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SME and ASME Explore Merger

23 March 1999

SME and ASME Explore Merger

    NEW YORK and DEARBORN, Mich., March 22 -- 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.