This piece was originally published in the December 2018 issue of electroindustry.

Discussion about the future of NEMA was followed by lawn bowling. Pictured (from the left): Mike Pessina, Lutron; Dave Nord, Hubbell; Jack Nehlig, Phoenix Contact; Mark Wingate and Jeanette Wingate, Maxivolt; Gerald Connolly, Legrand; Deb and John Caskey, NEMA; and Patrick Hope, NEMA.

The 2018 Industry Future Forum, held on November 14 in conjunction with the Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, dove into a single topic: Standards and the future of NEMA as a trade association and Standards Developing Organization (SDO).

Participants discussed the relative balance of service offerings needed to support NEMA Members’ businesses in the future. NEMA was urged to continue to be a proactive advocate for the electrical and medical imaging industries and to continue to focus more deeply on digital, electronic technologies.

A 2019 Strategic Initiative will focus on streamlining the NEMA Standards development process to improve relevance, timeliness, and accuracy. Sign up at www.nema.org/si.