An Update on the Natural Stone Institute's Involvement with ISO TC 327
Contact:
Natural Stone Institute
(440) 250-9222
networking@naturalstoneinstitute.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oberlin, OH, March 3, 2021—Natural Stone Institute technical director Chuck Muehlbauer has been appointed chair of the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) 327 on Natural stones. As chair, he is responsible for the overall management of the committee, helping to manage standards projects effectively and leading the committee in reaching consensus. He will serve in this capacity through 2025.
TC 327 currently has 13 global participating members (Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States), with another 10 national standards bodies observing. Participation in the committee is expected to grow as its work advances. TC 327 held its first virtual meeting on January 14, 2021, and the committee will continue to work virtually throughout 2021, with plans to bring global members to Las Vegas for an in-person event as part of TISE 2022.
The progress of the committee will be accelerated by assembling existing standards from around the globe, including the Natural Stone Institute’s Dimension Stone Design Manual (DSDM), and using them to create one unified standard. Additionally, a U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) has been formed to develop and transmit, via the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), U.S.-consensus positions and comments on activities and ballots of the ISO TC. The U.S. TAG held its first virtual meeting on December 9, 2020, and is chaired by Scott Scallorn of Intertek’s York, PA location.
Michael Picco, 2021 Natural Stone Institute board president, commented: “As the current president of the association, I am extremely proud that we will be taking a leading role in the new ISO initiative. We are ensuring that we will be at the forefront of the creation of this global standard.”
Jim Hieb, Natural Stone Institute CEO, agreed: “Through our work with ISO TC 327, we will be able to develop uniform standards for natural stone with members in ISO in over 150 countries. We are moving our industry forward in new and exciting ways and ensuring a global connection for our association for years to come.”
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About the Natural Stone Institute
The Natural Stone Institute is a trade association representing every aspect of the natural stone industry. The current membership exceeds 2,000 members in over 50 nations. The association offers a wide array of technical and training resources, professional development opportunities, regulatory advocacy, and networking events. Two prominent publications—the Dimension Stone Design Manual and Building Stone Magazine—raise awareness within the natural stone industry and in the design community for best practices and uses of natural stone. Learn more at www.naturalstoneinstitute.org.
