IHS White Paper: Understanding and Managing Industry Standards in France and Europe

Industry standards promote growth, as 13 percent of the French production growth is attributed to standardization. French businesses noted several benefits via the application of standards, to include: better risk management, identification of multiple industry standards-related issues, increase of international marketplace involvement and increased competition from emerging countries.

With its involvement in the international marketplace French businesses are faced with the challenge of conforming to several EU-recognized standards organizations, to include: European Standards Organizations (ESOs), national Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs) , such as the Association Francaise de Normalisation (AFNOR), international SDOs and EU New Approach Directives. The result is an array of industry standards to comply with in order to meet general industry standards.

This paper explores topics of how French businesses can best understand and manage their options in terms of domestic, European and international industry standards, including:

• The benefit of standards – legitimacy, solutions, and advantages
• Understanding standards development levels
• Compliance within the Single European Market
• Benefits of using Harmonized European Standards domestically and in the EU market
• Tools and techniques to simplify the process of standards research, identification, procurement and management for French businesses

Situations you may have are answered in this white paper in regard to significant challenges faced by businesses over the next five years, including:

• Increased customer demands regarding products and services
• Preserving the external perception of the company’s image and reputation
• Increased safety demands
• Developing reliable partnerships with suppliers

At the highest level, three EU-recognized ESOs work together to implement voluntary technical standards in support of the EU’s ongoing goal of harmonizing industry standards:

• European Committee for Standardization (CEN)
• European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC)
• European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)

A table is provided that represents a cross section of industry standards most commonly procured by French businesses from a third-party industry standards supplier, to include:

• GMW3059
• AWS D1.1/D1.1M
• API SPEC 5L
• API SPEC 6A

Download this White Paper to fully understand and manage industry standards while doing business in France or Europe.

Related topics:

• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
• EN standards
• The French Standardization Strategy