWORD 2

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INTRODUCTION

OPERATING GLOBALLY

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

HOW WE WORK 5THE ROLE OF STANDARDS

13ASTM COMPASS™ PORTAL

TRAINING

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21CONCLUSION

TESTING AND CERTIFICATION

MEMBERSHIP

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From ice hockey helmets to isotopes, ASTM’s standards harness the expertise and commitment of its members.

Created using good science, good engineering and good judgment, ASTM standards improve performance in manufacturing and materials, products and processes, systems and services.

In keeping with the spirit of our founders, it’s not enough that things should just work safely. To raise performance, our standards should also help things work appropriately, efficiently and profitably, whether they’re influencing entire industries or encouraging emerging economies.

To ensure our standards combine market relevance with the highest technical quality, businesses, governments and individuals collaborate openly and transparently. This objectivity, alongside our international reach, has made ours the trusted standard of choice worldwide.

Providing the flexibility required in today's professional environment, all of our products and services – from standards and publications to training modules and testing programs – are constantly and easily available in a range of formats worldwide.

Relevance and effectiveness also runs through the thinking behind the innovative business services we offer to complement our standards. The pace of change and development never slows so the last thing we want is to keep people waiting.

From the toy in a child’s hand to the aircraft overhead, ASTM helps everyone have confidence in the things they buy and use. By understanding commercial needs and consumer priorities, we touch every part of everyday life – helping our world work better.

INTRODUCTION

Touching every Part of everyday life

“ From the toy in a child’s hand to the aircraft overhead, ASTM helps everyone have confidence in the things they buy and use.”

80 percentage of world commodity trade affected by standards

90 industry sectors represented

Sports safety and performance are a constant source of innovation in standards, pushed by improvements in speed and endurance. Whether its ski bindings or the stadiums in which the sports are enjoyed, ASTM is at the forefront of innovation.

rUSSIA SPorTS

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The work of ASTM's founders led to standardization of the steel used in the rail industry. This led to safer, more reliable railways for the public and a more viable and profitable business for the pioneering railway companies.

As new industries grew – often on the back of the spreading railroads – and new governmental and environmental initiatives followed, the call for more standardization also grew. ASTM was there to answer.

Today, in essence, nothing has changed. Standards still ensure safety, quality and reliability. But over a century later, the ever-increasing speed and scope of technological innovation means new and different market opportunities constantly arise, be they advances in manufacture of pharmaceutical products or developments in unmanned aircraft systems.

Rigorous and Relevant Our rigorous standards development process is based on the principle of voluntary consensus. This means giving everyone the opportunity to be involved in the creation of a standard and in defining its final content.

While consensus is key to the process of establishing agreement, it’s important in other ways too. The ultimate effectiveness of a standard is dependent on its relevance to the market. Harnessing the input of people who know the ins and outs of the products and services in question ensures that ASTM standards are meaningful and appropriate to the individuals and organizations who use them.

Beyond traditional markets, our scope is constantly expanding, driven by increased world trade and an information-led society that has transformed everyone’s expectations. By embracing this progressive agenda year after year we find ourselves addressing an ever wider range of innovative sectors – from nanotechnology to smart manufacturing technologies.

Important for Everyone Our role is truly global. By keeping everyone to the same standard, customers are given a recognizable point of reference. For businesses, the equality our standards generate is key to increasing productivity and maximizing resources. Manufacturers and innovators know absolutely what a standard requires of them, making product development a more viable and efficient process. Equality of performance, safety and quality can help economies move into new markets by ensuring free and fair global trade. And ultimately – thanks to their clarity, rigor and honesty – our standards are then incorporated into contracts, regulations, codes and laws around the world.

“ our progressive agenda means addressing an ever wider range of innovative sectors – from nanotechnology to smart manufacturing technologies.”

THE ROLE OF STANDARDS

Important.every Day.

12,577ASTM standards applied worldwide

6,733ASTM standards have been adopted, used as a reference, or used as the basis of national standards outside the USA.

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African countries such as Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa and Zimbabwe are among those making up the Southern African Development Community Cooperation in Standardization. Zimbabwe hasintroduced the mandatory blendingof all motor vehicle fuels, and petroleumstandards are now referenced innational regulations.

