AEM - Association of Equipment Manufacturers

07/18/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 07/18/2024 08:13

The What, How, and Why Behind Industry Standards

Industry standards are everywhere, yet it can be easy to forget about the purpose they serve or just how much of an impact they make on the people, places, and things around us.

In the off-road equipment industry, all employees must make a conscious effort to understand and comply withexistingstandards, as well assupportthe creation of new ones - an especially daunting task for newer product safety professionals. To aid in the understanding of standards,AEMmember company leaders Travis Tsunemori of Kubota North Americaand Tom Hoffmanof Kuhn North America,presented on the topic at AEM's Product Safety & Stewardship Conferencein April of this year, elaborating on what standards are, why they'renecessary, and how new ones are created for the betterment of the entire industry.

"Standards play a significant role in our lives, and they should play a significant role in our products as well. We want to make sure our customer is protected, and that our company is protected, and that is our goal with the processof developingstandards," said Hoffman.

What are Standards?

Standards look to provide guidance and establish safety and performance requirements, and there are many reasons why society needs them. They protect people, our communities, and the environment- and in the product safety field, employees live and breathe standards.However, it'seasy to confuse industry standards with industry regulations, and for good reason.

  • Standardsaretechnical documents and are consensus drivenbut they are not unanimous. They are created by experts in their fields. And in the United States, compliance withstandards is voluntary.
  • Regulationshave specific requirementsthat companies must follow, and they may also referencestandards. They are required by law, and they are overseen by federal, state, and/or municipal authorities

"Standards can be pretty dry, but without terms that define minute details, they can get very confusing very quickly," saidTsunemori.

Developing New Standards

When searching for information, employees may find they need to develop anewstandard oradd on to an existing standard. To address this, several stepscan be taken:

  • Figure out who will develop the standard. There are several organizations that an individualmaygo through,depending on if the standard is international or regional.
  • Consult other experts.Considerwho is qualified inthe subject area that the standard is addressing, and who will be invested in getting involved.
  • Get started. Presentthe need, a scope for theproject, and find the right people to getinvolved.
  • Identifya project lead whowill develop a first draft. Thisfirst draft is likesetting a timer, if the committeedoesn'tget theirmaterials in, reach theirmilestones, and get to the publishdatewithin a certain amount of timean organizationwill likely cancelthe project,and the process will begin anew.
  • Go through comments after the document is circulated and make edits. There will have to be a few rounds of editing, to ensure all parties' comments are addressed.
  • Headtooversight groupsor committees. These bodies will decide if the process was followed correctly,address comments, and determineif consensuswas reached.

The Impactof Standards

Well-conceived standards, applicable and used by industry, minimize the need for, and risk of, regulations being developed. In addition, when it'sdeemednecessary to draft regulations, good standards make for an excellent basis for the regulations and, in some cases, voluntary consensus standards are directly referenced in a particular regulation.

That'swhy AEM and its member company representatives like Tsunemori and Hoffman participatein the efforts of standards development organizations (SDOs) in the United States and internationally.

While AEM is not an SDO, it works closely with the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), SAE International (SAE), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and other SDOs to make sure its members, and the equipment manufacturing industry overall, have their voice heard in the process.

Standard creation providesa wealth of information for all companies who manufacture similar products. And in the future, it will save professionals in the field a lot of time and trouble.

"We are trying to make the industry as a whole safer- we want everyone to be compliant to make the whole industry look good.And, if you need help, your peers will be happy to help you to achieve that for everyone's benefit," said Tsunemori.

Theyare critical for a lot of things that all companiesdo - and equipment manufacturers especiallywant consumers to be safeand ensure thattheir products are safe. All companies should keep a close eye on standards, to keep the equipment manufacturing industry's reputation positive, and to keep consumers safe throughout the product lifecycle.

Save the Date

The 2025 AEM's Product Safety & Stewardship Conference and Liability Seminar will take place from April 28 - May 1 in Nashville Tennessee. This event is the industry's only annual conference dedicated to advancing heavy equipment manufacturing programs with custom-crafted education tracks, innovative approaches to product stewardship, and networking.

For more information,visit the event's official website.

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