 In
what format are your databases?
SAE positions
itself to produce information for its members and customers
any way they desire it, be it print or electronic or still
sometimes, microfiche. We began our electronic products 12
years ago which has since grown into 25 titles on CD-ROM, five
databases on the Web and our first full text collection
on the web
called J 1939, a compilation of 22 standards.
Microfiche and print are still in
demand?
Very much so
and that's why we are committed not to abandon these formats.
We've actually seen demand for our microfiche products grow in
some parts of the world when quite frankly we thought they
were going to die. But many customers still want
these formats, especially
corporate libraries and small companies with 10-15 employees."
Why
isn't SAE better known in Southeast
Asia?
SAE has always
conducted activities outside America but now the organisation
is becoming truly global. Our international membership has
grown considerably during the last few years. If you're
working in the automotive and aerospace industries and
supplying products to the United States people know about us.
If not, people don't think of us first so it's our job to work
with others to get our name better known whether it be our
information products or having people join us as SAE members.
How does
an individual or a library become a member of
SAE?
We only have individual members, no
corporate members. Membership benefits include a selection of
SAE published magazines and we also organise more than 25
technical meeting throughout the year most of them in the US
and Europe but slowly and surely, we're introducing some of
those meetings to Asia. Members can attend most SAE meetings
for free.
What
does your current product line up look
like?
We have five databases on CD-ROM and
the Web and 16 other CD-ROM titles containing full text,
either the technical papers themselves or the standards. SAE
is very well known for being an organisation that formulates
industry standards. Anyone supplying US manufacturers has to
comply with our standards.
These
are standards considered by committees and then adopted by the
SAE?
We call then Consensus Documents.
They're developed by our members, who are also experts in the
industry, validated and then published by SAE. They are
voluntary standards but if a company wants to be a player in
the industry, they ignore them at their peril.
In your standards making role, do you
compete with other organisations like IEEE?
IEEE makes standards as does ASTM
and several others but everybody has a niche and ours is
mobility. Another big area for us is aerospace materials
specifications. These are materials that go into aeroplanes
and cars. So we're not really competing because the standards
organisations each have their own specialism.
How international is the content of your
databases?
The Global Mobility database
provides the widest coverage. The majority of that database is
SAE information but approximately 35 percent of the content
comes from another 30 publishers in France, UK, Canada,
Germany, Sweden, India, Indonesia, Korea, China, Singapore,
Japan and elsewhere.
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Do the original documents have to be in
English to gain a mention in your databases?
We take the original document in
whatever language it's in and have it translated so that the
abstract appears in English in the database. This also means
that we have a copy of every document included in our
databases so we also provide a document delivery service
called SAE Express. Customers can order through the SAE
Bookstore on the web.
What's the availability of SAE full text
products?
The majority of them are on CD-ROM.
Approximately 15-20 in number have full text, some of them SAE
standards, and the remainder are subject specific like
accident reconstruction, fuels and lubricants, and engines. We
do have a variety of full text products. Most of the subject
specific ones are SAE technical papers, they're historical so
in some cases can go back 20 years.
Will you
accelerate your place on the Web with full text
documents?
That's the plan. We'll be moving
some older products to the web as well as bringing some new
products there. We ask our customers before developing a
product how they want to receive it. So if the preference is
for a CD-ROM it determines the format of the product.
Who are
your major subscribers in Asia?
We do very well in Korea and of
course Japan. We've been doing business in China for many
years too. Subscribers range from multinationals having
R&D and production centres in Asia, to very small
companies who are supplying to the European or US markets. We
are also getting a larger customer base in some Southeast
Asian countries, for example Malaysia where we're servicing
some of the national car companies, providing them with
information. So we're sure that there is room to expand our
business in the region. Universities with large engineering
schools have also traditionally bought our databases.
How do subscribers load your
databases?
It depends on what license they
purchase. It can range from a single workstation to a network
environment which we define as one building. A wide area
network is another license and that would be greater than one
building or greater than one location within a country. We
have some customers who are doing customised installations
like corporate intranets and that is sometimes a world wide
solution. They would take a license to provide our data to all
their offices around the world.
Are you on the major online services like
Dialog?
The only online service we are on is
STN. Over the years we have been on other online services but
it has not been beneficial for them or for us. The best way to
get hold of our data is to work with one of our agents, like
the iGroup in Southeast Asia.
Is SAE
making an effort to expand its profile in our
region?
We'd like SAE to be better known.
Not just for its information but for everything we can offer a
member or customer throughout the world. So yes, we'd like to
form more alliances, partnerships and memberships with
organisations throughout the world
Do you offer special pricing for low income
countries?
At this time we don't offer much
varied pricing. Where we do offer special pricing is for SAE
membership. In selected countries groups of people can join
SAE for a lower membership fee. For example, they would share
a copy of the magazines. That's one way of getting more people
to participate with
us.
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