Third from the left: Mr. Wang Ping, Vice Chief Engineer, CNIS, Mr. Gene Eckhart, Director, NEMA international operation, Mr. Qiu Yueming, Vice President, CNIS, Mr. Evan Gaddis, President and CEO, NEMA, Mr. Wen Shanlin, Chief Representative, NEMA Beijing office, Ms. Guo Dehua, Deputy Director, National Library of Standards.

On 13th October, visiting NEMA President and CEO Evan Gaddis and CNIS Vice President Qiu Yueming signed an agreement to reference NEMA norms in the development of standards. CNIS is a standardization research body that is affiliated with the Chinese government’s General Administration of Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ). CNIS’ National Standards Library is the country’s most important resource for information on Chinese and worldwide standards.

Certification and Accreditation Administration of China (CNCA) Indicates Interest in Memorandum of Understanding

NEMA met on October 16 with CNCA’s Chief Engineer, Liu Weijun, who is in charge of product certification, historically including the “CCC” mark but more recently including marks for energy efficiency and environmental compliance. His interest in an MOU also features a desire to establish regular cooperative exchanges.

Chinese Translation of the 2008 National Electrical Code^® (NEC) Completed

The result of a joint NEMA-Chinese Electrical Equipment Industry Association (CEEIA) project, the first-ever translation of the NEC was formally introduced during an October 17 Workshop that was attended by more than 100 specialists. Other sponsors of the event included NFPA, the Chinese Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Chinese Association for Standardization (CAS) and the Chinese Institute for Standard Building Design and Research (CBS). This document provides the basis for introducing a number of electrical safety devices developed by NEMA members into the Chinese electrical system.

Before the session, Evan Gaddis also met with a number of Chinese VIPs such as Mr. Sun Xiaokang, the Vice Administrator of the Standardization Administration of China (SAC). They discussed Arc-Fault Circuit Interruptors (AFCIs) and Ground-Fault Circuit Interruptors (GFCIs) as specific safety devices that would greatly add to electrical safety in the Middle Kingdom if they were to be adopted as part of a China national electrical code.

MITA Members’ Meetings in Beijing

The severe global economic downturn has led to the necessity of MITA to discontinue having a representative in Beijing. This meeting was held to encourage local MITA members’ representatives to continue to collaborate under the auspices of NEMA’s Beijing office to ensure that benefits provided by such meetings continue to accrue to member companies. Most of the meeting was spent covering actions to be taken in response to emerging regulations concerning product registration.

Medium-Voltage Members Forum

This meeting was a direct outgrowth of the successful technical seminar on MV electrical equipment organized by NEMA under the U.S. Trade and Development Agency Standards and Conformity Assessment Program earlier this year. This being the first such forum held in China, it provided NEMA members an opportunity to identify and discuss numerous issues that either currently impact business or have the potential to do so. The meeting was conducted in accordance with NEMA anti-trust meeting guidelines; minutes have already been distributed to members.

NEMA Members’ Meeting at the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai

Working with the U.S. Commercial Service, NEMA organized this members’ meeting to brief companies on the ongoing NEMA Strategic Initiatives, the economy, energy storage, and the Smart Grid. Wen Shanlin, NEMA Beijing Chief Representative, outlined and reminded the participants of NEMA’s China activities, including advocacy on behalf of members, market information, development of standards and conformity assessment policy and practice, and managing the U.S. Trade and Development Standards and Conformity Assessment Program. There was particular interest in members pooling funds to support technical committee representatives, in a manner similar to that used to fund representatives to U.S. Technical Advisory Groups. Also there was much interest in NEMA Beijing identifying future national policy developments and their potential impact on business.

Meeting with China Quality Certification Centre President Ms. Wang Kejiao

The purpose of this meeting was to hear about the recent reorganization of this testing and certification firm, now the largest in China for electrical products. Working directly in collaboration of the government agency AQSIQ, this firm carries out certification of all electrical products, including mandatory safety “CCC” mark, as well as voluntary CQC marking to indicate compliance with energy conservation and environmental protection. CQC is very interested in pursuing formal programs with U.S. private sector and U.S. government entities in these areas. Such programs would provide an ideal mechanism to introduce U.S. technology into China with the support of this highly-regarded Chinese institution.

