IEC present at COPANT General Assembly

IEC President Jacques Régis, IEC General Secretary & CEO Ronnie Amit and IEC Latin America Regional Manager Amaury Santos represented the IEC at the COPANT (Comisión Panamericana de Normas Técnicas, or Pan-American Standards Commission) General Assembly that was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. All three took this opportunity to update delegates on IEC global and regional activities, putting special emphasis on energy efficiency.

Forum of IEC National Committees of the Americas

The Forum of IEC National Committees of the Americas (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the USA) took place in Buenos Aires, in conjunction with the COPANT General Assembly. IEC Associate Members and Affiliate Countries were invited to join and participate in the forum. The focus was on the role of IEC-LARC (Latin America Regional Centre) and the Affiliate Country Programme, the adoption of IEC Standards in the Western hemisphere and on how to establish a National Committee. (See also October)

TC 114 for marine energy inaugural meeting

Technical Committee 114: Marine energy - Wave, tidal and other water current converters, held its inaugural meeting in Ottawa, Canada. The TC deals with wave, tidal and water current energy conversion into electrical energy, with the exception of tidal barrage and dam installations, which are covered by TC 4: Hydraulic turbines. TC 114 already had one work item proposal in the pipeline at the time of the meeting.

TC 114 is chaired by Canadian Melanie Nadeau (centre) .

IEC at ASEAN Meeting

The IEC Asia-Pacific Regional Centre’s Dennis Chew represented the IEC at the meeting of the ASEAN Joint Sectoral Committee on Electrical and Electronic Equipment in Brunei Darussalam. The meeting, hosted by the Brunei Ministry of Development, brought together regulators of electrical and electronic equipment in ASEAN countries and focused on, among other activities, the use of IEC Standards when implementing the planned harmonized regulatory regime of the organization.

IEC-APRC hosts EMC Workshop

IEC-APRC hosted the ACEC Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Workshop in conjunction with the 19^th International Zurich symposium on electromagnetic compatibility. An IEC ACEC (Advisory Committee on Electromagnetic Compatibility) meeting was organized in Singapore in conjunction with the workshop.

IEC in Indonesia

Dennis Chew and IECEE Executive Secretary Pierre de Ruvo represented the IEC at a seminar organized by the Indonesian National Committee of the IEC and targeting industry, government bodies, regulators and potential Certification Body Testing Laboratories (CBTLs).

APEC Meeting showcases IEC

Dennis Chew and IECEE Executive Secretary Pierre de Ruvo also went to Brunei Darussalam where they participated in the APEC Seminar on Understanding and Implementing the APEC EE MRA, hosted by the Brunei Ministry of Development. De Ruvo explained the benefits of the IECEE CB Scheme to some 60 regulators of electrical and electronic equipment from 16 APEC member countries.

Industrial automation forum in Japan

IEC Technical Committee 65: Industrial process measurement, control and automation, participated in a one-day industrial automation forum hosted by JEMIMA (Japan Electric Measuring Instruments Manufacturers’ Association) in Tokyo, Japan. Some of the sessions, led by speakers from IEC SC 65E: Devices and integration in enterprise systems, took place under the banner “IEC Automation Forum”.

Roland Heidel, Chairman of TC 65 at Industrial Automation Forum.

Amit speaks at Belgian NC assembly

IEC General Secretary & CEO
Ronnie Amit at BEC's annual
assembly.

IEC General Secretary and CEO Ronnie Amit attended a special session of the Belgian Electrotechnical Committee’s annual assembly at which more than 100 senior executives from Belgium’s electrotechnical industry were represented. Amit highlighted the considerable business opportunities offered through the IEC’s Standardization and Conformity Assessment activities. Amit identified the potential benefits of involvement in the IEC and its NCs as efficiency gains, technology transfer gains and market access gains, and stressed the increasing importance of standards covering the electrotechnical industries, as confirmed by the World Trade Organization’s studies on the matter.

TC 89 Seminar on fire hazard assessment

Some 80 people attended a seminar in Frankfurt on fire hazard assessment. The seminar was hosted by the German National Committee in conjunction with IEC TC 89: Fire hazard testing. It was the second seminar of its kind, the first being held in Stockholm in 2006 as a result of discussions that had taken place at the IEC 2005 General Meeting in Cape Town about testing and how fire risks are managed in IEC product committees (PCs). The seminar enabled TC 89 to provide guidance on safety publications and to build closer relations with PCs.