In several sectors, ranging from medical and electrical equipment to pharmaceuticals, the two sides have agreed that European organisations can test goods to American standards on behalf of American testing organisations, and vice versa.

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The combined company will build on standards work being done by NEMA (the Association of Electrical and Medical Imaging Equipment Manufacturers) and will make the protocols and interoperability standard available to any EVSE network operator for a small licensing fee, according to Pat Romano, president and CEO of ChargePoint.

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It's another step in GE's efforts to focus on less glamorous but theoretically more profitable ventures such as manufacturing medical imaging equipment, airplane engines and electrical generators.

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Today the company's products end up in goods ranging from cars to electrical goods, cosmetics, sports equipment and medical devices.

ECONOMIST: BASF and the chemical industry