WCA September 2013

3.3 Standards Development Opportunities 3.3.1 Smart Grid, photovoltaic, wind and other types of grid connections 3.3.2 Micro grid Standards – self-supporting such as hospitals, military, university, etc 3.3.3 Determination of heat energy and the savings through reduction in usage of carbon based fuels (28) 3.3.4 The standards of today are prescriptive (7) Standards need to become performance based. New materials can improve the performance with higher V/ mil, better abuse resistance, and yet, in wire and cable, standards remain locked within artificial constraints based upon 1960’s and earlier technology. General Electric Co once advertised: “Progress is our most important product”. New materials can provide better wire and cable products. The benefits provided by standards are high. This value must be enhanced by recognition of the dynamic changes occurring in W&C products and movement towards development of performance based standards. 4 Conclusions 4.1 All of us need to work toward maintaining and improving standards 4.2 It is essential that you and your organisation participate to develop and maintain strong vibrant standards 4.3 Work is needed and challenges abound in the areas of smart grid, energy efficiency and nanotechnology developing areas of cable products 4.4 Standards must continue to bring value and benefits to the users of products 5 Acknowledgement The author wishes to thank Alcan Cable, a General Cable company, for the opportunity to present this paper. This paper was heard at the IWCS symposium 2012. 6 References 1 John Hall Jr, Home Electrical Fires, National Fire Protection Association Report, Jan, 2012 2 United States Standards Strategy, approved by the ANSI board of Directors, December 2, 2010 3 Robert A Williams, Standards in an Open International Trading System, NEMA Electro- industry, Pg 10, October 2006 4 Wikipedia and R. Sector, Chicago Tribune, Dec 30, 1903 5 James A Thomas, The Value Factor, Standardization News, July/ August 2012 6 Presidents Conference on Fire Prevention, May 6-8, 1947, page 2 7 L Ingram, Standards – A Great Benefit, SPE 2004 ANTEC Proceedings, pp 3885-3892 8 ASTM D149 Standard Test Method for Dielectric Breakdown Voltage and Dielectric Strength of Solid Electrical Insulation Materials at Commercial Power Frequencies

IEC wire and cable product standards are harmonised and international. The harmonisation efforts are complex since each country has an opportunity to comment and vote on the technical merits of a standard under development or being revised. The International Standards Organization (ISO) develops standards for the world so that products such as automobiles or electro technical products that are manufactured on several continents are developed and produced to uniform standards. Your input is needed so that cable manufacturers, suppliers and other experts work with the standards development organisations to create new standards, update standards as a result of evolving technology, and review existing standards to ensure that relevance and value is maintained. There is always a need to develop standards more rapidly for the evolving materials development work constantly ongoing. These efforts by people are required to provide the highest quality standards to meet electrical, fire safety and performance criteria. This makes your participation critical to the process. 3.1 Why Help Develop Consensus Standards? a Working on standards developments helps people to see another company’s perspective b Working on standards helps a person to understand the reason behind a test or a product standard c The understanding gained allows your company to develop consistency and repeatability in testing and reporting d Your company brings its experiences to standards development. Having standards experts in your organisation is essential for continued success e It is vital to have continuity of personnel. When today’s expert retires, then the next designee can seamlessly go forward for the company. New and more participation is needed f Your participation benefits the industry, fosters competition and stimulates global trade g There has been a reduction of support for standards development. The message to take away from this is that standards are crucial for the future of your business. You must petition the management of your company and communicate the value and benefits obtained from participation in standards organisation work. 3.2 Benefits of Technical Committee Membership (29) 3.2.1 Employer Benefits : a Ability to influence content of codes and standards b Contribution to improved safety and performance of products c Early awareness of new or revised requirements 3.2.2 Personal Benefits : Professional development, networking and recognition. 3.2.3 Small Manufacturer Representation : More than half of the members participating in ASTM’s standards developing technical committees are employed in enterprises with 500 or fewer employees.

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