I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2733
To authorize the National Institute of Standards and Technology to work
with major manufacturing industries on an initiative of standards devel-
opment and implementation for electronic enterprise integration.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AUGUST 2, 2001
Mr. BARCIA (for himself and Mr. EHLERS) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Science
A BILL
To authorize the National Institute of Standards and Tech-
nology to work with major manufacturing industries on
an initiative of standards development and implementa-
tion for electronic enterprise integration.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Enterprise Integration
Act of 2001’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Over 90 percent of United States companies
engaged in manufacturing are small and medium-
sized businesses.
(2) Most of these manufacturers produce goods
for assemblage into products of large companies.
(3) The emergence of the World Wide Web and
the promulgation of international standards for
product data exchange greatly accelerated the move-
ment toward electronically integrated supply chains
during the last half of the 1990’s.
(4) A major Wall Street firm recently estimated
that the adoption of electronic commerce-based sup-
ply chains in various manufacturing industries can
reduce business costs from 10 percent to 40 percent.
(5) European and Asian countries are investing
heavily in electronic enterprise standards develop-
ment, and in preparing their smaller manufacturers
to do business in the new environment. European ef-
forts are well advanced in the aerospace, automotive,
and shipbuilding industries and are beginning in
other industries including home building, furniture
manufacturing, textiles, and apparel.
(6) If United States manufacturers are to re-
main competitive, they must match their overseas
competition by making sure that standards, includ-
(10) It is, therefore, in the national interest for
the National Institute of Standards and Technology
to accelerate its efforts—
(A) in helping major manufacturing indus-
tries develop standards and enterprise integra-
tion processes that are necessary to increase ef-
ficiency and lower costs; and
(B) in making sure that every small or me-
dium-sized manufacturer has the option of up-
grading its manufacturing capabilities to the
point where it can be part of an electronic sup-
ply chain of a major manufacturing industry.
SEC. 3. ENTERPRISE INTEGRATION INITIATIVE.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director shall establish
an initiative for advancing enterprise integration within
the United States. In carrying out this section, the Direc-
tor shall involve, as appropriate, the various units of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology, including
the National Institute of Standards and Technology lab-
oratories, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership pro-
gram established under sections 25 and 26 of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C.
278k and 278l), and the Malcolm Baldrige National Qual-
ity Program. This initiative shall begin with product data
management and build upon ongoing efforts of the Na-
tional Institute of Standards and Technology and of the
private sector, shall involve consortia that include govern-
ment and industry, and shall be designed to permit enter-
prise integration in each United States major manufac-
turing industry at the earliest possible date.
(b) ASSESSMENT.—For each major manufacturing
industry, the Director may work with industry representa-
tives and organizations currently engaged in enterprise in-
tegration activities, and others as appropriate, to identify
all enterprise integration standardization and implementa-
tion activities underway in the United States and abroad
that impact that industry and to assess the current state
of enterprise integration within that industry. The Direc-
tor may assist such industry representatives and organiza-
tions in the development of roadmaps that identify the re-
maining steps needed to ensure that the standards, appli-
cation protocols, and support for suppliers are in place to
permit supply chains within the industry to operate as an
integrated electronic enterprise. The roadmaps shall use
voluntary consensus standards where possible. Working
with such industry representatives and organizations to
ensure that their needs are met, the National Institute of
Standards and Technology shall develop milestones and
anticipated costs by fiscal year for activities of the Federal
Government in support of the roadmaps developed, and
shall make those milestones and anticipated costs known
to industry.
(c) PLANS AND REPORTS.—Within 90 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Director shall report
to the Congress on efforts made to publicize the avail-
ability of assistance under this section and on anticipated
related activities of the National Institute of Standards
and Technology for the then current fiscal year. Within
180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and
annually thereafter, the Director shall submit to the Con-
gress a report on the National Institute of Standards and
Technology’s activities under subsection (b).
(d) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—In order to carry out
this Act and the plans prepared under subsection (c), the
Director may—
(1) work with companies and trade associations
within a major manufacturing industry to raise
awareness of enterprise integration activities in the
United States and abroad, including convening meet-
ings;
(2) work with an industry on the development
of enterprise integration roadmaps;
(3) support the development, testing, promulga-
tion, and adoption of standards, including applica-
tion protocols;
(4) support the development, promulgation, in-
tegration, and upgrading of standards related to en-
terprise integration;
(5) support pilot projects that include small and
medium-sized businesses for new standards and en-
terprise integration;
(6) ensure the training and regular upgrading
of skills of Manufacturing Extension Program em-
ployees;
(7) develop tool kits and employee training ma-
terials and take other steps necessary to permit
small and medium-sized businesses to participate in
an integrated enterprise; and
(8) set up legal and financial mechanisms to
permit groups of Manufacturing Extension Program
centers to work collectively on modernizing and inte-
grating a company’s or industry’s supply chain.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act—
(1) the term ‘‘automotive’’ means land-based
engine-powered 
vehicles 
including 
automobiles,
trucks, busses, trains, defense vehicles, farm equip-
ment, and motorcycles;
(2) the term ‘‘Director’’ means the Director of
the National Institute of Standards and Technology;
(3) the term ‘‘enterprise integration’’ means the
electronic linkage of manufacturers, assemblers, sup-
pliers, and customers to enable the electronic ex-
change of product, manufacturing, and other busi-
ness data among all partners in a product supply
chain, and such term includes related application
protocols and other related standards;
(4) the term ‘‘major manufacturing industry’’
includes the aerospace, automotive, electronics, ship-
building, construction, home building, furniture, tex-
tile, and apparel industries and such other industries
as the Director designates; and
(5) the term ‘‘National Institute of Standards
and Technology laboratories’’ means those institutes
of the National Institute of Standards and Tech-
nology with expertise in electronic commerce, includ-
ing the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory, the
Building and Fire Research Laboratory, and the In-
formation Technology Laboratory.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Direc-
tor to carry out functions under this Act $10,000,000 for
fiscal year 2002, $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2003, and
such sums as may be necessary for subsequent fiscal
years.
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