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ACI's Scope — Global or Otherwise

12/1/1998

Believe it or not, there are some Institute members who cling unhesitatingly to the concept that ACI should be just what its acronym implies — the American Concrete Institute. It is American, it is about concrete, and it is an institute/technical society. And, they feel, it should not try to be anything more.

In my more than 45 years as a member of the Institute, I have heard this philosophy expressed numerous times, including several instances at the recent convention in Los Angeles, Calif. My sentiments in one word: nonsense! Possibly the philosophy noted was the intent of the founding fathers of this organization at the start of the 20th Century but nearly 100 years have elapsed since then. An organization with only a local/national focus will not survive in a world of instant communications and rapidly changing technology.

When ACI’s Strategic Plan was originally approved in 1996, one of its four major goals was to "enhance recognition of the Institute’s role in improving concrete construction at both the domestic and international levels."

Under these four main goals, the Strategic Plan detailed six major initiatives, each consisting of a number of specific tasks, each to require implementation with "effective strategies." Revisions to the plan were approved by the Board in Los Angeles so that Initiative No. 4 now calls for ACI to "improve...national and international leadership position" in producing technical documents for concrete. This should be done by expanding "cooperative efforts to pursue adoption of ACI codes and standards"; working with ISO and its member bodies to develop standards that ACI documents will be deemed to satisfy; and creating "a stronger interface" with national and international model building code groups. These are the new revisions to Initiative No. 4; left standing is a further recommendation that the Institute should "develop technical documents apart from those developed using existing processes." (A complete listing of those revisions approved in Los Angeles will be published in Concrete International in a future issue.)

I cite these to illustrate that ACI has no plans to withdraw to the borders of the United States, ignoring current global matters. With about 17,000 members now, the Institute has members from more than 120 nations. Of this total membership, about 20 percent reside outside of North America and 25 percent live beyond the borders of the United States. In contrast, when the National Association of Cement Users, ACI’s predecessor organization, was founded in 1904, its membership was almost totally Midwestern; this dominance from states like Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa continued for many years.

ACI has no desire to compete with other concrete organizations, nationally or internationally. To the contrary, the Institute continues to pursue cooperative efforts to advance the understanding and use of concrete technology. We wish to reach out even further in these modern times because new technology permits us to do this more easily and effectively.

A relatively new tool to accomplish this came into being about four years ago with the creation of Affiliated International Societies (AIS) that, among other things, aids the exchange of technical data with other concrete-related organizations worldwide. Such AIS agreements are already in force with groups in Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Korea, South Africa, and Poland; a seventh agreement with the Norwegian Concrete Association is expected to be finalized for action at the Chicago, Ill., convention next March. And, of course, ACI will continue its efforts with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and its Technical Committee 71 on concrete. A number of ACI representatives attended a recent TC-71 plenary meeting in Bogota, Colombia, and we are pledged to continue to widen the scope of ISO involvement even further.

All this is evidence that ACI cannot look back; it must continue to "find...the best ways to do concrete work of all kinds and...spread...that knowledge," as required in the original charter. To do this, the charter continues, ACI must "promote improved technology, technical competence, design, and construction for the benefit of society." This final word is "society."

Enough said?

James R. Libby
President
American Concrete Institute

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