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Sep 04, 2025
Executive staff from ASTM International and the German Institute of Standardization (DIN), including DIN CEO Christoph Winterhalter and ASTM president Andy Kireta, met at DIN headquarters in Berlin to discuss the future of standardization.
ASTM executives, including Andy Kireta, president, traveled to Berlin, Germany, to discuss the future of standardization with the leadership team at the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) at DIN headquarters. The following key points were on the agenda:
ASTM International and the Interamerican Transportation Chamber (CIT) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) to strengthen collaboration and promote technical exchange between the two organizations.
Founded in 2002, the CIT is a Brazil-based non-profit civil association that works internationally to improve logistics and transport, both for people and goods. Its mission is to foster an open forum for discussion and identification of the main trends and issues affecting these sectors.
The agreement was signed by Marcelo Augusto de Felippes, CEO of CIT, and Andrew G. Kireta Jr., president of ASTM International, underscoring their shared commitment to advancing best practices and international standards in the transportation sector across Latin America and beyond.
“Cooperation is fundamental to ASTM’s success, and we’re eager to serve as a partner in CIT’s valuable work: bettering the supply chain around the world,” says Kireta. “The exchange of resources, expertise, and membership between our organizations will expand our reach and empower us to make positive change at all levels of this key sector.”
The agreement outlines several collaborative initiatives, including joint training programs, participation in technical events, and the exchange of information related to ASTM’s globally recognized standards. It also supports the promotion of ASTM membership within the CIT network and encourages collaboration between CIT members and members of ASTM’s digital information in the supply chain committee (F49).
“CIT relies on ASTM for many of its objectives with the International Transportation Network (RTI), currently with 62 member countries,” says de Felippes. “ASTM, a century-old, globally recognized institution, is an honorable and productive cooperation that helps the different participants of our network to standardize, learn, and evolve with concepts and standards for the evolution of global transportation and logistics. Their people are committed to serving global societal needs, such as impacts on public health and safety, consumer confidence, and overall quality of life.”
The MoC reflects ASTM’s broader mission to foster international cooperation and ensure that technical standards continue to meet the evolving needs of industry, regulators, and consumers alike.
ASTM staff attended the Third Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM3) of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and related meetings in Incheon, Republic of Korea.
Elvin Chia, ASTM’s director of outreach, Asia, spoke at various APEC Subcommittee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC) meetings and workshops, highlighting ASTM’s work in a diverse range of areas including academic outreach, resilience, emerging airspace, additive manufacturing, digital supply chain, and robotics.
As an international standards development organization, ASTM holds guest status in the APEC SCSC. Within APEC economies, there are more than 22,000 ASTM members participating in all of ASTM’s technical committees.
Elvin Chia, ASTM’s director of outreach, Asia, spoke at various meetings of the APEC Subcommittee on Standards and Conformance during APEC’s Third Senior Officials Meeting.
The partnership will prioritize co-developing comprehensive education, training, and personnel certification programs.
ASTM International and Nikon Advanced Manufacturing, Inc. (Nikon AM) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on a series of strategic initiatives aimed at accelerating advanced manufacturing capabilities, with a particular focus on defense applications and workforce development.
The partnership will prioritize co-developing comprehensive education, training, and personnel certification programs tailored to Department of Defense (DoD) needs, particularly those of the U.S. Navy, and will be hosted primarily at the Nikon AM Technology Center in Long Beach, CA. Nikon AM’s Long Beach facility features the additive manufacturing (AM) industry’s most advanced large and ultra-large format laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) systems alongside leading-edge metallurgy and metrology capabilities. Education programs at this facility will serve to train the next generation of manufacturing professionals, equipping them with the skills required to sustain and grow domestic production capacity.
In addition to joint education and research initiatives, the partnership will support engagement with federal agencies and pursue government-funded projects that promote manufacturing innovation. Nikon AM will also play an active role in ASTM-hosted events, including the ASTM International Conference on Advanced Manufacturing (ICAM), as well as co-led seminars and workshops on topics ranging from process qualification to digital transformation.
“It has become increasingly clear that advanced manufacturing is critical to national competitiveness, and over the past couple of years, Nikon AM has been executing a strategic plan focused on onshoring these vital capabilities. In order to develop, build, and operate the next generation of manufacturing equipment and solutions, we also need to inspire, educate, and train the next-generation workforce about AM technology,” said Hamid Zarringhalam, CEO of Nikon AM. “Combined, Nikon AM and ASTM bring nearly 235 years of legacy in quality, precision, and integrity—names that people already know and trust.”
