In 2005 the Society of Automotive Engineers will celebrate its 100th anniversary. Personal freedom and mobility are nearly inseparable, and nowhere is that more evident than in the United States. The Automobile Industry remains the largest manufacturing industry in the U.S. The aerospace industry is a vital part of both the American business and defense framework. Heavy Duty and Commercial vehicles impact our lives every day by paving our roads, building our businesses and homes, and helping put food on our tables.
SAE serves mobility engineers and technical professionals by facilitating the development of vehicle standards, creating professional development and training programs, and providing a non-commercial forum within which meaningful technical dialogue between government, academia, industry, and suppliers can flourish. Of vehicle standards it has been said, “no part or component in any modern vehicle is untouched by SAE standards.” Standards have and will continue to make our vehicles safer, better, and less expensive than would be possible without them. Our best-known standard is SAE J-300 (people readily recognize “SAE 15W-30” seal on their motor oil containers today). There are thousands of standards that have been developed with SAE guidance over the past century that have made vehicles on land, air, sea, and space better, safer and less expensive. This has contributed greatly to America’s lifestyle and its development in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Standardization enables corporations to achieve efficiencies in production that improve product quality and vehicle safety in many cases, while reducing costs and complexity in modern vehicles. This aspect of standards alone provides a “win-win” scenario for humankind. Participation on a voluntary standards development committee provides an opportunity for individuals and companies to provide valuable input into an important process.
As a nonprofit, 501(c)3 educational and scientific organization, SAE sponsors scores of meetings and continuing education programs for the development of engineers, managers, and technical professionals. Among the SAE members are educators and government officials, whose interaction with manufacturers and suppliers to mobility industries at SAE events is indispensable in intelligent policy development. SAE also provides solid technical data and background information to legislative committees on future transportation technologies like fuel cells, 42-volt electrical systems, and clean diesel engine technology.
We believe that the high standard of living much of the world currently enjoys would not be possible without the sophisticated, ever improving transportation system that sustains it. SAE has played an integral part in advancing the technology needed to build, maintain, and improve transportation for the betterment of humankind.Today, as SAE International approaches its 100th anniversary, we represent more than ever the collective wisdom of more than 83,000 engineers, technical professionals, academics, and governmental representatives in 97 countries around the globe.
For more information on SAE’s events and services for the mobility community, please visit our website at www.sae.org .
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