WARRENDALE — In the early 1900s, if you owned a car and something broke, say a bolt, you couldn't just pull over to the nearest gas station or automotive repair store and get a new part.

That's because there were hundreds of independently manufactured automobiles worldwide and none of them was alike.

That led to the start of SAE International in 1905, which was called at that time the Society of Automobile Engineers.

Manufacturers, businesses and the public began to demand standardization and safety in the automotive industry.

SAE International, a nonprofit society, was formed by the likes of Henry Ford and Orville Wright to help make the automotive and aerospace industries safer.

The organization's mission statement is: “SAE International is a global body of scientists, engineers, and practitioners that advances self-propelled vehicle and system knowledge in a neutral forum for the benefit of society.”

SAE International's Electronic Publishing Unit announced last week that it is carrying on that mission with the launching of a new online library for electronic cars.

Michael Thompson, manager of the electronic publishing unit, said that the site gives engineers one location to learn about global electric car standards, patents and regulations.

He said the site publishes standards, technical papers, research and information from vetted sources.

“This saves engineers the amount of time it takes to do market research,” Thompson said. “I had one engineer tell me the site meant he didn't have to hire someone just to do this kind of research.”

David Schutt, SAE's chief executive officer, said the society has more than 133,000 members worldwide in 100 countries, made up of engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries.

An example of the type of project SAE tackles is the standardization of the plug in for electric cars so they can be recharged anywhere, even though electricity is delivered at different voltages from country to country.

“Being able to make the plug usable in all nations means manufacturers can reduce the cost of the cars to the public,” Schutt said.

Another area SAE is getting involved in is the Marcellus Shale natural gas industry and natural gas cars.

As that industry grows, so does the manufacturing of cars and trucks for both businesses and individuals. Those cars need a place to fill up, which leads to Shell, which plans to build hundreds of fueling stations at highway TravelCenters.

Most of the society's early days were spent creating standards that today are common households terms.

For example, 10-30 or 5-20 oil weights. “If you look at the label on the oil containers, they list the weights as 'SAE oil weight,' and that's us,” Schutt said.

While society members study emergencies and major accidents, such as the crash of Air France Flight 4590, the Concorde, on July 25, 2000, that killed 113, most of its research and study focuses on standards or questions presented by those in the automotive and aerospace industries or by the public.

“SAE helped to develop the standards that apply to child safety restraints, used by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,” Schutt said.

So how did this organization with its influence on everyone's daily lives find itself in the Thorn Hill Industrial Park?

Schutt said SAE had been based in New York City, but the building in which the society was located was sold.

“According to the legend, because nobody seems to know, SAE members wanted us to relocate someplace between Detroit — home of the auto industry — and Washington, D.C. — where regulations and standards are enforced — and what's in the middle, Pittsburgh,” Schutt said.

SAE leaders found the 25-acre site in Thorn Hill park, which is home to several buildings and more than 230 employees, plus 90 employees of the Performance Review Institute, or PRI, a not-for-profit agency developed by SAE in 1990.That agency helps industries that make items that move to reduce costs and to improve development of new ideas and safety. The organization promotes continuing eduction on all levels, including working with school children to encourage science study.

“Those engineers and other scientists we have now are reaching retirement age and we are trying to promote work force development, so that we have the talent to replace those who are leaving,” Schutt said.

<B>Address: </B>400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15086<B>Chief executive officer: </B>David Schutt<B>Phone: </B>724-776-4841<B>Website: </B>www.sae.org<B>Employees:</B> More than 300 in Warrendale<B>Other locations: </B>Washington, D.C.; Troy, Mich.; Greenville, S.C.; United Kingdom; and China.What it does: SAE hosts three major events: SAE World Congress, SAE Commercial Vehicle Engineering Congress & Exhibition and the biannual SAE AeroTech Congress & Exhibition.Annually, SAE produces 2,500 technical papers, 9,000 technical standards and 125 to 150 books. It also publishes Automotive Engineering International, Aerospace Engineering and Manufacturing, and SAE Off-Highway Engineering magazines.SAE's A World in Motion provides students in grades K-12 the opportunity to work with engineers, and the Collegiate Design Series enables university students to apply classroom theory by designing and building vehicles ranging from hybrid cars to model aircraft. These occur worldwide.History: Founded in 1905, SAE International is a global association of 133,000 engineers and related technical experts in the automotive, aerospace and commercial-vehicle industries in more than 100 countries, focusing on standards development and lifelong learning.