“For more than a century, ASTM has helped industries move from possibility to production by transforming markets, enabling standards, and assisting in technological developments,” said Andrew G. Kireta Jr., President of ASTM International. “This collaboration with Nikon AM brings together two institutions with unmatched legacy and global recognition. Together, we’re reinforcing the connection between workforce development, resilient supply chains, and national security—all while helping accelerate the adoption of advanced manufacturing at an industrial scale.”
The MoU establishes a framework for the two organizations to collaborate in future opportunities while maintaining confidentiality and protecting intellectual property as they work toward formalizing additional agreements.
In August, Emmanuel Escoto Gonzalez, ASTM’s manager of global cooperation, visited the offices of the Instituto de Normas Técnicas de Costa Rica (INTECO). While there, Gonzalez met with members of the general direction, the greenhouse gas technical committee, and standardization project managers.
Meeting at INTECO headquarters in Costa Rica (left to right): Mauricio Céspedes Mirabelli, executive director, INTECO; Emmanuel Escoto Gonzalez, manager, global cooperation, ASTM; Susana Picado Jiménez, operations coordinator for standardization projects and contact for the MoU between ASTM and INTECO; and Alexandra Rodriguez, director of standardization, INTECO.
In July, ASTM International was part of the 2nd Meeting of Asia- Pacific Regulators on Advanced Air Mobility, which saw the launch of “Reference Materials for Regulators to Facilitate the Regulation of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Operations.”
ASTM standards are referenced in the reference materials, which was developed by 24 Asia-Pacific states and administrations, and aims to facilitate commercial operations of air taxis and drones.
In this emerging airspace sector, ASTM standards continue to be the bedrock for innovation, progress, and safety.
In October 2024, ASTM International’s committee on primary barrier packaging (F02) and the Sterile Barrier Association (SBA) coordinated the timing and location of their meetings, held on adjacent days in Bologna, Italy. It marked a milestone in their recent collaboration, one which should benefit both organizations long term.
At the meeting, F02 members were invited to attend the second day of the SBA Conference, and SBA members were invited to attend the first day of F02 meetings. During both meetings, information was shared about each organization, shared goals were explored, and areas for collaboration were identified. Since the meeting, a task group has met regularly and continues to move forward with initiatives to build on the areas of shared interest/collaboration. Plans are also being developed for another week of adjacent meetings in the fall of 2026.
F02 members represent stakeholders focused on the properties that are fundamental to developing, producing, and using packaging that maintains the integrity of the contents, including contents that must remain sterile until opened to access the contents. The SBA is comprised of companies that make up the sterile barrier packaging value chain, including manufacturers of raw materials, packaging material components, converters, manufacturing equipment/accessories, and distributors. The SBA mission is to be the recognized expert association in the healthcare industry, promoting best practice and providing education in the use of sterile barrier systems (SBSs) to enhance patient safety.
The primary barrier packaging committee is focused on developing standards to affirm the ability of packaging to achieve its objectives, while the SBA relies on those standards to substantiate that the products manufactured by its members meet the requirements to ensure patient safety. SBA advocates for its members and the healthcare packaging industry, something that is outside the scope of ASTM activities.
There is a significant overlap in membership between the two groups, but there are also a significant number of organizations that are only members of one or the other organization.
“The opportunity to collaborate with SBA is sure to pay benefits for both organizations,” says Henk Blom, chair of F02 and VP of R&D with PAXXUS. “We [PAXXUS] are long-term participants in both groups. We see the synergies, the shared mission, and challenges as it relates to sterile barrier packaging to deliver the best in patient care. Test methods to demonstrate and evaluate sustainability metrics, as well as practices that address the delivery of sterile items to the procedure area are shared concerns of the membership of both organizations.”
“From material development and packaging design to the production and proper use of SBSs, SBA members are committed to leading best practices across this global value chain,” says Nina Tillaeus, director general of the SBA. “Our collaboration with F02 connects us directly with the standards community, ensuring that the expertise within SBA aligns with robust, evidence-based testing methods. This partnership strengthens both organizations and accelerates progress toward our shared goals of continuous improvement, patient safety, and innovation in SBS.”
To learn more about F02 and the SBA contact: Henk Blom: henk.blom@paxxus.com or Nina Tillaeus: director.general@sterilebarrier.org.
September / October 2025