ZIMBABWECOMMERCE & INDUSTRY

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Since our founding, we have been committed to a unique principle that makes ASTM standards accepted and trusted worldwide. That principle is openness.

Experts, individuals and organizations representing industry, academia, governments, trade associations, consultants and consumers, all have an equal voice in determining a standard’s content.

Our standards development system facilitates the open exchange of expertise and knowledge. This leads to a transparent process that’s open to anyone, anywhere, with an interest in a standard’s development and use. The end result is standards that are not only timely and relevant, but fully representative of consensus from the sectors to which they apply.

Everyone is Welcome The process of standards development starts with ASTM members and their voluntary participation in more than 140 technical committees. Anyone with an interest in the field covered is eligible and welcome to join. Thanks to their high levels of active involvement, responsiveness and sheer hard work, the committees are accurate barometers of the international markets they serve. Currently over 140 countries are represented by our 30,000-strong membership.

ASTM committees draw on a broad range of expertise and experience. And in the spirit of collaboration and consensus, it is these members who determine which standards development activities the committees pursue.

Anyone, from anywhere around the world, can request the development of a new standard. Once it has been submitted to us, we assess if there is sufficient demand from the marketplace, and if parallel activities already exist in other organizations. Once the need is understood and established, the appropriate committee puts the request into action.

Having flexible and innovative technology helps ASTM members develop standards. Each committee decides on its own approach, usually combining face-to-face meetings with virtual meetings and our Internet-based collaboration areas. Other resources, such as electronic balloting, mean standards development can take as little as six months, underlining ASTM's reputation for responding quickly to industry and business needs and priorities.

Vital Tools We see the hallmarks of our standards – relevance, rigor, transparency, shared expertise and speed – as aids to innovation, not hurdles to be overcome. For us they are vital tools that give everyone an equal start – stimulating business, production and new thinking.

ASTM's standards provide the reassurance governments need to put policy and regulation into practice — whether it's protecting public health and safety, enhancing consumer and environmental protection, or procuring goods and services. That’s why over 6,000 ASTM standards have been referenced in international regulations or become the basis of national standards.

“ Currently over 140 countries are represented by our 30,000-strong membership.”

HOW WE WORK

over a Century of openness

145main committees

2,014subcommittees

Often referred to as the world standard for amusement ride design, F2291 and other standards from ASTM are used and accepted by Bolivia and other countries around the world.

BOLIVIA AMUSEMENT RIDE DESIGN

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OPERATING GLOBALLY

Universal equality of opportunity

ASTM is one of the world's largest voluntary standards developing organizations, but it is the scale of our involvement and our influence globally that counts for more.

Our development process works across political, cultural and geographical borders, embracing all the principles of the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade. ASTM achieves global consensus by involving representatives of business, trade associations, government and academia. Each of these members has an equal vote in areas as diverse as metals, paints, plastics, energy, the environment, consumer products, medical services, construction and nanotechnology.

By recognizing expertise, not country of origin, ASTM's process fosters a massive range of activity and a phenomenal exchange of knowledge. It gives us a vital role in the information infrastructure influencing global manufacturing and trade. It also gives us an unparalleled and valued perspective on the workings of the world economy.

The World’s Standards Partner Trusted and known for their market relevance and very high level of technical quality, ours are the standards of choice for many global industries. In fact, nearly 50% of them are distributed outside the USA. Due to the transparent way in which we produce them, many global companies also choose to do their standards development work within ASTM and participate in our system. But we believe our responsibility doesn’t begin and end with their supply.

We believe in the power of standards to inspire and enable people and economies. So, as part of our commitment to global cooperation, we provide global outreach programs to increase knowledge and understanding about standards and their application. These include information exchange, business agreements and partnerships, conferences, training, seminars and workshops – all supported by publications in a wide range of media.

Finally, our Memorandum of Understanding Program provides tangible encouragement and practical help to developing economies. It promotes communication between ASTM International and national standards bodies worldwide. This makes it easier for technical experts from around the world to participate in our standards development process. It also helps them apply those standards locally. These experts, from any country, can then join and get involved as full ASTM voting members.

