ASME partners with APQC to help industry measure innovation

ASME is partnering with the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC) in an endeavor to provide industry leadership with a model to measure innovation and productivity.

In the initial stage of the program with APQC, ASME is asking key members in industry to participate in a research study based on the APQC Open Standards Benchmarking Collaborative (OSBC). This research seeks to standardize the processes and measures that global organizations use to benchmark and improve performance that enables rapid and innovative improvement within organizations.

ASME members participating in the study will receive a customized benchmarking report allowing them to compare their innovation processes against the best practices in place at leading companies worldwide. The results of the OSBC study will allow participants to compare their company's processes in terms of capabilities, costs, productivity, efficiency, and cycle times against a composite of other participants.

"We are excited about our new partnership with APQC," said Virgil R. Carter, ASME executive director. "The Open Standards Benchmarking Collaborative is a proven methodology that will assist ASME members in industry to access reliable and objective benchmarks for innovation and productivity."

The partnership is being managed by ASME's new Center for Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The center seeks to link entrepreneurial and innovative behavior to the educational and career pathways of high school students, university and college graduates, first-job holders, individuals changing jobs, and adult learners.

Despite having an extraordinary capacity to innovate, many engineers are unaware of the many innovative and entrepreneurial opportunities open to them. The new center will reach out to these individuals, with the goal of enhancing the engineering profession while serving competitive needs of industry and the United States.

As a global resource for process and performance improvement, APQC helps organizations build better ways to work, adapt to change, and succeed in the marketplace through the identification of best practices and the creation of benchmarks. Founded in 1977, the member-based nonprofit serves more than 500 organizations in all sectors of business, education, and government.

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