ASME Bio/Pharma Solutions: A single, simple resource for engineers

Alan S. Brown
Mechanical Engineering magazine

How do your engineers keep pace with fast-moving biomedical and biopharmaceutical processing technology?

ASME makes it easy. ASME Bio/Pharmaceutical Solutions — a new section of the ASME.ORG Web site devoted to solving the needs of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies — slices through ASME's 600 codes and standards, 21 technical journals, 35 technical divisions, 10,000 annual conferences papers, 30 annual technical conferences, hundreds of handbooks and reference publications, and 30,000 Web pages.

It collects all of ASME's biopharma resources - classroom and online training, conferences, standards, certifications, journals, books, and conference papers - in a single location: www.asmesolutions.org/BioPharm.

This online portal gives engineers and technical professionals quick access to all of ASME's biopharma resources and services. They can use it to sign up for workshops, register for conferences, access standards, download meeting papers, or call someone to develop a customized training curriculum for employees around the globe.

It makes it easy to ensure that your engineering team has the skills and resources needed to get the job done. ASME Bio/Pharma Solutions provides a simple way to:

• Consult with ASME to determine cost-effective ways to fill gaps in skills and create custom professional development programs for employees.

• Ensure consistent, customized training across different disciplines, locations, and countries by using ASME as your technical university.

• Access a variety of public courses, private offerings at your locations, online courses, and other electronic and print training tools.

• Keep up-to-date on critical bioprocessing and pharmaceutical processing standards.

• Participate in key meetings and conferences as well as workshops and online presentations.

• Track the latest literature, conference papers, and studies.

• Identify current, new or unfilled research and technology needs, including risk-informed research.

• Conduct precompetitive collaborative industry research through the ASME Center for Research and Technology Development (CRTD) or other parts of ASME.

• Reduce costs through specially priced packages of ASME products.

ASME Bio/Pharma Solutions is part of the Society's broader ASME Solutions program. "Our goal is to make it easy for corporations to find consistent, high-quality, industry standard resources in one place," explained Amy Geffen, director of ASME Strategic Initiatives. "Until now, ASME has always focused on functional categories. If you wanted to attend courses, set up a library, and access a standard, you had to talk to three different people."

"ASME Solutions plays an important role in the Society's strategic initiative on industry, aimed at providing products and services that can increase company innovation and productivity, while helping engineers understand how to better work in a global environment," said ASME President Richard E. (Gene) Feigel.

"We've now put all these resources on one Web site and given companies one contact person with whom they can talk," Feigel continued. "We have already begun to create customized portals for companies. When their engineers log onto ASME Solutions, they immediately access the courses, workshops, meetings, and resources that are part of their company's professional development roadmap."

Training is one of ASME's most vital resources. It is especially critical today, according to ASME Research Director Michael Tinkleman, who also heads the Bio/Pharma Solutions effort. "Everybody has a leaner staff today, and no manager has every person or skill that he or she wants. Everyone needs a simple, structured way to supplement the skill set of the people they have."

ASME taps the extensive knowledge base of its members. "Many are very senior people who enjoy sharing what they have learned in either a collaborative research project or in a training environment," Tinkleman said. "We set our collaborative research project and training standards very high, both in terms of project and course quality and consistency. This is exactly what you would expect from an organization that can tap so many talented people."

"Lots of companies already have relationships with us," Geffen added. "Until now, they had no way of knowing what services they received from us, nor did they have the tools to manage those services. ASME Bio/Pharma Solutions provide those tools, and enable them to transform a lot of different services into a strategic relationship."

ASME is keeping in step with the issues facing the biopharma industry and, through the resources of ASME Solutions, offers knowledge programs and services designed to meet specific organizational needs and technical concerns.

This year, ASME conferences will also contribute to the success and career development of biomedical professionals, engineers, technicians, and researchers. Conferences in 2006 include:

• Frontiers in Biomedical Devices Conference, June 8-9, Irvine, Calif.; www.asmeconferences.org/nanobio06

• 2006 Summer Bioengineering Conference, June 21-25, Amelia Island, Fla.; http://divisions.asme.org/bed/events/summer06.html

• 19th Annual Bioprocess Technology Seminars, Oct. 23-27, Montreal; www.asmeconferences.org/bioprocess06

For more information about ASME Bio/Pharma Solutions, contact Lee Hawkins, director, Client Relations, at (214) 503-3727 or hawkinsl@asme.org.

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