Members of the ASME Standards and Certification management team reflect on their 150 collective years of code development experience.

The ASME Standards and Certification management team, from left, David Wizda,
William Berger, Michael Merker, June Ling, and Mark Sheehan.

If you were to ask me … what has made ASME codes, standards, and conformity assessment programs as established as they are today, and what would enable continued success into the future … I could provide very long answers which would distill down to “process, principles, and people.” The success of ASME Codes and Standards rests with its consensus building process, the principles to which that process adheres, and the people who contribute their knowledge and dedication. Over time new technologies and pressing challenges of the day or decade will continue to emerge, and the strategic objectives and direction of ASME will continue to be shaped by external needs and forces; as long as ASME holds to established principles such as openness, transparency, impartiality, consensus, and relevance, we will continue to draw the time and talent of some of the brightest minds of the world and continue to enjoy the successes of making the world a better place.

— June Ling,  Associate Executive Director, ASME Standards and Certification

One of ASME Codes and Standards’ objectives over the next couple of years is to get involved in new technologies and emerging technologies. We have a pretty solid core of codes and standards right now in the pressure equipment area, nuclear codes and standards, but there are new areas emerging, such as renewable energy technologies, that we would like to somehow find a niche for ASME to participate in. ... So we are constantly on the lookout for new opportunities in codes and standards to meet the needs of industry and government. We established a new area within codes and standards several years ago on new development whose primary focus is to seek out potential new opportunities for ASME Codes and Standards to get involved in and we have several new activities in the pipeline.

— William Berger, Managing Director, Technical, ASME Standards and Certification

Standardization is a fascinating process whose success can be measured by the absence of knowledge by the public at large. People take for granted that certain equipment is safe and no one will be injured or killed, but that peace of mind is something that requires a lot of behind-the-scenes effort, which might appear mundane to the casual observer. It can be difficult to watch a committee debate a definition or a procedural question and see how it adds to this process, but seemingly minor changes in a definition can vastly affect the range of equipment or end uses covered by a standard, and the procedural elements are vital to ensuring that the process is open and fair—without which the ASME standards would not be adopted and used. If the process didn’t work as well as it does, we’d all hear about the negative consequences—and wish we didn’t.

— Michael Merker, Managing Director, Operations, ASME Standards and Certification

One of the biggest changes I have seen in my years as an ASME Conformity Assessment staff member is the degree to which our certification and accreditation programs have become truly global.  For much of our history, they were limited to companies based in North America, but in the last few decades have now spread to companies in 75 countries throughout the world.  The opportunities are significant, but so are the challenges.

— David Wizda, Managing Director, Conformity Assessment, ASME Standards and Certification

One of the most significant developments over the last 125 years is the evolution of the role standards play in the world. When ASME first issued standards, their role was essentially to ensure that parts fit together and that equipment could be relied upon to perform in a safe and productive manner. Recently, standards have taken on a broader role—that of defining the language of trade. Additionally, it has been recognized that new technologies cannot serve the public without having standards in place to guide their application. ASME continues to redefine standardization to ensure that it serves the needs of industry and government globally, and that it expedites the introduction of new technologies.

— Mark Sheehan, Managing Director, Development, ASME Standards and Certification