IEC Family

Suriname joined the Affiliate Country Programme, thus becoming the 83^rd country in the Programme.

IEC Vice-President speaks to Malaysian Industry

Don Gray and Datuk Annas, President
IEC Malaysian National Committee.

The Malaysian National Committee set up an IEC roundtable discussion for Chief Executive Officers in the electrical and electronic sector. The roundtable, led by Datuk Mohd. Annas Mohd. Nor, President of the Malaysian NC, took place in Kuala Lumpur. The event was attended by some 60 senior representatives from industry and government. Don Gray, IEC Vice-President and Chairman of the Conformity Assessment Board, gave the main presentation entitled The Partnership of IEC Standards and Conformity Assessment – Facilitating Global Trade and Consumer Safety. IEC-APRC Officer in Charge Dennis Chew spoke about the IEC Asia-Pacific Regional Centre in Singapore, and provided background on the wide scope of IEC activities and its unique combination of International Standards and Conformity Assessment services, geared towards facilitating global trade.

WTO TBT workshop in Barbados

The WTO held its third annual regional workshop on TBT, in Bridgetown, Barbados. The IEC was represented by Francy Ramírez Torres of ICONTEC (Instituto Colombiano de Normas Técnicas y Certificación), the Colombian NC (National Committee) of the IEC. The programme of the workshop was designed to assist participating countries from the region to consolidate knowledge on the TBT Agreement and to provide a forum for participants to share their experience in the field. As an international standard-setting organization, the IEC was invited to present its activities and to take an active part in the workshop. Francy Ramírez presented IEC Standardization activities, the IEC Conformity Assessment Systems as well as the benefits of participating in the IEC Affiliate Country Programme.

International Standardization shows robustness in ISO/IEC 29500 process

The ISO/IEC international standardization system was tested to new limits by the process surrounding the publication of ISO/IEC 29500, Information technology – Office Open XML formats, a standard for word-processing documents, presentations and spreadsheets that is intended to be implemented by multiple applications on multiple platforms.

New premises for IEC-APRC

Conference room with view over Singapore.

The IEC Regional Centre for Asia-Pacific (IEC-APRC) moved to larger premises to make way in 2009 for additional technical and editorial staff whose role will be to serve the Technical Committees and Subcommittees based in the region. The improved office environment and additional space is part of a global recruitment plan to hire new IEC employees locally. It has been adopted on the basis of excellent feedback received from IEC Members and TC/SC Officers, major stakeholders from industry and regulatory and government bodies based in the region. They appreciate the “local” contact and the additional assistance they receive in “real time”, which help them participate further in standardization and conformity assessment processes.

The IEC General Meeting was held in São Paulo, Brazil, on 17-21 November 2008. Hosted by the Brazilian National Committee of the IEC, COBEI, the event gathered 857 delegates from 61 countries to attend technical, conformity assessment and management meetings.

General Secretary reviews IEC activities

The IEC General Secretary & CEO
Ronnie Amit emphasized efficient operations
during his address to Council.

In his annual performance presentation to the Council, IEC General Secretary & CEO Ronnie Amit apprised Council members of the Commission’s results during the period from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the third quarter of 2008. On the technical front, Amit told members that the IEC had reduced the average time for standards development to only 30 months from 36 months. Amit’s presentation centred on the IEC Masterplan 2006, adopting its structure to highlight the IEC’s achievements in all sectors of activity.

First MSB meeting in São Paulo

Members of the newly formed IEC Market Strategy Board (MSB) met for the first time at the end of the General Meeting in São Paulo. The MSB, which comprises high-level industry representatives, was created to carry out market and technology road mapping and to help set priorities for IEC Standardization and Conformity Assessment activities.

Members’ dues deferral plan

As a result of the global economic slowdown, IEC Council approved an initiative to allow members to reschedule their dues payments for 2009, with 60 % of the respective fees due by June 2009 and the remaining 40 % deferred for five years against a promissory note.

Affiliates

In his report to the IEC management boards, Affiliate Leader Carlos Rodríguez, Director of INTECO, Instituto de Normas Técnicas de Costa Rica, gave an update of the Affiliates’ participation and insisted on the need for developing countries to participate actively in IEC Standardization work through their national electrotechnical committees. Seventeen Affiliate countries have established such committees and some were represented at the IEC General Meeting in Brazil. Carlos Rodríguez committed to assist others to establish their national structure and will chair the first Affiliate Forum at the IEC's next General Meeting.

