Publication of the JT specification 8.1c as an ISO Publicly Available Specification (PAS 14306) has laid the foundation for establishing JT as a mandatory process format. The ProSTEP iViP Association and the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) have launched three JT-related projects in succession which are being coordinated with each other: the ProSTEP iViP/VDA JT Workflow Forum, the ProSTEP iViP/VDA JT Translator Benchmark and the ProSTEP iViP/VDA JT Implementor Forum. Furthermore, the ProSTEP iViP Association and Siemens PLM are working hand in hand toward standardizing JT with the ISO. In August, the ProSTEP iViP Association submitted the latest JT specification (version 9.5) to the ISO for standardization. On 26.11.10, the ISO announced that the specification had been accepted for standardization. This means that the first and most important hurdle on the way to establishing JT as an ISO standard has been taken. The objective is to bring the specification of JT as an ISO standard to a successful close by the end of 2011.

The second JT translator benchmark was carried out in 2010 to achieve an independent evaluation of the progress being made with regard to the development of JT translators. The object of the testing was JT 8.1c (ISO PAS). The benchmark was managed by the JT Workflow Forum and JT Implementor Forum. Because the benchmark involved an independent activity, it was financed directly by the two organizations the ProSTEP iVIP Association and the VDA and not by the participating companies whose products were being tested. The aim was to create a neutral comparison of currently available JT translators with regard to selected test criteria. This means that the results of the benchmark can not only be used to evaluate the application of JT in PLM environments but also improvement to the interoperability of the translators.