CEEIA Visit

NEMA and the China Electrical Equipment Industry Association signed a memorandum of understanding in 2005. Since that time we have collaborated on a number of projects, most recently the translation of the 2008 National Electrical Code^® into Chinese. Discussions included next steps, including broad distribution of the document, in-depth training seminars, and the future development of a Chinese electrical installation code. CEEIA is also very interested in promoting high efficiency motors using NEMA Premium levels.

Hot Topics

11.03.08
The Industrial Chameleon: GE lamps add dramatic color to Tampere power plant
Located in a recreational area of Tampere, Finland, the Naistenlahti Power Plant is using its lakeside position to showcase a dramatic new look.

11.03.08
GE Consumer & Industrial Announces Call for Entries for Prestigious GE Edison Award Competition
GE Consumer & Industrial announces a call for entries for the 26th Annual GE Edison Award competition.

10.29.08
Levesque Appointed General Manager of the Bodine Company
Rosemont , IL and Collierville, TN – Philips Lighting Electronics, a division of Philips Electronics North America Corporation, and The Bodine Company are pleased to announce the appointment of John Levesque to the position of General Manager of Bodine, effective immediately.

On the Hill/Around the Nation

10.29.08
Energy efficiency recharges economy
This month, Environment Illinois released "Feeling The Heat: Global Warming and Rising Temperatures in the United States."

International News

No international new in this addition of eiXtra.

NEMAVoice

Industry News

Contracts

• Honeywell, Pittsburgh Housing Authority Embark on $25.1M Energy-Saving Program
  Honeywell Building Solutions and the Pittsburgh Housing Authority are working on a $25.1 million energy-efficiency program that is to be financed by a projected $3.2 million annual savings in utility costs. 29/10/08
  
  
• Toshiba-Westinghouse Consortium Receives Award from EDF for Renewal of Generator
  Toshiba Corporation has announced that a Toshiba-Westinghouse consortium has been awarded a ten-year contract worth more than 100 million euros by Electricité de France (EDF), France’s electric power company, for the renewal of stator coils in the generators of more than ten nuclear power plants now operating in France. 28/10/08
  
  
• Eaton Corporation Awards Hitachi Order for Commercial Vehicle Hybrid System
  Hitachi, Ltd. and Hitachi Vehicle Energy, Ltd., which manufactures lithium-ion batteries for hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and other uses, have been awarded an order from U.S.-based Eaton Corporation to supply motors, inverters, lithium-ion batteries, and other components for Eaton’s hybrid power systems to be delivered through 2011. 27/10/08

Personnel

• Schneider Electric North American Operating Division Names George Powers Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Administration
  The Schneider Electric North American Operating Division has announced the appointment of George Powers to senior vice president, human resources and administration. 30/10/08
  
  
• Bernhard Elected to Cummins Board of Directors
  Cummins Inc. has announced that Robert J. Bernhard, vice president for research and an engineering professor at the University of Notre Dame, has been elected to the company’s board of directors. 30/10/08
  
  
• New Appointment Brings Clinical and Business Experience to Siemens Healthcare
  Siemens Healthcare has appointed Nick Rowan to the role of PFI account manager for the South of England. 30/10/08

[ Industry News Archives ]

NEMA News

• Electroindustry Business Confidence Indexes Lower in October
  NEMA’s Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) for current North American conditions tumbled in October, dropping 17.5 points to 20, its lowest level since November 2001. 29/10/08
  
  
• NEMA Announces Interactive Standards and Product Guide for Free Download
  Embracing the trend to bring publications into an environmentally-friendly and increasingly electronic world, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published an online and interactive version of its 2008-09 Electrical Standards and Products Guide (ESPG) for download at no charge. 27/10/08
  
  
• NEMA to Help Demonstrate the Value of Smart Grid Technologies
  On October 23, 2008, the National Electrical Manufacturers association will host a Department of Energy E-Forum on the consumer benefits of smart grid technology. 20/10/08

Standardizations Trends

• AASHTO, ITE, AND NEMA Release NTCIP 1211 v01 Object Definitions for Signal Control and Prioritization
  The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA),the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) have published National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocol (NTCIP) 1211 v01, Object Definitions for Signal Control and Prioritization. 28/10/08
  
  
• NEMA Publishes Standards for Diagnostic Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published three separate standards pertaining to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. 27/10/08

[ NEMA News Archives ]

To view this email on the web, go to http://www.nema.org/media/eiextra/briefs/20081103eiXtra.htm