IHS White Paper:  Why Standards are Important

Global commerce thrives on a continuum of standards compliance. The United States Department of

Global commerce thrives on a continuum of standards compliance. The United States Department of Commerce estimates that standards impact 80 percent of world commodity trade. Standards and specifications promote a gauge to measure successful project completion. Studies show that the use of ISO standards has increased annually worldwide. This paper examines the benefits of standards in terms of business and trade, engineering and technical topics, as well as health and safety. Standards usage throughout project phases of design, construction, operation and manufacture are explored.

This paper illustrates the following benefits

• The importance of standards in the global market specifically the use of ISO 9001 and ISO 14000 standards
• The benefits of standards use when specifying parts during design
• The impact of standards use on suppliers and interoperability
• The importance of standards use to create safe job sites and safe work practices
• The financial benefits of using standards and specifications
• The workflow benefits via use of standards\

The reduced cost of standardized components generally leads to a reduced cost of product. Standards ensure that complex technical systems function correctly and that legal requirements are fulfilled.

Without the use of standards and specifications, success and project completion could not coexists, promoting inconsistencies and noncompliance. The use of standards efficiently streamlines processes saving time and money. A third-party partnership can assist in utilizing standards to improve competitiveness in global markets and achieve the benefits of interoperability, consistent quality, and safety.

Related topics:

• ISO 14001 certificates
• The German Institute for Standardization (DIN)
• DIN survey on standardization
• The Materials Testing Standards Committee