iNews July 2006

Dates Set for San Francisco CPLP Workshops

The 2006 Fall CPLP Workshops will be held in San Francisco this November. The Technician class and exam will be Wednesday the 15th, followed by the Technologist class and exam on Thursday the 16th. You can attend one or both, and take the fast track to becoming an ISTA Certified Packaging Laboratory Professional.

We are still in the process of selecting a hotel for the Workshops, but that should be determined soon. It will either be in the Union Square (downtown) area of San Francisco, or on the “hotel row” just south of the San Francisco airport. We are also trying to arrange a tour for the evening of November 15, but that’s dependent on the hotel selection and logistics. Check the Education section of the ISTA website over the next few days by Clicking Here – the latest information will be posted as soon as it’s available.

The registration fee is $595 for either the Technician or Technologist Workshop, or $1070 for one person taking both. Discounts are available for 3 or more people from the same organization at the same time. All materials and lunches will be provided. Call Lisa Bonsignore at ISTA Headquarters 517-333-3437 for more information and to register.

ISTA Test Series Groups Being Formed

ISTA members have always had the opportunity to be involved in the creation and modification of ISTA Test Procedures. But a recent Administrative Guide adopted by the ISTA Technical Council and Board of Directors enhances the process, beginning with the creation of expert panels called Test Series Groups.

The TSGs will review and vote on new ISTA test procedures as well as changes to existing test procedures. TSG members must be qualified by virtue of their experience and testing activities, or by their CPLP certification level. Members who are not on TSGs may nonetheless register to be notified of proposed changes, and are encouraged to submit comments and suggestions.

An e-mail invitation to join the TSGs was recently sent to all members. If you are an ISTA member who is interested but did not get the e-mail, please contact Meredith Young at ISTA Headquarters.

The new Guide for Development and Maintenance of ISTA Test Protocols ensures a competent and thorough process, with both expert guidance and open inputs, verification and validation, and consensus voting for final approval.

Changes Proposed for ISTA Procedure 3A

Improvements have been suggested to the way small, elongated, and flat packages are tested in Procedure 3A, “General Simulation Test for Parcel Delivery System Shipment”. Also, there has been a suggestion to modify the optional “vibration under vacuum” portion of 3A. These proposals will be submitted to the Technical Council for action under the process described in the article above.

Several labs have reported that in some instances the results from 3A tests for elongated and flat packages do not correlate well with real-world performance. The proposed improvement is to add a second series of free-fall drops, similar to the drops for standard packages.

For small packages, it has been suggested that the second vibration test, which uses the Pick-Up and Delivery Vehicle vibration spectrum, could be a better simulation with the small package out of the consolidation mailbag. The current Procedure requires testing in the bag.

For the optional Vibration under Vacuum procedure, a proposed change suggests that the specimen be oriented with face 1 (the top) down, to create a more challenging test.

These proposals have been written up, and will be submitted to the Technical Council for consideration as the first step in the new “Procedure Development and Maintenance” process. If you are interested in participating in this process, please contact Meredith Young at ISTA Headquarters.
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CPLP Re-Certification Program Begins
Beginning soon, ISTA Certified Packaging Laboratory Professionals who obtained their certificates 3 or more years ago will be asked to re-certify. Re-certification preserves the integrity and status of the program by ensuring that a CPLP remains active in the field and is still qualified.

Recertification may be accomplished by submitting a qualifying Résumé of Industry Activities, or by taking an abbreviated version of the appropriate current exams (Technician and/or Technologist). The résumé form and exams will be available both on-line and in printed form.

All CPLPs who are due for re-certification will be sent an e-mail with complete instructions and links to the on-line documents. The fee is $125 and the re-certification process must be completed within 90 days. Contact education@ista.org for more information. Click Here to learn about the CPLP program.

Note: Professional-Level CPLPs are not required to re-certify; CPLP-Professional is a lifetime certification.
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Brown Stove Works Celebrates 53 Years of ISTA Membership!
Brown Stove Works of Cleveland, TN joined ISTA’s predecessor organization in July of 1953, and has maintained its membership continuously ever since. Thanks and congratulations to ISTA’s longest-standing member!

ISTA traces its beginnings to 1948, when the National Safe Transit Committee (NSTC) was formed to address shipping damage of porcelain enameled products (stoves and refrigerators). With Ralph Bisbee of Westinghouse Electric Corporation as its Chairman, NSTC decided that “prevention rather than cure” was needed, and created the industry’s first standard shipping tests, Projects 1 and 1A.

By 1952 the tests were becoming widely accepted, and the first Transit Tested label was designed and put to use. Brown Stove Works became a member in 1953. In the intervening years, NSTC became NSTA (the “A” for Association), then N/ISTA (for “National/International”) and finally ISTA. Brown Stove Works continued its membership, and continued its acceptance of the core principles of preshipment testing.

Brown Stove Works was founded in 1935, and remains “the Work Horse of the Appliance Industry”. They manufacture gas and electric ranges, surface units and wall ovens, and the FiveStar line of professional home ranges. Click Here to visit the Brown Stove Works website.
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Reminders… Pack Expo Promotions, Dimensions.07 Speakers
In case you missed the articles in the last iNews, this is a reminder that ISTA is offering its members a unique promotional opportunity at this year’s Pack Expo. Also, speaker slots are still available for the Dimensions 2007 Forum, and those interested in presenting are encouraged to contact us immediately.

ISTA has a larger-than-usual booth at Pack Expo this year, and we’re offering the extra space to our laboratory and supplier members for promotion of their products and services. The ISTA booth is in a great location – facing both the Grand Concourse and the main North Hall entrance, and near the PackExpo.com information booth. Click Here to read last month’s article for complete information.

If you’re interested in being a speaker at Dimension.07 at Disney World next year, we need to hear from you soon. Although there are still about eight months before the event (March 27-30, 2007), the final selection of presenters will be made within the next few weeks. Click Here to read last month’s iNews article and get the details.
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September 11-13, 2006 will see shipping and logistics professionals gathering in the Chicago area to learn from some of the best and brightest minds in the parcel shipping business. Parcel Shipping & Distribution Forum covers the entire back-end shipping operation from Order Entry, Warehousing, Material Handling, Picking, Packing, and Shipping to Final Delivery.

On Monday, September 11, ISTA is producing an all-day, pre-conference workshop entitled “Parcel Package Innovations: The Next Frontier”. Larry Rutledge of FedEx and Bill Kipp of ISTA will highlight packaging approaches used by leading companies to meet the challenges associated with parcel shipping. Case studies will illustrate innovations used to solve and avoid problems, how those innovations relate to various aspects of the parcel shipping environment, and the importance of laboratory simulation testing.

The workshop will feature an afternoon tour of CDW Corporation's 450,000 square foot distribution center in Vernon Hills, IL. CDW is a leading supplier of technology products and services for business, government, and education.

Click Here for complete information on the Parcel Forum and to register.