STAFDA keynote speaker announced Frank Abagnale, the subject of the Steven Spielberg movie, Catch Me If You Can, will be the keynote speaker at the Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Assn. Annual Convention & Trade Show in Atlanta. He will address the general assembly on Nov. 3. The convention runs Nov. 2-4.

Abagnale impersonated a medical doctor, attorney, professor, FBI agent and airline pilot while still a teenager. He was pursued through 26 countries and spent time in prison for his exploits before being paroled in 1974. In later years, Abagnale began a consulting business, through which he paid back about $4 million in stolen funds.

Today, he is reportedly one of the foremost consultants in the world on forgery, embezzlement and fraud. His lecture stops include the FBI Academy, banks, corporations and law enforcement agencies.

For more information, contact STAFDA at (262) 784-4774.

MANA issues special reports

The Manufacturers' Agents National Assn. released "Coping Strategies for the 21st Century" and "An Introduction to Bankruptcy," reports identifying challenges and offering strategies to deal with the financial problems of manufacturers' agencies.

The first report offers advice and ideas from representative firms about globalization, consultative selling and more. The latter report provides information on protection before and after bankruptcy proceedings.

For more information, contact MANA at (949) 859-4040.

Visit ISANTA on the Web

The International Staple, Nail and Tool Assn. launched a Web site, www.isanta.org, with information on collated nails and staples, and driving tools. The site features an ISANTA members' page that lists companies selling the tools and fasteners, including contact information and links to Web sites. A Power Fastening Safety section includes information on the association's 15-minute safety training video, and a Building Codes page offers information on fasteners in model building codes. The site has links to ICBO ES, NES and other evaluation reports, and fastener standards.

For more information, contact ISANTA at (708) 482-8138.

NFPA tests product reliability

The National Fluid Power Assn. launched an industry-wide program in support of product reliability, which has been faltering due to noise, leakage and the lack of reliability information. NFPA's Technical Board will draft a reliability testing standard, including all component-specific annexes, by Sept. 2003.

The standard will provide general requirements for reliability testing, statistical methods for determining reliability and an example of reliability calculations. Annexes will provide test guidelines and threshold limit criteria for each component. Volunteers are needed to complete work on the reliability testing standard now in development.

For more information, contact NFPA at (414) 778-3346.

SME hears, "No lean for me"

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers, in a study of the needs of manufacturing in the Northeast, found that while most small and mid-sized manufacturers identify ways they could benefit from applying lean manufacturing, only one in four are pursuing it. SME reports on the variations in familiarity with, and the need for, lean manufacturing among small, mid-sized and large organizations and among different disciplines.

About half of the small to mid-sized company respondents said they were not aware of, not interested in, or did not believe they could use the principles. Yet when asked to prioritize their problems, they identified waste in areas that lean manufacturing specifically targets. SME conducted the study as part of its ongoing mission to provide effective products and solutions to the manufacturing industry.

For more information, call SME at (313) 271-1500.

Send Association News to associate editor Kimberly Griffiths, 275 Washington St., Newton, Mass., 02458; call (617) 558-4722; fax to (617) 558-4327; or e-mail to kgriffiths@reedbusiness.com.