PEARL to Pursue ANSI Status

June 1, 2011
At the association's recent annual meeting in Portland, Ore., members of the Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League (PEARL) voted by straw

At the association's recent annual meeting in Portland, Ore., members of the Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League (PEARL) voted by straw poll to pursue Standards Development Organization (SDO) status through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The group, made up of electrical surplus dealers and reconditioning shops, also voted to change some of its membership criteria to include a new Service Organization Member category and to require certification before a company becomes a full voting member.

PEARL member companies agreed during the official business meeting that was part of the annual Electrical Safety, Reliability and Sustainability Conference & Exhibition at the Benson Hotel in Portland to accept its board of directors' recommendation that PEARL pursue SDO status through ANSI with the intent of adding PEARL's reconditioning standards to the ANSI body of U.S. technical standards. The organization's technical standards for reconditioning electrical equipment have been made available to the public through the group's website, www.pearl1.org.

The new Service Organization category applies to all electrical service companies that have a permanent facility for electrical product reconditioning. Members of the Service Organization class have full voting-member privileges and rights. In addition to a permanent reconditioning facility, Service Organization members must meet all other PEARL member requirements, such a minimum of $1 million in annual sales, adhere to PEARL standards and Codes of Business Practice.

“This new category is designed for electrical field service companies, such as those that belong to the InterNational Electrical Testing Association (NETA), as well as motor and transformer repair shops, such as those that belong to Electrical Apparatus Service Association, Inc. (EASA), assuming they also have a permanent facility for electrical apparatus reconditioning and meet the other criteria,” explained David Rosenfield, president of ROMAC Supply and director for PEARL.

PEARL members also approved changes to the association's Associate Member category. From now on, all new members will apply as Associate Members until such time as they request site inspection and certification by PEARL. Following a successful site certification, the Associate Member can become a full Voting Member with full association privileges.

In other news at the meeting, PEARL appointed Malcolm Fredrick of Coastal Switchgear/Shermco, Angleton, Texas, as its new president. Fredrick has led the group's standards-development efforts over much of the organization's 14 years.