September 10, 2008 The Toy Industry Association (TIA) and ANSI have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in support of the accreditation program of TIA's developing Toy Safety Certification Program (TSCP). The TSCP was created by TIA with the help of ANSI, consumer advocates, conformity assessment experts, toy companies, and retailers to improve toy safety and implement the new federal law requiring that manufacturers have their toy products tested by a qualified lab and certify that they meet safety standards.

September 10, 2008 Scheduled for 1 pm EDT on Oct 1, AWWA's webcast "Carbon Sequestration Rule: How Will It Affect Our Water Supply?" will address EPA's geologic carbon sequestration rule, which proposes new class of injection well specifically for injecting carbon dioxide into deep, underground geologic formations. Attendees will learn what rule covers including minimum technical criteria for geologic site characterization, fluid movement, well construction, and mechanical integrity testing.

September 10, 2008 Air Transport Association filed challenge to DOT Policy for Airport Rates and Charges, which was amended to allow airports to adopt form of congestion pricing. "Like DOT's other misguided attempts to foist unproven economic theory on traveling public, these measures would do nothing to address underlying causes of congestion and delay and would only make flying more expensive for passengers. Solution is for government to modernize air traffic control system and expand airspace capacity..."

September 10, 2008 Approved by House in July, H.R. 6532 legislation would restore Highway Trust Fund balance. NAM President, John Engler commends Secretary of Transportation, Mary Peters and Bush Administration for their urgent request for action and for backing legislation to avert crisis. NAM strongly supports this effort to return Highway Trust Fund to state of solvency. If left unresolved, everyone in nation who touches highway construction project will be adversely affected.

September 10, 2008 On Sept 10-12, more than 400 business leaders and public officials will gather at Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy to showcase business models and public policies for commercializing advanced biofuel technology. Plenary session will feature leaders from U.S. and Canadian companies working to bring advanced biofuels to market, while breakout sessions will highlight new companies and partnerships for developing advanced biofuels and biobased products.

September 10, 2008 On "America's Business with Mike Hambrick" radio program, NAM Executive VP, Jay Timmons said John McCain outlined strong vision for improving America's economy in his speech at Republican National Convention. He praised McCain for calling for lower taxes, more free and fair trade, and exporting freedom and democracy worldwide. Timmons said McCain talked extensively about how lower taxes can spur economy, and was a passionate advocate of opening new international markets to U.S. goods.

September 10, 2008 According to AMTDA and AMT, July U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $303.44 million, which was down 21.5% from June but up 5.7% from total of $287.02 million reported for July 2007. With year-to-date total of $2,655.14 million, 2008 is up 15.5% compared with 2007. These numbers and all data in report are based on totals of actual data reported by companies participating in USMTC program.

September 10, 2008 Scheduled for Oct 22, 2008, during World Standards Week 2008 series of events, Legal Issues Forum will focus attention of standards community on updates and legal developments in areas of Internal Revenue Code, IPR, and Internet. Panelists will address IRS code changes that affect not-for-profit organizations and corporate board members, latest legal developments and best practices for email and Internet, and IPR issues affecting standards development.

September 10, 2008 Jointly proposed by ISO national member bodies from Brazil and Germany, document addresses standardization in field of sustainability criteria, as well as assessment of criteria for production, supply chain, and application of biofuels. Proposal seeks to establish Project Committee that would validate and legitimize global biofuel production, ensuring that industry follows practices that are neither environmentally destructive nor socially aggressive.

September 10, 2008 The ANSI announces that advance registration is required by September 15, 2008 for Supporting Transatlantic Trade - Standards and Conformance for Business and Regulators. Experts will introduce standards and conformity assessment case studies that demonstrate the challenges and successes related to market access and/or market acceptance, and how they have affected U.S.-EU trade. It will be held on September 24, 2008, at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC.

