Industry News
ELIZABETH LARSON

Proposed standard dies

A standard circulated last year by the American Society for Testing and Materials' E-50 committee has been withdrawn. The proposed standard suggested creating environmental auditing documents similar to those contained in the ISO 14000 series. The initial purpose behind the document stemmed from a perceived need to fill a gap with existing environmental management system standards, which included greater focus both on ensuring compliance and environmental performance. However, the effort has been halted due to lack of committee action, according to ASTM's Kathie Morgan. For more information, visit the ASTM Web site at www.astm.org .

Rockwell Automation honored

Rockwell Automation recently received the Software Technical Assistance Recognition Award for greatest improvement in its customer support quality. The Software Support Professionals Association, which annually presents the STAR awards, judged Rockwell Software on customer satisfaction levels, support practices, response time and quality of calls handled. "This award recognizes Rockwell Software's service excellence, as well as total commitment to our customers' satisfaction," says Pat Babington, Rockwell's technical support and services director. Visit Rockwell Automation's Web site at www.rockwellautomation.com .

ASTM elects chairman

James S. Pierce has been elected chairman of the 1999 ASTM Board of Directors. Pierce is a member of the Leadership team for the Technical Service Center of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in Denver. He is a resident of Littleton, Colorado, and holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in civil engineering from Purdue University. A member of several ASTM committees, Pierce has served on the ASTM Board of Directors since 1993.

Entela establishes presence in China

Entela Inc., in a joint venture with the Hong Kong Standards and Testing Center, has formed Entela Hong Kong Ltd. EHK is an expansion of Entela's present services in Asia. The company plans to continue expansion efforts in order to address its clients' needs for full-service capabilities on a global basis. "This joint venture is another example of our continued effort to position Entela as a global product certification player," says Kim Philippi, Entela's president. "EHK plays a vital role in meeting our clients' needs by allowing Entela to expedite the approval of products shipped in and out of Hong Kong and China." For more information, contact Entela by telephone at (800) 888-3787.

Technology company offers online support

CR Technology, a leading supplier of advanced vision and X-ray inspection systems, has introduced CR-Anywhere Remote Online Services. The system offers interactive product training, diagnosis, software upgrades and vision systems troubleshooting to customers worldwide via the Internet. The service comes optional with the company's advanced line of vision systems including the RTI-6520 Inline and AOI 2020 Portable Vision Inspection Systems. "CR Technology is providing maximum service capability to ensure that our customers run their inspection systems at peak performance," says Richard Amtower, the company's president. Visit CR Technology online at www.crtechnology.com .

University receives quality award

The University of Phoenix has received a Pioneer Award for Quality from the Arizona Governor's Council on Quality. The award recognizes quality systems that lead to concrete improvements. The council rigorously assesses organizations in seven categories: leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, information and analysis, human resource focus, process management and business results. The university's accomplishments include cutting student orientation costs, developing a formalized process for employee involvement in fact-based decision making, and a daily, electronic newsletter that keeps university employees up-to-date with student and service improvements.

Northwest Analytical, Unilever form partnership

Software designer Northwest Analytical Inc. and food and personal care product manufacturer Unilever have established a strategic partnership. Under the agreement, the companies will collaborate on statistical process control and statistical quality control issues in the Unilever Companies. "We're very pleased to establish this strategic partnership with NWA," says Leo de Galan, Unilever's analytical and information sciences group manager. "It gives us the opportunity to make better use of SQC throughout Unilever." Visit NWA's Web site at www.nwasoft.com .

IndustryFact: The Omnibus Trade & Competitiveness Act of 1998 made the metric system the preferred system for U.S. trade.