We’re proud to be widely regarded as the world’s standards partner. Our work is increasingly instrumental to the future growth of industries and economies, so the invitation to join ASTM is always open to anyone.

“ We believe in the power of standards to inspire and enable people and economies.”

6ASTM complies with the six WTO principles for international standards development: transparency, openness, consensus, relevance, coherence and development dimension.

92memorandums of understanding

When Doosan Heavy Industries in South Korea needed to specify components for a new desalination plant in the United Arab Emirates, it required POSCO Steel Co. of South Korea to meet ASTM steel specification A240.

SOUTH KOREA STEEL

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CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Keeping Pace With Change

195new standards issued in 2014

1,819revised standards issued in 2014

The first commercial flight using farnesane, a renewable jet fuel enabled by ASTM standard D7566, flew fans to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

We live in a world where the pace of change is constantly increasing. ASTM standards reflect that world, which is why they are all part of a continuous process of review and revision.

Staying relevant and fully aligned to user needs is the task we continually set for ourselves. All our standards are completely reviewed every five years, but in fast-moving sectors, updates are often issued much more frequently than that.

To improve the process of setting and reviewing standards, our global members are linked through a standards development process that’s flexible, transparent and built on consensus. Many already consider it the best in the world for its openness, its responsiveness and the high quality of its output.

This is all good to know and we’re proud to be thought of in this way.

However, for an organization created to ensure the highest standards, we can’t ignore the quality of our own. Which is why we apply the same ambition and determination to constantly innovate and improve our own systems and services.

So, to give us an unrivalled infrastructure we’ve introduced powerful tools and technologies. These include our customized MyASTM portal and our Internet-based collaboration areas – virtual meetings combined with teleconferencing and Internet document viewing.

Tools like this give ASTM members the ability to be in instant contact, seamlessly sharing thinking and experience with counterparts. They provide around-the-clock access for writing and revising drafts, enabling everyone to register and track draft documents and standards before, during and after balloting.

Electronic balloting and email notifications help us make sure we continue to meet industry needs quickly. Our reputation for timely as well as relevant standards demands it.

“ our global members are linked through a standards development process that’s flexible, transparent and built on consensus.”

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BRAZILRENEWABLE JET FUEL

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Speed, balanced with expertise and knowledge, is the philosophy behind ASTM Compass™. This powerful online platform gives customers and members 24/7 access to information, deeper insight into new developments, and new tools to train, collaborate and manage all this information.

With our platform, customers can log into a personal portal, anytime, anywhere and see their chosen content instantly. Updated weekly, we guarantee it’s always the latest available information.

Organizations can tailor their own content, with access to over 12,000 ASTM standards, and over 52,000 journal papers and book chapters from our Digital Library.

Compass™ provides everything from training modules to translated standards. It’s not just access to our own expertise either. Third-party regulations and standards are also available, along with the option to add other material that’s relevant to a particular business or individual.

By clicking on a series of hyperlinks – Standards, Training, Digital Library – personal and professional knowledge can be broadened and searches refined. For training, users have access to our Learning Management System (LMS) – enabling them to benefit from specific online tools and training resources.

Compass™ also makes managing and identifying the many changes to your content easier. Through our groundbreaking ‘Redlined’ versions of standards, users can view changes to a standard since its last published version.

Combining tailored content with powerful, user-friendly tools means everyone can collaborate and communicate more effectively. Vital for training as well as motivation and learning, Compass™ keeps everyone up to date, while providing a means of passing on and preserving critical corporate knowledge to future generations.

ASTM COMPASS™ PORTAL

A Quicker Way to learn, Train and Work “ Combining tailored content with powerful,

user-friendly tools means everyone can collaborate and communicate more effectively.”

17,170journal papers are accessible through Compass™

35,602symposia papers and chapters

The Qatar National Library has a countrywide agreement with ASTM International whereby all government departments, academic institutions, and state-owned and private corporations working in Qatar have access to ASTM standards and technical information.

QATAR NATIONAL LIBRARY

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ASTM's informed and relevant standards are drawn from the expertise of the sector or business to which they apply. We take the same approach with training.

