Strategic Initiatives

Digitalization and the Internet of Things

• Augmented Reality in the Electroindustry
  To publish an electroindustry-tailored whitepaper of use cases, opportunities, and shortcomings of augmented reality, and to demonstrate how the unique functionality of augmented reality can be used to improve compliance with codes and standards.
  
• Blockchain Technical Guidance for the Electroindustry
  To develop technical industry guidance detailing use cases (e.g., reliability, resilience, distributed energy resources, transportation) and best practices for the use of blockchain in electrical products and systems.
  
• Digitalization of Construction Projects with Building Information Modeling (BIM)
  To develop technical industry guidance to promote the use of building information modeling (BIM) systems in building construction, which will increase efficiency throughout the entire lifecycle of a construction project.
• Smart Manufacturing/Industrial IoT
  To include NEMA priorities on smart manufacturing and the Industrial Internet of Things in Standards and government policies.

Electrification

• Electrified Agriculture
  To promote the safe and efficient use of electricity in modern agricultural practices.

Environment and Materials

• Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing Material Certification
  To provide industry guidance on use cases, safety concerns, and standardization gaps, to advocate for the appropriate certification of additive manufacturing materials, and to advocate for increased federal research and development funding.
  
• Materials in Products and Buildings/Circular Economy
  To assess the lifecycle impact of certain materials, identify future regulatory issues, and promote successful recycling programs..

Market Development

• Future of Standards
  To modernize and accelerate the development process for NEMA Standards and other technical documents.
• Seismic Activity Standards
  To create an industry-developed standard to define product-specific guidelines for seismic qualification of electrical equipment to commercial building codes, and to create and advocate for seismic building code provisions.

Medical Imaging

• Cybersecurity
  To identify legislative and regulatory policies that would promote cybersecurity protection of medical imaging equipment, and to convene a stakeholder group (inclusive of larger hospital systems) to advocate for mutual policy objectives.
  

Smart Cities

• Building Rating and Labeling Feasibility Study
  To determine the feasibility of establishing one or multiple commercial and/or residential building rating and labeling systems to promote the adoption of above-code energy-efficient, safe, reliable, and sustainable electric products.

Workforce Development

• Industry Promotion Toolkit
  To promote the use of the NEMA digital workforce development toolkit (including video content and online distribution platform) that will help Members promote the benefits of a career in electromanufacturing to middle school and high school students. 
  
• Pre-Apprenticeship Program
  To assist Members in establishing a pre-apprenticeship program in collaboration with their local high schools. NEMA will provide training on how to implement a program, as well as best practices for company apprenticeship programs.
  

Internet of Things

• Cybersecurity: This initiative will help prepare NEMA Members and their customers to withstand increasingly numerous and sophisticated cyberattacks by developing cybersecurity best practices and standards, and by advocating for reasonable and flexible government policies and regulations.
• Data Privacy and Ownership: As manufacturers grapple with how to put to use the troves of data generated or collected by electrical and medical imaging technologies, this initiative will help NEMA Members better understand the legal requirements for accessing and utilizing data.
• Smart Manufacturing/Industrial IoT: With the IoT extending into manufacturing and other industrial processes, this initiative will promote smart manufacturing and industrial IoT by advocating for NEMA-supported standards and government policies.
• Webinar Series on IoT Trends: With so many IoT buzzwords out there, this initiative will cut through the hype to provide NEMA Members with the information they need to incorporate artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, augmented reality, blockchain, and other IoT elements in their operations, products, and service offerings.

Smart Cities

• Grid Modernization Analysis: Innovative grid technologies have the potential to improve grid reliability and flexibility, but only if they are adopted by utilities and approved by regulators. This initiative will quantify the costs and benefits of modern grid technologies, and the results will be published to justify grid upgrades to utilities and their regulators.
• Energy Efficiency Modeling of Industrial and Building Systems: While NEMA and its Members understand that you can save more energy by focusing on the whole system, rather than just the individual components, computer models do not accurately account for these system benefits. To make customers and regulators more comfortable with the idea of a system-based approach to energy conservation, this initiative will focus on improving and testing energy models for specific applications.

Medical Imaging

• Lung, Breast, and Colorectal Cancer Screening: Catching cancer early can reduce the need for costly and invasive treatment later on. This initiative will seek to prove that screening for lung, breast, and colorectal cancer can achieve early detection and reduce mortality.

Workforce Development

• Educating the Electrical Workforce: To promote the electroindustry as a dynamic, high-skill, high-tech sector with many available career options, and to ensure that students have access to the appropriate curricula and training opportunities, NEMA is continuing and expanding its workforce development initiative.