Why we need standards?
Standards make a positive contribution to most aspects of our lives. Standards ensure desirable characteristics of products and services such as quality, environmental friendliness, safety, reliability, efficiency and inter-changeability and at an economical cost. International Standards provide a reference framework, or a common technological language, between suppliers and their customers.
When products and services meet our expectations, we need to take this for granted and be unaware of the role of standards. However, when standards are absent, we soon notice it. We soon care when products turn out to be of poor quality, do not fit, are incompatible with equipment that we already have, are unreliable or dangerous.
What standards do?
When products, systems, machinery and devices work well and safely, it is often because they meet standards. And the organization responsible for many thousands of the standards which benefit the world is ISO & each an every country has their own standardization body to set their own standard such as SLSI in Sri Lanka. ISO standards-
- make the development, manufacturing and supply of products and services more efficient, safer and cleaner
- facilitate trade between countries and make it fairer
- provide governments with a technical base for health, safety and environmental legislation, and conformity assessment, share technological advances and good management practice
- safeguard consumers, and users in general, of products and services, make life simpler by providing solutions to common problems
ISO's Name & Birth
The organization which today is known as ISO began in 1926 as the International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations (ISA). ISA is disbanded in Second World War.
But it regrouped in 1946, 25 countries met in London and decided to create a new international organization, of which the object would be "to facilitate the international coordination and unification of industrial standards". They chose "ISO", derived from the Greek isos, meaning "equal". The new organization, ISO, officially began operations on 23 February 1947, in Geneva, Switzerland. Because "International Organization for Standardization" would have different names in different languages its founders decided to give it also a short, all-purpose name.
ISO give worldwide proprietary industrial and commercial standards. ISO's work programme ranges from standards for traditional activities, such as agriculture and construction, through mechanical engineering, manufacturing and distribution, to transport, medical devices, information and communication technologies, and to standards for good management practice and for services.
ISO logo
An ISO standard carries the ISO logo and the designation, "International Organization for Standardization".
Who benefited from standards?
Businesses, suppliers can develop and offer products and services meeting specifications that have wide international acceptance in their sectors. Therefore, businesses using International Standards can compete on many more markets around the world.
Innovators of new technologies, International Standards on aspects like terminology, compatibility and safety speed up the dissemination of innovations and their development into manufacturable and marketable products.
Customers, the worldwide compatibility of technology which is achieved when products and services are based on International Standards gives them a broad choice of offers. They also benefit from the effects of competition among suppliers.
Governments, International Standards provide the technological and scientific bases underpinning health, safety and environmental legislation.
Trade officials, International Standards create "a level Platform" for all competitors on those markets. The existence of national or regional standards can create technical barriers to trade. International Standards are the technical means by which political trade agreements can be put into practice.
Developing countries, International Standards that represent an international consensus on the state of the art are an important source of technological know-how. International Standards give developing countries a basis for making the right decisions when investing their scarce resources and thus avoid squandering them.
Consumers, conformity of products and services to International Standards provides assurance about their quality, safety and reliability & contribute to the quality of life in general by ensuring that the transport, machinery and tools we use are safe.
For the planet we inhabit, International Standards on air, water and soil quality, on emissions of gases and radiation and environmental aspects of products can contribute to efforts to preserve the environment.
Advantages
· High public respect for the company from locally & internationally.
· High sales turn over.
· Increase market share of the products.
· Product can attract the customers.
Advantages for the customers
- Can get high quality products.
- Reliability of the product is high.
Dis-Advantages for the company
- High cost for the company to maintain standards.
- Need high technical staff with good knowledge.
Some Organizations in cooperation with ISO
i. SLSI - Sri Lanka Standards Institution
ii. ABA - American Bankers Association
iii. ACI - Airport Council International
iv. SWIFT - Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication
v. DAVIC - Digital Audio-Visual Council
vi. SAA - Sunglass Association of America