Our training courses are relevant, practical and hands-on, helping individuals and businesses get the most out of the standards that are critical to overall quality and performance.

Our award-winning course content is always driven by what our customers need. The same applies to how they are accessed. Our training formats range from self-guided e-learning and continuing education programs to intensive three- day face-to-face seminars that focus ruthlessly on industry specific issues.

From aviation fuel to environmental site assessment, our classes provide in-depth education on understanding, performing and applying ASTM International standards.

Some participants are preparing for new positions or responsibilities. Others are following continuing education for professional development and certification requirements. Courses include open enrollment options at cities around the world, on-site for individual firms and online to accommodate busy schedules.

A new Learning Management System also incorporates online training within our portal, ASTM Compass™. This lets firms see what training their employees have taken, track their progress and assign other courses.

All our training is delivered by experts in specific fields with a genuine understanding of the challenges clients face.

“ From aviation fuel to environmental site assessment, our classes provide in-depth education on understanding, performing and applying ASTM International standards.”TRAINING

Training from the experts 1,500

people trained annually in ASTM courses

100training courses

When Caltex Australia Petroleum wanted to train employees about aviation fuels, they contracted with ASTM subject experts for their world-class training in this area.

AUSTRALIA AVIATION FUELSTRAINING

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With more rigorous demands made on products and materials of all kinds, being certain is now invaluable, which is why ASTM’s testing and certification services matter.

Proficiency TestingOur proficiency testing services will help your laboratories:

ɥ confirm and improve competence ɥ meet laboratory accreditation requirements ɥ compare results and statistical parameters against other laboratories worldwide.

Conducted on a lab-by-lab basis, all samples are tested according to ASTM methods. The resulting data is then assessed by us and used to generate statistical summary reports. These reports are invaluable to organizations of all kinds, giving a clear benchmark for excellence in laboratory processes and practice within specific sectors.

Interlaboratory Study Program Responding to the need for test methods to be of known and documented quality, the ILS program ensures precision statements are included in ASTM test methods.

As our founders would have seen it, quality needs a yardstick by which to be judged. By providing one, backed up by hard data, we enable businesses to set objectives and parameters, and understand what they need to achieve to succeed.

Certification and DeclarationNot everyone can take your word for it. In such cases, the word of an independent and impeccable source is needed. That’s what our certification and declaration programs provide.

For industries that need an independent third-party evaluation – as either a product or personnel certification – our voluntary programs demonstrate compliance to standards or regulatory demands.

A product certified through a program is tested, at our direction, by a third-party laboratory to determine its ability to conform to one or more standards.

Any organization, wherever in the world they are, with a product falling within the scope of an ASTM Certification Program is eligible to have its products apply for this verification. And it’s well worth it.

For industries and manufacturers, it answers regulatory pressure and reinforces consumer confidence – both in the products and in the certification and testing process. It also provides a level playing field, establishing that competing products are all tested and rated to the same standard.

As ever, in the spirit of openness, requests for a program can come from ASTM technical committees or directly from manufacturers, purchasers or government.

The Right Person Alongside our Product Certification Program, we also offer a program for personnel.

Individuals certified through the ASTM Personnel Certification Program are deemed to have the right and relevant levels of education, experience and qualifications. They also commit to take part in continuing education to meet an industry code of conduct. Once certified, personnel are recertified on a periodic basis.

Any person meeting the eligibility requirements of any ASTM Personnel Certification Program may apply. And as with the product program, it’s well worth doing so.

Employers have a tangible means of assessing potential or existing employees, while employees have an objective way of standing out from others as they pursue greater professional recognition and success.

TESTING AND CERTIFICATION

Independent and objective

52 proficiency testing programs involve 4,700 laboratories and 6,500 units of participation; 58% of participation from outside USA

306 active interlaboratory study programs

The global trade of rubber, a great deal of which comes from Malaysia, largely depends on ASTM International standards. International corporate laboratories and independent labs test rubber and latex according to ASTM International standards. More than 350 ASTM standards have been adopted, referenced or used as a basis for national Malaysian standards.

