GONE DIGITAL Utility Material Standards Manuals By F.R. Skinner F rom  tiny  washers  and  screws  to  power  poles  and transformers, a utility’s Material Standards Manual (MSM) is a necessary tool in acquiring materials that meet utility standards and specifications. Utility profes- sionals in varying departments depend on an MSM to provide them with up-to-date and organized listings of available materials needed for certain job functions. Since many MSM’s can list in upwards of  10,000 stock items, and with constant updating for new parts and materials, the accurate and timely maintenance of  an MSM can be a challenging process. Old-School MSMs Traditionallymaintainedinlargenotebooksandbind- ers, the MSM was an entirely paper-based system. Some utilities  even  maintained  their  MSM  on  3  by  5  index cards.  The  most  time  intensive  function  however,  was making changes and applying new manufacturers’ up- dates. RELAY 11 DECEMBER 2001