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Anne Buckley
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212-591-8157
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New York & Dearborn, Mich., March 22, 1999 -- The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME International) and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) have announced their intention to explore closer collaboration and a potential merger. The governing boards of both organizations agreed to this objective at their meetings in March. The joint announcement was issued by SME President Cecil W. Schneider and ASME President Winfred M. Phillips.
The objective of an ultimate merger of SME and ASME would be to advance their educational missions and provide enhanced services to their individual members. A merger would create a single, unified organization that would better serve the entire range of professional needs and would be increasingly responsive to the rapidly changing environment in which the members live and work. This merger of two successful societies is designed to preserve the rich traditions of each and realize the advantages to the profession of an organization which serves the technical interests of its members and customers in research, design and manufacturing.
Both ASME and SME have a long and distinguished history of service to the engineering profession through a comprehensive array of programs and services designed to improve the competence of their members and the engineering community at large. The new organization will be better positioned to serve that community and a combined membership of nearly 200,000 engineering professionals. A Blue Ribbon Committee, with membership from both societies, has examined the top level governance structures of both organizations and concluded that a single structure could be designed that would be mutually acceptable.
SME, established in 1932, has as its mission to serve its members and the international manufacturing community through the advancement of professionalism, knowledge and learning. Headquartered in Dearborn, Mich., SME has some 65,000 members.
ASME, established in 1880, has as its mission to promote and enhance the technical competency and professional well being of its members, and through quality programs and activities, in mechanical engineering, better enable its practitioners to contribute to the well being of mankind. Headquartered in New York City, ASME has some 125,000 members.
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SME background information and news releases can be accessed on the SME Home Page at www.sme.org.
ASME background information can be accessed on the ASME Home page at www.asme.org.
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