ASTM

ASTM International (American Standards of Technical Material) is a standards body that develops technical standards for materials, products, systems and services. It was founded in 1898 in the United States under the leadership of Charles Benjamin Dudley. It then bore the name of "American society for testing material". Its founders were scientists and engineers who wanted to reduce the number of railroad failures that often happened in this growing industry. The group developed a standard for the steel used in the manufacture of rails.

The birth of consensus Charles Benjamin Dudley's efforts to find a solution to these seemingly intractable problems facilitated the formation of ASTM, which was committed to building consensus on standards for industrial materials. The experiences during the 1880s have given a better picture of the antagonistic attitudes which marred the relations between the Pennsylvania Railroad and its suppliers, have proposed an innovative system of technical committees. These committees provided representatives of major parties with a forum to discuss all aspects of the specifications and testing procedures for a given material.

The aim was to reach a consensus that was acceptable to both producers and the customer, namely, the railway. Although many initial meetings failed due to inflexibility of the parties involved, Dudley's system delivered considerable promise and later formed the basis of ASTM's committee structure.

The call for consensus building, which he articulates in meetings of the American Chemical Society and the International Railway Congress, has fallen on fertile ground in the engineering community.

ASTM mission

Committed to serving global societal needs, ASTM International has a positive impact on public health and safety, consumer confidence and overall quality of life. it incorporates consensual standards, developed with international members of volunteer technical experts and innovative services to improve normative documents.

Five strategic objectives

1. Promote emphasis on public health and safety, develop a leadership position in community standards and expand the international use of ASTM products and services.

2. Attract and retain technical experts from around the world by creating a collaborative and professionally rewarding environment that meets the expectations and needs of participants.

3. Always be relevant and continually improve the technical quality of standards and their content by providing a best-in-class, scalable development infrastructure.

4. Understand the societal needs of service stakeholders through the integration of innovative products and services.

5. Provide an organizational culture of service and innovation and position itself to respond to a changing global environment with the appropriate resources to achieve ASTM missions. ASTM in the global economy

The rise of the "new world economic order" of the 1980s and 1990s that transformed the setting of modern standards was an extraordinarily complex process. Economically, it was sparked by the revival of Japanese and Western European industry from the ashes of World War II, and by the formation of so-called "tiger economies" on the Pacific Rim during the 1970s. Technologically, globalization brought on new communication systems that allowed instant access to the exchange of information across continents. Politically, the lowering of tariff barriers in North America and Western Europe created vast new markets in which global producers competed head-to-head. The watchwords of the new, interdependent global economy have cost efficiency, customer focus, and the ability to respond quickly to changes in the global marketplace.

Cooperation program It is a Memorandum of Understanding designed to encourage the participation of technical experts from around the world in the ASTM standards development process and to expand global acceptance and use of international ASTM standards.

Initiated in 2001, this program promotes: • Communication between signatory member standardization bodies • Knowledge of the respective standardization systems • Development of national standards • Minimizes duplication of effort • Support of member development activities The advantages of this program are that technical experts from all countries that have signed the ASTM Memorandum of Understanding can • Participate free of charge as members, • Vote in the ASTM standards development process, • Access ASTM standards

ASTM cooperation with Morocco

Initiated in 2001, the International ASTM PE program promotes communication between national ASTM standards bodies around the world, promoting awareness (NSB) of standardization systems to all concerned and internationally. The program also facilitates the development of national standards that will help each country’s health, safety, environment and economic conditions. These agreements help to avoid duplication of effort, where possible, and promote the standards development activities of ASTM International and the national standards bodies participating in the joint program. In addition, MOUs are designed to encourage, increase and facilitate the participation of technical experts from around the world in the ASTM standard development process and to expand global acceptance and use of international ASTM standards.

IMANOR is a member of 3 committees: • Committee D01 on Paint and Related Coatings, Materials, and Applications • Committee D33 on Protective Coating and Lining Work for Power Generation Facilities • Committee G01 on Corrosion of Metals