The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is currently seeking U.S. experts to participate in the work of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) 184, Automation systems and integration. This TC and its subcommittees (SCs) work on a variety of standards related to automation, especially in those areas involving manufacturing systems and integration.
As traditional industrial systems shift to dependency on internet-driven functionalities - often referred to as the 4th Industrial Revolution - industrial requirements and standards must continue to accommodate new manufacturing innovations. ISO TC 184 has developed a strategic business plan that highlights how its standards add value, including:
Enabling a more efficient and effective capture, organization, and expression of the requirements for integration and operation of the physical, human, and IT elements, and therefore reducing the cost of implementation of the required technologies in a combined e-manufacturing and e-business environment.
Adapting to changing business requirements by addressing the capabilities needed for enterprises to quickly respond and adapt to new supply chain demands, and to flexibly configure their human, physical, and information resources to support continuous improvements to products and processes. TC 184 standards facilitate changes to the configuration of system elements while retaining the investment in individual elements.
Currently, stakeholders representing a diverse range of industries - including the automotive, aeronautics, space and defense, and electrical device sectors, along with leading IT companies, research institutes, trade associations, consortia, and academia - are active in ISO TC 184 standards development. And 20 countries, including the United States, participate in the TC, which has published over 800 standards since its creation in 1983.
With the rapid expansion of many industries that rely on automation, there is a need for additional expertise within TC 184 to keep pace. As the U.S. member body to ISO, ANSI is seeking additional U.S. participants with expertise reflecting the diverse nature of the committee to work within the ANSI-accredited U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to ISO TC 184 - the group responsible for formulating U.S. positions and input on the standards development. For example, experts representing smart manufacturing and enterprise resource planning are needed, as industries and related requirements continue to evolve and the U.S. works to bolster its position in the global economy.
The Electronic Commerce Code Management Association (ECCMA) serves as the administrator of the U.S. TAG to ISO TC 184 and to two of its SCs. ANSI holds the secretariat for TC 184, SC 4, Industrial data (delegated to the Defense Information Systems Agency - U.S. Department of Defense), and TC 184, SC 5, Interoperability, integration, and architectures for enterprise systems and automation applications (delegated to Rockwell Automation).
To learn more or to get involved with international standards work on industrial automation systems, please contact [email protected].