Standardization News

ASTM International’s Board of Directors held their April meeting in Singapore. The meeting was exciting and productive, and I’m empowered by all that is to come for ASTM! It’s always refreshing to meet with the members of our board, hear their unique perspectives, and know that ASTM’s governance is in good hands.

As part of our activities that week, ASTM also officially opened our Singapore office. This office, established in 2020, serves as the base for several strategic initiatives. ASTM conducts outreach and engagement in Singapore as well as the other nine members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Each of their national standards bodies is an MoU partner. Singapore is the hub for ASTM’s additive manufacturing (AM) programs for the greater region, supporting strategic research and development to advance standards across all aspects of AM. Additionally, Singapore’s National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) serves as a strategic partner for ASTM’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE).

In addition to the office opening and a productive board meeting, our board members and senior leaders, myself included, took part in nearly two dozen targeted outreach meetings with key government agencies, technology and testing companies, research institutes, and other organizations to highlight the value and importance of ASTM standards and established partnerships in the region.

ASTM first signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Singapore’s national standards body, Enterprise Singapore (ESG), in 2003. Since then, ASTM and ESG have partnered for bilateral staff meetings, the Standards Expert Program, and supported two training programs focused on AM for the medical and aviation industries. Through the MoU, ESG reports over 150 citations of ASTM standards. ASTM is also happy to welcome more than 100 Singaporean technical experts who participate in 90 of ASTM’s technical committees.

I’ve often said that the strength of ASTM International standards comes from our members and the effort and technical expertise they bring to the table. When our open, consensus process includes the experiences and perspectives of experts the world over, we know that ASTM standards are broadly representative and market relevant. It’s heartening to see involvement from members in Singapore as well as those from countries around the world. It’s also a testament to the strength of ASTM’s MoU program, which now includes partnerships with more than 120 national and regional standardization bodies.

Having the opportunity to share ASTM’s history, mission, and impact with those in Singapore, while reaffirming our commitment to the region, was energizing, especially in this 125th Anniversary year, which brings me to the next bit of exciting news. Although many of you may be aware of this by now, ASTM has launched a podcast! “Standards Impact” is hosted by Standardization News Editor-in-Chief Dave Walsh and brings you interviews with industry leaders and innovators, many of whom are ASTM members, talking about the role that standards play in society.

I was humbled to serve as the first guest, and Dave and I talked about ASTM’s broad contributions to our world, our 125th Anniversary, and my favorite standard. Upcoming episodes will focus on carbon, sustainability and resilience, PPE, advanced manufacturing, and recycling! If you’re interested in learning more, you can access the podcast HERE.

If there is a topic you’d like to see “Standards Impact” cover in the future, please don’t hesitate to share it with us. Send recommendations to podcasts@astm.org!

And finally, if you haven’t already, please do visit go.astm.org/125 for all things related to ASTM’s 125th Anniversary, including a calendar of upcoming activities, a timeline of our history, a digital guestbook, and a gallery of all the fun happening at ASTM committee meetings. I hope you’ll join us over the next few weeks for committee celebrations in Denver – including the Annual Business Meeting – or the committee meetings in Washington, D.C., this fall.

Katharine E. Morgan
President, ASTM International