NEW YORK, NY -- U.S. leadership in developing and overseeing international standards plays a major role in bolstering the nation's larger economic health. U.S. companies and organizations can increase their competitive advantage over foreign competitors by helping to determine the standards that direct international trade and industry, providing essential support to the U.S. economy as a whole.
In its role as the official U.S. member body to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) facilitates the involvement of U.S. stakeholders from the private and public sectors in international standardization work. U.S. experts in relevant fields, such as automation systems and integration, are given the opportunity to help determine the future of their industries through active participation in U.S. Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) to a variety of ISO Technical Committees (TCs) and Subcommittees (SCs). U.S. TAGs are tasked with developing and implementing U.S. positions on ISO activities, including the approval, revision, and withdrawal of ISO standards.
The Electronic Commerce Code Management Association (ECCMA) serves as the ANSI-accredited administrator of the U.S. TAG to ISO TC 184, Automation systems and integration, as well as to two of its SCs. The U.S. TAG is currently seeking industry, government, and other interested experts to participate in the following ISO groups, which work on a variety of standards related to automation, especially in those areas related to manufacturing systems and integration:
- TC 184, Automation systems and integration
- TC 184, SC 4, Industrial data
- TC 184, SC 5, Interoperability, integration, and architectures for enterprise systems and automation applications
U.S. experts in automation systems and integration have the opportunity to get involved right away at industrial data working group meetings that will take place on November 11–16 in Miami.
"Becoming a U.S. delegate to an international meeting is a tremendous opportunity for an individual's career development and for the company they represent," said S. Joe Bhatia, ANSI president and CEO. "Time and again we have seen that those who understand how to effectively influence and address standardization and compliance issues have the greatest success in the global marketplace."
To participate in a U.S. TAG or learn about other ISO-related activities, contact Karen Hughes, ANSI program manager, ISO P membership ([email protected]; 212.642.4992). A list of all current ANSI-accredited U.S. TAGs to ISO is available here (PDF).
About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.
The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and is a U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).