Associations, societies, & government activities

Electrical Apparatus, Jul 2004

U.S. associations seek opportunities in China

There has been a noticeable pickup in recent months in interest in China markets by U.S. businesses.

* Shanlin Wen, who recently retired from a senior position with the Standardization Administration of China, has been named director of the new office of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, which has been established in the American Chamber of Commerce offices. he will be assisted by Feng "Bruce" Liang.

NEMA says member companies subscribing to the association's China initiative "will greatly benefit from the office's advisory services relating to standards, technical matters, and general market intelligence." Information is available from John Meakem at (703) 841-3243 or joh_meakem@nema.org.

* In April, members of Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute met with the China Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Industry Association to discuss China's new industry performance certification program development. CRAA has received authorization from the government to administer the country's first voluntary performance certification program for all HVAC/R-related equipment.

* A panel on China business will be held by the Gasket Fabricators Association at its fall meeting, Sept. 29-Oct. 1, in Charleston, S.C.

New safety standard for construction sites

The only standard to specifically address public safety during construction operation has been announced by the American Society of Safety Engineers. Called "Protection of the Public on or Adjacent to Construction Sites," the new American National Standard Institute standard is said to "establish comprehensive safety guidelines for employers, contractors, building owners, and rescue personnel to protect the public from construction hazards in the air, on land, and at sea." The standard, A10-34, approved by ANSI three years ago, was published by ASSE last May.

National Manufacturing Week gears up for 2005 show

The annual National Manufacturing Week, one of the country's largest trade shows, is seeking submissions for the 2005 show, to bo held March 7-10 at McCormick Place, Chicago. More than 200 conference sessions, divided into seven categories-Design Engineering, Plant Engineering & Facilities Management, Industrial Automation, Enterprise IT, Technology Transfer, Cleaning Technology and Executive Management-are planned.

"Ideal speaker candidates are discrete and process manufacturers, as well as other end-user organizations with recent and successful experience implementing innovative business strategies and technologies," said Mike Critser, who can be reached at (203) 840-5597 or mcritser@ reedexpo.com.

NAED honors 7; names new directors

The National Association of Electrical Distributors recognized seven industry leaders at its annual meeting May 17 in San Francisco.

* Ted C. Treadway, president and CEO of Treadway Electric Co., Little Rock, Ark., received NAED's highest honor, the 2004 NAED Arthur W. Hopper Award, for an exceptional career in electrical distribution.

* Terry Burkholder, retired president of Dauphin Electric Supply Co., Harrisburg, Pa., received the 2004 NAED Distinguished Service Award.

* Robert Smith, executive vice president sales, Pass & Seymour/Legrand, Syracuse, N.Y., was presented with the 2004 NAED Award of Merit for promoting and supporting NAED.

* James J. Strenk, retired executive vice president of Allied Tube & Conduit, Harvey, Ill., received the 2004 NAED Associate Award for promoting wholesale distribution,

* R. Jack justilian, retired COO of Maurice Electrical Supply Co., Inc., Washington, D.C.; Richard Gross, retired chairman, Gross Electric, Toledo, Ohio; and Marc Lessans, retired president and CEO Commerce Electric Supply, Inc., Linthicum, Md., received NAED's Honorary Life Award.

NAED also announced its new board of directors, naming Pete de Steiger, of Raymond de Steiger, Inc., Sterling Heights, Mich., chairman

Refrigeration engineers' annual conference

Guidelines for phasing out refrigerant R-22 highlights the annual conference of the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Led by Ted Gartland and Ron Vogl of Honeywell Refrigerants, the session will highlight regulatory and phase-out guidelines for R-22 in the U.S. and Canada. Registration and details at (800) 297-5660 or (847) 297-6464.

Edited by the EA staff