ILTVA members transfer product representation to OPEI

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) announced that the International Light Transportation Vehicle Association (ILTVA) has transferred representation of its member products and respective ANSI standards to OPEI effective January 1, 2019.

“OPEI is a natural fit for these products as we actively represent a wide range of utility vehicles currently in the marketplace,” said Kris Kiser, president of OPEI. “As the association of record in this space, we’re a leader in the development of safety standards for UTVs, and have significant experience as it relates to these vehicles with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and other regulators.”

OPEI currently represents manufacturers of utility vehicles for a wide range of end-user applications. ILTVA developed and maintained ANSI standards relating to the design and performance of golf cars and personal transport vehicles. That organization will wind down its operations, and those standards will now be part of OPEI’s on-going standards development work.

“As uses and applications of these products have expanded, it made sense for us to partner with OPEI,” said Mark Wagner, member, OPEI board of directors, and president and CEO of Club Car, LLC, Ingersoll-Rand Industrial Technologies. “The association has a demonstrable history in utility vehicle safety and performance standards and representing these products before regulatory authorities, as well as a deep background in market statistics collection, and positions us well as we look toward the industry’s future. We’re excited to work with OPEI on the representation of our products on a going-forward basis.”