MALAYSIA RUBBER

5,450 standards are test methods

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Anyone who feels they can contribute expertise, opinion and experience to influence the standards being set for their industry is welcome to join us.

The work of our international members makes products and services better, safer and more cost-effective. It brings benefits for manufacturers and corporations, as well as increasing accessibility, reliability, diversity of choice and performance for the products we all buy.

Membership As a participating ASTM member you will actively develop new standards and revise existing ones. This is done in a uniquely cooperative and open environment. This free flow of ideas attracts the top stakeholders in your field. Working directly with other leading scientists and engineers, you will develop intellectual property that leads thinking in new trends and technology.

This brings access to the latest information on new and revised standards directly impacting your business, partners and customers. Through involvement in our open and voluntary global standards system, your support will contribute to the growth of your employees, industry and international trade.

Participating members receive the following benefits:

ɥ one free volume of the Annual Book of ASTM Standards in whichever format best suits you

ɥ the scope to influence the development of standards

ɥ the opportunity to network and exchange ideas with your peers

ɥ professional development opportunities ɥ greater access to current information impacting your industry by attending meetings, symposia and workshops

ɥ access to recognition of leadership and contribution through ASTM’s Honors and Awards Program

ɥ contact information for other members in your industry

ɥ 10% discount on all ASTM publications ɥ free annual subscription to ASTM Standardization News

ɥ reduced symposia registration fees

Organizational Membership In addition to all of the benefits of a participating member, organizational membership benefits include:

ɥ a listing in the online Organizational Member Directory on the ASTM website (which includes your organization’s name, logo and a hyperlink to your website)

ɥ the right to display the organizational member logo on your website, with links to key sections of the ASTM website

ɥ an organizational member plaque

Student Membership ASTM International actively welcomes the next generation of technical experts. Free and open to all undergraduates, student membership gives scholars a thorough knowledge and grounding in the standardization process and a clear view of how standards are applied in the workplace.

MEMBERSHIP

Helping to Make the Difference

30,000+global ASTM members

148countries participating in ASTM

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has recognized ASTM for its development of safety standards for juvenile products.

USA ToY SAFeTY

“ Through involvement in our open and voluntary global standards system, your support will contribute to the growth of your employees, industry and to international trade.”

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Aerospace and Shipbuilding

Agriculture

Asset Management

Automotive

Building and Construction

Chemicals

Consumer Products

Energy and Utilities

Environment

Food Processing

Health Care and Medical Devices

Information Technology

Manufacturing

Metals

Mining and Mineral Processing

Oil and Gas

Pulp and Paper

Quality

Safety and Security

Services

Sports and Leisure

Textiles and Leather

Transportation and Logistics

ASTM Standards Cover:

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The last Word in Standards In a uniquely open process, we develop the voluntary standards that influence every aspect of daily life.

Alongside them we offer a range of value added business services. These ensure that standards and the learning, training, applying and managing of them bring value and competitive edge to those who use them.

With global influence, yet practical accessibility and everyday relevance, we are the standard of choice for thousands of companies and organizations. We also provide the reassurance governments often need to put policy into practice through regulations and trade.

In all of this, we are like the pioneers who founded our organization to solve the problems of early rail travel. We’re ready to innovate. We value good sense. We’re willing to share and driven to be relevant and accountable. Above all, our ongoing ambition is to make sure that what we do benefits every person who reaches out to use a product or service.

We help make the world work better.

If you want to be involved in our work, we invite you to get in touch. We’ll be happy and proud to welcome you on board.

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ASTM International Headquarters 100 Barr Harbor DriveP.O. Box C700West ConshohockenPA 19428-2959 USA tel +1.610.832.9500

Brussels, BelgiumSara Gobbitel [email protected]

Ottawa, CanadaDiane C. Thompsontel [email protected]

Beijing, ChinaLiu Feitel [email protected]

Mexico City, MexicoLuis Ordoneztel [email protected]

Washington, D.C., USAJeffrey Grovetel [email protected]

Standards, Publications & Productstel +1.877.909.ASTM (USA & Canada)tel +1.610.832.9585 (International)[email protected] Customer Supporttel [email protected] Join ASTMtel [email protected]

www.astm.org September 2014