A total of 22 Affiliate delegates from 12 countries attended 13 technical meetings during the IEC General Meeting. They came from Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, The Gambia, Ghana, Honduras, Namibia, Peru, Sudan, Tanzania, Uruguay and Zambia.

E³ workshop

Some 65 participants from 27 developed and developing countries attended a special workshop on electrical energy efficiency (E³) held during the IEC General Meeting. Speakers from Member countries – Brazil, Germany, France – but also from Affiliate countries – Sudan and Ghana – shared experience and knowledge with the participants. They came to the conclusion that electrical energy efficiency was a global concern both for developed and developing countries and that the IEC, together with its international partners, had a major role to play. It is also essential for developing countries to get involved in the elaboration of new International Standards, both as IEC Members and participants in the Affiliate Country Programme.

Lord Kelvin Awards to US experts

IEC President Jacques Régis
(centre) flanked by Lord Kelvin
Award winners Scott Jameson
(left) and Don Heirman (right).

During the IEC 72^nd General Meeting, US experts Donald N. Heirman and Scott K. Jameson both received prestigious IEC Lord Kelvin Awards for their outstanding contributions to electrotechnical standardization. IEC President Jacques Régis presented the awards at a dinner for officers of IEC National Committees, Technical Committees and Subcommittees. Heirman is best known among the IEC’s experts on electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), serving as Chairman of the Special International Committee on Radio Interference (CISPR) and being a member of the Advisory Committee on Electromagnetic Compatibility (ACEC). Jameson has been a key figure in ISO/IEC JTC 1, the Joint Technical Committee for Information Technology (IT) of the IEC and the International Organization for Standardization, serving as its Chairman since 2001.

Smart Grids

Two presentations were made to the SMB to provide a global picture of Smart Grid and to address potential future IEC standardization involvement in this area. It should be recalled that Smart Grid is not a new technology but updating existing energy networks into a new form of grid by improving data and communications across it, which would save energy and reduce costs as well as cut waste and operate more efficiently. The SMB set up a Strategic Group on Smart Grid (SG 3) with the primary responsibility for the development of a framework that includes protocols and model standards to achieve interoperability of smart grid devices and systems. The US National Committee was entrusted with the task of convening a group of approximately 12 representatives from systems integrators, utilities, business, manufacturers and users.

Ultra High Voltage Standardization

The SMB acknowledged the work of the Joint IEC-CIGRE Coordinating Group (JICCG) in setting out a roadmap for Ultra High Voltage (UHV) standardization, and approved a continuation of the group’s work to coordinate technologies in this area.

On requests from China, Germany and others the SMB set up a new strategic group on UHV (SG 2) to address the IEC standardization needs and coordinate activities of IEC TCs. The Swedish NC will convene the group of approximately 12 experts.

Energy efficiency

While the work of IEC SMB Strategic Group (SG) 1 on electrical energy efficiency is ongoing, the SMB accepted the SG 1 recommendation to establish a joint project committee with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) on common terminology and criteria in this area. It also suggested that this committee should include the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The SMB agreed to a proposal for a common document for energy efficiency, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Sources – Common International Terminology, to provide a generic framework for further detailed domain-specific requirements for the development of suitable IEC and ISO deliverables.

Automotive Electrotechnology

Discussions with some ISO TMB and IEC SMB members and a liaison meeting of IEC and ISO TCs highlighted the fact that the IEC needs to be involved and take a leading role in the area of automotive electronics. A workshop between ISO and IEC TCs to determine ISO/IEC coordination and increase IEC participation in the areas of this fast-moving technology may be envisaged in future.

Consumer Policy

The SMB representative to ISO/COPOLCO (Committee on Consumer Policy) presented items of interest ongoing in COPOLCO. The SMB agreed to a joint guide IEC/ISO Guide 37, Instructions for use of products of consumer interest, to be sent to IEC National Committees for comment.

SBP forms

Following the initial trial period where some TCs were asked to replace their Strategic Policy Statements (SPS) by Strategic Business Plans (SBP), the SMB approved guidelines, together with samples of some excellent SBPs to be used as guiding documents. Training and general information sessions for TCs/SCs will be organized.