A Comparison of Standards Systems

The principal difference between AGMA and DIN standards is that the former rely
heavily on actual experience, whereas DIN standards are based largely on
theoretical and laboratory data. Western European gear producers have indicated
that DIN standards are more comprehensive than AGMA's. DIN standards include
bearings, steel profile, and lubrication, whereas AGMA standards relate to gears
only and favor "through-hardened" over "case-hardened" gears. Other differences
between AGMA and DIN standards relate to material appraisal, quality
determination, service factors, gear box components, and thermal capacity.
AGMA standards are in order to decease the that the will fail, leading to downtime
and/or Since product liability is more of an issue and expense in the U.S. market
than in any other country, the need for conservative standards is more relevant to
the U.S. industry. According to U.S. industry sources, for a number of applications in
the United States, purchasers gears and gear products with more durability and are
thus better served by a more conservative standard such as AGMA.
AGMA believe that its approach to developing standards is receiving wider
acceptance in Europe in part because of its emphasis on "serviceability" compared
with the more "academic" approach frequently utilized to draft European standards.
A similar view was expressed by a major Japanese gear Manufacturer, who believes
AGMA standards are becoming stronger than DIN standards and will continue to do
so in the future because AGMA's are more flexible in matching the customer's needs
with the product life cycle.

Manufacturers can, and do, produce gears to any standard, including hybrids of
national standards plus their own manufacturing and applications experience. It is
important for consumers understand the various gear standards so that they can
benefit from the strengths of a particular system. Each user needs to take into
account his special application and equate his requirements with the cost of the
various products on the market.

Despite the fact that standards are voluntary, they are often used by private and
public procurement officials in tender documents and may attain the status of a de
facto requirement in particular countries with their own national standards view
them as a marketing tool and, furthermore, wish that they be replicated in
interactional standards.

The most prevalent standard covering gears and gearing has been the DIN standard
which covers a wide range of products, including gears, and is promoted by West
Germany. DIN has assisted standards development agencies, in general, in the
developed countries (LDCs) and, with respect to gears, in such countries as China;
Saudi Arabia, which influences other neighboring countries; Brazil; and the Soviet
Union. Both the U.S. and Japanese industries, as well as those of 20 other countries,
work through the ISO to their own views on standards, but their budgets for this
purpose are believed to be Considerably less than such funding in West German.
The aggressive marketing of the DIN standards has greatly facilitated the
acceptance of West German products into foreign markets at the expense of
competitors.

Presently, the U.S. gear industry manufacturers almost exclusively to AGMA

standards. Since AGMA standards are widely accepted in only a few Markets, export
opportunities have been limited. With respect to gear export to the EC, the US
industry argues that the cost of redesigning and manufacturing gears to other
national standards for this market may be prohibitively expensive.

A different point of view on subject of manufacturing to more than one

National/international standard was voiced to the Commission by a major West
German gear producer that manufactures in the United This Company stated that,
in general, foreign-owned must and do comply with more than one set standards, as
it does by manufacturing all of its Gear products sold in the United States to AGMA
standards. One French firm indicated that while it prefers to manufacture to DIN
standards, it can produce to any standard easily because it uses computer
numerically controlled machine tools.

West European and Japanese gear producers reported that the use of the U.S.
customary system as opposed to the metric system restricts US export potential but
that gear producers need to be able to manufacture to any specification in order to
compete in world market. To accomplish this, certain adjustments need to be made,
sometimes at an additional cost. Some companies that export reported the
conversion to inches often only applies to the dimensions of the input and output
shafts. However, the availability of replacement parts for the internal gear may play
a significant role in the purchase decision. It costs firms more to manufacture to a
different measuring system partly because designs have to be converted and partly
because production runs in different measuring systems are usually smaller. One
company Estimate a 10 percent increase in cost. Other exporting firm reported that
they attempt to switch customers to a metric standard because of the possibility of
an error in the conversion.