With two European countries among the top five importers of U.S- made packaging machinery in 2011, the European Union (EU) is clearly integral to a strong export strategy.

“Despite the headlines, Europe has been a strong marketplace for packaging machinery, but there’s been a lot of confusion about how to interpret the standards that regulate the market,” said Maria Ferrante, vice president of education & workforce development. “That’s why PMMI’s 2012 Safety Conference will focus on CE and beyond, with speakers who have been involved in the development of these standards.”

The 2012 Safety Conference (July 17–18; Chicago, Ill.) is taking the “CE and Beyond” theme and focusing on the CE mark and EU rules governing packaging machinery imports. The event’s line up of speakers features experts who developed the existing regulations, including Otto Görnemann of SICK AG and Klaus Dieter-Becker of BG, who is currently involved in the revision of ISO 13849-1. PMMI Director of Technical Services Fred Hayes, who is very active in the international standards community, particularly the International Standards Organization, is also lending his expertise to the event.

“The speakers at this year’s conference have worked with ISO, IEC, CEN, DEN and AENOR,” Ferrante added. “And with domestic ANSI standards developed to harmonize with these efforts, the insights Dieter-Becker and Görnemann provide will be just as relevant domestically as they are internationally.”

The agenda includes sessions focused on the evolving ISO 13849 requirements, legacy equipment, risk assessment and the European Machinery Directive, but the 2012 Safety Conference allows ample time for questions and answers. PMMI has allotted more than 100 minutes over the course of the conference for Q&A — with PMMI Director of Technical Services Fred Hayes, Johnson & Bell Attorney Kevin Owens, design safety engineering President Bruce Main and General Mills’ Steve Japs, as well as Görnemann and Dieter-Becker.

“The rules and regulations are complex, and this year’s Safety Conference is an invaluable opportunity to understand them,” Ferrante noted.

Early registration for PMMI’s 2012 Safety Conference has been extended to July 9. To take advantage of the $100 discount, learn more and register for the conference, click through to at www.pmmi.org/safety.