Seminars teach manufacturers how to do business globally using ASME Code

Mark Sheehan
ASME Codes and Standards

Recent developments in international trade that affect the use of codes and standards for pressure equipment are making manufacturers increasingly uncertain about how to conduct business internationally.

To make life easier for these manufacturers, ASME's Codes and Standards Department is presenting a series of seminars to provide users of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code with the latest information regarding these trade developments — which have been spurred primarily by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT).

These seminars serve as a forum for sharing information about dealing with these changing conditions. They also help manufacturers understand that building to the ASME Code affords them access to the greatest segment of the global market for pressure equipment as compared to using other standards.

The seminars help manufacturers maintain close ties with experts in other countries, particularly those from enforcement entities such as notified bodies, who give presentations during the seminars. Maintaining close ties, in turn, expands the acceptance of the ASME Code as a means of satisfying local regulations.

The most recent seminar was held in February in San Francisco, with the next one scheduled for October in Europe. That will be followed by a seminar in December at Boca Raton, Fla. Check www.asme.org/codes for updates on details.

Because the most dynamic changes in the pressure equipment sector are occurring in Europe, the seminars concentrate on that area.

Manufacturers know that building to ASME code gives them access to the greatest part of the global market.

One of the goals of the European New Approach is ensuring the free movement of goods between European member states; France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom are among the larger member states. This involves drafting brand-new regulations called directives that are then adopted into each country's laws regulating various types of products.

The European standards development organization, CEN, is then given a mandate by the European Commission to develop standards that address the essential safety requirements of the directive.

Once completed, these CEN standards are considered harmonized to the directive, and the use of those standards provides a presumption of conformity with the directive under the rules of the New Approach.

However, it is possible to use other, non-CEN standards to meet those essential safety requirements. In the case of the Pressure Equipment Directive (PED), it is becoming more likely that CEN will not complete work on the European standard for pressure vessels in time for the mandatory implementation date for the PED, May 28, 2002.

This presents an opportunity for ASME Codes and Standards because manufacturers will have to use other standards as the basis for meeting the PED. Already, many of them are turning to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code for that purpose. This creates an environment with a constant need for the latest information, which is filled by ASME's seminars.

The format for the seminars varies slightly, but the first day is fairly consistent, with a session covering the principles of the New Approach and the fundamental principles of the PED. Next, attendees are introduced to the ASME Guidance Document on Using Section VIII, Division 1 of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code to Meet the Essential Safety Requirements of the PED.

This document was developed in cooperation with the Pressure Vessel Research Council and is a result of a collaborative effort involving experts on the ASME Code and the PED.

Included in the document is a point-by-point comparison of Section VIII, Division 1 with the requirements of the PED, giving guidance to the user about what additional actions need to be taken to comply with the directive. Attendees of previous seminars in Milan, Italy, and Seoul, Korea, have said that this document is quite useful.

In another session, experts from France provide the latest information on the progress of approval of materials for use under the PED. This is important to manufacturers because all materials must be approved before they can be used.

Three methods are used to approve materials: use materials made to harmonized CEN specifications, obtain European Approval of Materials (EAM), or complete a Particular Material Appraisal (PMA).

To date, there are few harmonized CEN standards and no EAMs have been issued at all, so the most likely path to material approval is the PMA approach.

The processes for both EAM and PMA were explained in detail, including the role of the notified body, or inspection agency, in the approval process.

The format for the seminar's second day will vary due to the availability of representatives. But actual case histories of how a manufacturer used the ASME Boiler Code to meet the requirements of the PED will be discussed.

Representatives for a manufacturer and the manufacturer's notified body will also discuss their separate responsibilities under the PED. That discussion is a critical component of compliance with the PED.

Some of the most dynamic changes in pressure equipment are occurring in Europe.

During the February seminar, the chairman of the China National Standardization Committee on Pressure Vessels presented a paper on the state of safety regulations in the pressure equipment sector in China. An expert from Japan came from the Komae Research Laboratory and addressed the recent changes in the Japanese regulatory process, focusing on how the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code is viewed toward meeting Japanese regulations.

These seminars continue to be of great value to users of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code.

For information on future seminars, visit the ASME Codes and Standards Web site at www. asme.org/codes/ and scroll down for seminar information.

Also visit the ASME Codes and Standards Web site for information about the availability of the Guidance Document on Using Section VIII, Division 1 of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code to Meet the Essential Safety Requirements of the PED, which should be available in the first quarter of 2001.

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