In our everyday lives, we don’t often realize that there are standards everywhere – even though many of them have a major impact on us. Just imagine if the electric bulb didn't fit the lamp, the screw didn't fit the nut, the USB connector only fitted into some PCs – or if no one agreed on fundamental management and quality principles. It would not be very effective.
It can be said that standards are a lingua franca that helps us understand things in the same way. This means that we can be sure that what we collaborate on or buy from each other matches expectations – whether this is between businesses, authorities or consumers.
Standards can, for instance, set requirements for the performance of a product, or describe technical terms in a given area. Standards can also indicate methods for e.g. testing a product's durability.
Standards are used widely, in small and large-scale production, in entirety and in detail, locally and globally. There are standards for everything, from the swing frame in the playground to the wing of the wind turbine. This ensures quality and safety for all of us. Ensures that the swing lasts and the wind turbine rotates. Standards make it easier for companies to produce, innovate, collaborate and trade with each other – even across borders, because there is agreement on basic guidelines, methods and constructions. And confidence in these. That is why standardization is also high on the political agenda. Because they create: best practice, market access, competitive power, confidence, internationalization, transparency, productivity, security and quality.
