ASTM's recent global engagement.

Jan 06, 2026

Standards Experts Attend Training at ASTM Headquarters

In December, ASTM International’s global cooperation team welcomed seven visitors who were attending the Standards Expert Program (SEP) and Technical Visitor Grant Program (TVGP) at ASTM headquarters in West Conshohocken, PA. These seven visitors were:

• Eruel Bicol, oil industry standards and monitoring division (OISMD), oil industry management bureau (OIMB), Philippines; 
• Maria Cristina Carmella Manocan, OISMD, OIMB, Philippines; 
• Evan Buwana – senior analyst of standardization / deputy director of standard development, National Standardization Agency of Indonesia (BSN); 
• Isaac Kabongo, executive director, Ecological Christian Organization (ECO); 
• Alex Mboa, principal standards officer, Kenya Bureau of Standards; 
• Maria Luiza Bazani Düwel, technical assistant in international standardization, ABNT - Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas; and 
• Bolat Abaiuly, deputy head of the analysis and systemization department, Kazakhstan Institute of Standardization and Metrology (KazStandard).

During the first of the two-week programs, the experts learned from ASTM staff about the international standards development process and met with senior staff members. 

The SEP is a fully sponsored ASTM International program focused on training in standards development, while the TVGP is a 50% ASTM-sponsored program offering a more technical, in-depth experience in a specific area of expertise or technical committee.

ASTM Attends ACECON 2025

ASTM International attended the 6th Asian Conference on Ecstasy in Concrete (ACECON 2025) held by The Hyderabad Centre of the Indian Concrete Institute (ICI) from Dec. 8-10, 2025, in Hyderabad, India.

The event welcomed all professionals, enthusiasts, and researchers of cement concrete to meet academics and industry experts from organizations such as SIKA, MAPEI, L&T, and FOSROC. The theme of the conference was “Exploring Tomorrow’s Frontiers,” with a focus on the latest in sustainable concrete technologies. 

ASTM Signs MoU with GCC Lab TSCo.

In November, ASTM International announced the formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gulf Laboratory Company for Technical Services (GCC Lab TSCo). The agreement marks a major milestone in ASTM’s mission to expand access to world-class technical training for the refining and petrochemical sectors.

The agreement lays the foundation for the establishment of a dedicated training center that will provide specialized, hands-on technical training to support workforce development and industry-aligned skill building. Through this partnership, ASTM will combine expertise in training delivery with GCC Lab’s strong standing in technical services to create an environment where learners can gain practical, real-world experience with modern equipment and industry-standard tools.

ASTM to Speak at MECOC 2026 in Abu Dhabi

ASTM will be attending the 5th Metallurgy, Corrosion, and Coatings Expo (MECOC) from
Jan. 26-29, 2026, in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The event welcomes technical experts from across the globe to discuss the latest technology related to metallurgy, corrosion and coatings for various industries and to network with industry peers.
A focus of this year’s expo will be a sustainable future for the energy industry.

ASTM will be a supporting partner of MECOC and will be represented by one of the conference speakers, ASTM global cooperation representative Fouad Yazbeck. Yazbeck notes that the presentation will highlight ASTM’s contribution to materials performance, sustainability, and global collaboration, underscoring the continuing impact of standards on the industry.

“ASTM International has supported the metals industry for over a century, providing trusted standards that guide the production, testing, and application of ferrous and nonferrous metals,” says Yazbeck. “This presentation will highlight the breadth of ASTM’s metals standards, with examples of their use in construction, manufacturing, and energy applications.”

Details of the conference are available at: https://www.mecocexpo.com/.

ASTM Announces Seven Global Initiatives at Formnext 2025 to Scale Additive Manufacturing

In November, ASTM International’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) attended Formnext 2025 to showcase seven initiatives working with governments, industries, and research institutions to make advanced manufacturing more reliable, sustainable, and scalable.

The AM CoE’s coordinated strategy unites ASTM’s work in technical innovation, industrial certification, supply-chain enablement, and market intelligence under one global framework designed to move industries from readiness to real-world deployment. 

“Advanced manufacturing only becomes meaningful when it works at scale,” said Mohsen Seifi, Ph.D., ASTM International’s vice president of global advanced manufacturing programs. “That is where ASTM is focused—bringing together standards, certification, and real-time intelligence so companies can industrialize faster and with fewer risks. We are aligning global programs so adoption becomes not just possible, but inevitable.”

