How business leaders increase competitive advantage by using standards

Geneva, Switzerland, 2011-01-12 – IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and its partners ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and ITU (International Telecommunication Union) have launched a new electronic newsletter providing concrete examples of how standards impact the bottom line, stimulate economic growth, productivity and innovation and allow businesses large and small to access broader markets.

The newsletter goes out under the banner of the World Standards Cooperation (WSC) which the three organizations established in 2001 in order to strengthen and advance the voluntary consensus-based international standards systems of IEC, ISO and ITU.

The first issue of the WSC eNewsletterincludes the following success stories:

    • How Tyco Electronics achieved additional profits of USD +50 million by participating in standardization
    • Why the former CEO of Mitsubishi believes that standardization and certification are now crucial for Japanese companies’ continued success
    • Why the CEO of Rockwell, the world’s largest automation company, recommends that businesses participate in standardization work
    • How a 50-employee SME succeeded in opening up the European market for its medical devices

In addition, the eNewsletter includes articles on the following subjects:

How you can calculate the cost and benefit of standardization
Standards have a direct impact on the bottom line which you can calculate. The cost of standardization is relatively easy to calculate, but the calculation of its benefits was much trickier… until now. Find out how your company can assess and communicate the economic benefits of international standards, and determine which areas are likely to result in the highest benefits…

Senior executives share their insider tips on standardization
This Canadian study looked both at the impact of standards on overall economic growth and provided insights by senior executives from private and public sectors about participation in standardization…

The benefits of standards in “CEO speak”
Order or download your free information package that summarizes all the benefits of using International Standards and participating in their development.

New evidence links technological change, productivity and economic growth directly to standardization
A series of recent studies conducted in Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the UK, point to a direct relationship between the use of standards and economic growth, labour productivity, ability to export and more.

The WSC eNewsletter will be published three times a year. A subscription form is available at this address. Additional information on the WSC and its activities can be accessed on the WSC Website: www.worldstandardscooperation.org

About IEC

The IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) is the world’s leading organization that prepares and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies – collectively known as “electrotechnology”. IEC International Standards cover a vast range of technologies from power generation, transmission and distribution to home appliances and office equipment, semiconductors, fibre optics, batteries, nanotechnologies, solar energy and marine energy converters, to mention just a few. Wherever you find electricity and electronics, you will find the IEC supporting safety and performance, the environment, electrical energy efficiency and renewable energies. The IEC also manages Conformity Assessment Systems that certify that equipment, systems or components conform to its International Standards.
www.iec.ch

About ISO

ISO has a membership of some 160 national standards bodies from countries large and small, industrialized, developing and in transition, in all regions of the world. ISO’s portfolio of more than 18 100 standards provides business, government and society with practical tools for all three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, environmental and societal. ISO standards make a positive contribution to the world we live in. They facilitate trade, spread knowledge, disseminate innovative advances in technology, and share good management and conformity assessment practices.
www.iso.org

About ITU

ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and commubication technology issues, and the global focal point for governments and the private sector in developing networks and services. For 145 years, ITU has coordinated the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoted international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, worked to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world, established the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems and addressed the global challenges of our times, such as mitigating climate change and strengthening cybersecurity.
www.itu.int