October 26, 2021

The International Trade Administration (ITA) announced the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) as one of its grantees to expand U.S. participation in technical standards related to advanced manufacturing systems. Under its Market Development Cooperator Program, partnerships are established between ITA and non-profit industry groups for targeted projects that promote U.S. exports in international markets and remove, reduce, or prevent trade barriers.

“Congratulations to NEMA for receiving a 2021 Market Development Cooperator Program award. NEMA will help U.S. companies to increase exports of Advanced Manufacturing Systems and train the technical experts needed to properly lead related technical committees,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said.

“NEMA is pleased to play a role in increasing U.S. representation and influence in international standards for advanced manufacturing in an effort to boost exports,” said NEMA President and CEO Debra Phillips.

“Our continued partnership with ITA allows us to expand the base of U.S. technical  experts to contribute toward global standards that incorporate  U.S. perspectives and  maximize compatibility with domestically-produced equipment,” Phillips added.  

Future planned activities under the Program include expanding participation on U.S. technical committees and training them on standards development processes, aligning technical outputs with business goals through periodic interactions between the NEMA Advanced Manufacturing Council,  ITA, other U.S. agencies, and local trade associations to better understand challenges and opportunities for each of the target markets.