September 10, 2008 The ANSI's Standards That Make a Difference poll allows organizations and interested stakeholders to highlight the specifications that they value the most. With entries accepted until September 19, 2008, each entry must include an explanation of why the standard chosen is essential to business, government, and/or consumer issues. Qualifying entries will be displayed publicly during the World Standards Week activities and published on ANSI Online.

September 10, 2008 A newly published standard from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) helps to safeguard the confidentiality of personal health information by providing guidelines for the management of health information security. ISO 27799:2008, Health informatics - Information security management in health using ISO/IEC 27002, is applicable to many different types of records and ways of storing and transmitting information, offering a set of detailed controls for healthcare organizations of all sizes.

September 10, 2008 Senior leaders from the 5 organizations selected for the 2007 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, as well as representatives from past award recipients, will share their best practices and results at 1-day regional conferences on September 16 in Denver, CO, and October 3 in New Orleans, LA. The 2007 recipients include PRO-TEC Coating Co., Mercy Health System, Sharp HealthCare, City of Coral Springs, and U.S. Army Armament Research, Development, and Engineering Center.

September 10, 2008 Developed by ASHRAE and Air Conditioning Contractors of America, ANSI/ASHRAE/ACCA Standard 180-2008 helps ensure consistent minimal level of HVAC/R maintenance and inspection to preserve system's ability to achieve acceptable thermal comfort, energy efficiency, and indoor air quality in commercial buildings. Where maintenance is neglected, energy costs rise significantly and equipment life drops dramatically.

September 10, 2008 Part of Shingo Manufacturing Insights Video Series, Poka-Yoke: Mistake-Proofing DVD measures and evaluates modern and practical methods for getting quality right the first time. Viewers are introduced to poka-yoke practitioners as well as effective processes and tools such as andon lights, sensors, and counter-measures. DVD also provides inside look at how companies are using mistake-proofing to help reduce costs, increase quality, and accelerate customer delivery time.

September 10, 2008 According to NAM President John Engler, announcement to withdraw Ohio ballot initiative to mandate paid sick leave is good news for Ohio manufacturers struggling to stay ahead in challenging economic times. Rising energy, health care, and other costs in slowing economy have taken a toll on manufacturers in Ohio and across nation. These types of restrictive mandates limit employers' flexibility to provide best fit of benefits for their employees, Engler noted.

September 10, 2008 According to Acting Administrator Robert A. Sturgell, FAA inspectors found overall compliance rate of 98% in more than 5,600 audits of Airworthiness Directives at U.S. air carriers. In remaining 2% of audits, carriers resolved issues of noncompliance before airplanes flew again, and FAA is investigating to determine if enforcement actions are warranted.

September 10, 2008 Developed jointly by IPC, JEDEC, and ECA, J-STD-075, "Classification of Non-IC Electronic Components for Assembly Processes" expands on existing standards to provide test methods and classification levels to identify worst-case thermal process limitations for all electronic components that may be processed as part of circuit card assembly. Additionally, J-STD-075 includes classification categories to identify cleaning process sensitivity.

September 10, 2008 From Dongseo University in Busan, South Korea, 1st and 2nd place winners are students of Professor James Lesko. Kim Jin Yeong designed "K1," a 4-piece climbing structure for children, while Ji Eun Kwon designed modular bookcase/storage unit that stacks in a semi-circle. Joshua McCarther and Florian Frohlich took 3rd place in contest, with "Slalo," a ride-on toy for 3-5 year olds. Both are students of faculty member Reinhardt Butter at Ohio State University.

September 10, 2008 Part of association's 2008 Annual Meeting, Table Top Showcase will include 15 exhibitors and is designed to enhance opportunities of attendees to interact and exchange knowledge with industry peers. In addition to Showcase, 2008 Annual Meeting schedule calls for presentation of 14 Technical Papers, keynote by Alan G. Miller on "Advances in Composite Material Technologies for Commercial Aircraft at Boeing," World Market Update, and Regulatory Affairs/REACH Update.