The AM CoE’s seven initiatives include:

• In the U.S., ASTM has deepened its collaboration with America Makes, the nation’s leading public-private partnership for AM, to strengthen domestic supply-chain resilience and defense readiness. 
• In the U.K., ASTM International UK has joined the £38 million DECSAM program, a four-year aerospace initiative led by Airbus and funded through Innovate UK, the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), and the Department for Business and Trade. DECSAM focuses on scaling sustainable laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) for flight-ready parts by improving productivity, material efficiency, and environmental performance. 
• Across Europe, ASTM is expanding its Additive Manufacturing Certification Program, recognizing the program’s first certifications for KSB (Germany) and AM Craft (Latvia). Additionally, the Metals Industry Research and Development Center–Advanced Manufacturing Center (MIRDC-AMCen) in the Philippines was awarded AM Quality (AMQ) and AM Facility Safety (AMFS) certifications, the first such certifications in Southeast Asia. Each represents growing adoption of ASTM’s global framework for quality assurance across energy, aerospace, and public-sector applications.
• A new partnership with Additive Center B.V. (Netherlands) extends this work into the semiconductor sector, establishing the first AM supplier qualification pathway for high-tech manufacturing. 
• Building on the legacy of the Wohlers Report, ASTM has introduced an innovative new platform that provides a continuously updated digital ecosystem for industry data, analytics, and decision support.
• In addition, Wohlers Associates has continued to expand with more than a dozen new consultants added over the past year, offering subject matter expertise across AM, robotics, artificial intelligence, and uncrewed aerial systems.

“The progress we’re highlighting this year is part of one connected global effort,” Seifi added. “We’re aligning programs across continents so the entire manufacturing ecosystem can adopt advanced technologies with confidence.”

ASTM Deepens America Makes Partnership

ASTM International’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) announced three key milestones in November that will advance the reliability and adoption of additive manufacturing (AM): 

• Leadership of the Industry Transition Team (ITT) under the America Makes Quality Test and Inspection Methods Expediency (QTIME) program;  
• The launch of WATCHLIST—a coordinated initiative to accelerate in-process monitoring and control, jointly funded by America Makes and NASA; 
• ASTM’s elevation to Platinum membership in America Makes, the nation’s leading public-private partnership for additive manufacturing technology and education.   

Under QTIME, funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Manufacturing Technology (OSD ManTech), ASTM will lead the ITT to connect technology outcomes to real-world use across aerospace, defense, and other safety-related sectors.  

The ITT includes The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin, SAE International, Baker Hughes, and Wohlers Associates. QTIME focuses on developing rapid, cost-effective non-destructive inspection (NDI) methods for large and complex AM parts – both in-situ and ex-situ – across laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) and directed energy deposition (DED) technologies.  

Building on that mission, the AM CoE, with the support of NASA and America Makes, is launching WATCHLIST (Workshop on Additive Techniques for Control and Health-monitoring Leveraging In-Situ Technologies). This AM initiative will: 

• Assess the current state of in-process monitoring (IPM) and in-process control (IPC); 
• Engage experts through literature reviews, interviews, surveys, and an in-person workshop; and 
• Deliver a strategic guide and roadmap with actionable recommendations. 

Expected outcomes include stronger domestic supply chains through improved process control and faster qualification, targeted workforce upskilling, and alignment with OSD priorities to enable scalable, production-grade AM.  

Finally, ASTM’s new Platinum membership in America Makes underscores its continued commitment to national collaboration and technology transition. Joining a select group of top-tier members, ASTM will help shape cross-industry roadmaps, accelerate standards-based qualification pathways, and amplify outcomes that benefit the broader manufacturing ecosystem.  

“ASTM International has been a proud partner of America Makes since its inception, collaborating every year on high-impact projects that advance additive manufacturing,” said Mohsen Seifi, Ph.D., ASTM International’s vice president of global advanced manufacturing programs. “Initiatives like QTIME and WATCHLIST represent the next chapter of that collaboration, connecting sensing, control, and qualification in ways that strengthen U.S. manufacturing leadership. Our shared mission is to make additive manufacturing a trusted and scalable production technology.”  

“We’re proud to welcome ASTM as a Platinum member of America Makes,” said John Wilczynski, executive director of America Makes. “Their deep expertise in standards and certification will help us drive consistent, measurable progress toward advancing additive manufacturing production readiness and strengthening the competitiveness of the U.S. manufacturing base.”

Recommended Articles