SBB: Standards Boost Business

In today’s complex global marketplace, your company, organization, or agency needs every advantage it can get.

ANSI’s president and CEO S. Joe Bhatia talks about the value of participation in standardization for U.S. companies.

Bernard F. Collins II, with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Speaks about the Value of Standardization

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Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie Speaks about the Importance of Standardization and How Standards Boost Business

The answer is strategic standardization, and it is vital in making everyday life work.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)'s International Trade Administration (ITA) reports that 92 percent of U.S. goods exports are affected by standards and technical regulations. From design and manufacturing to distribution and market access, all aspects of your industry’s products and services are affected at some point by standardization.

But how much of an impact are we talking? Just ask the U.S. Department of Defense, which is projecting $789 million in cost avoidance over just one of their programs. How did they do it? They focused on parts standardization and process standardization.

Or ask the electrical fire safety industry. By collaborating on a critical standard for Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, the National Fire Protection Association, and Underwriters Laboratories have helped to prevent more than 40,000 home fires, over 350 deaths, and more than 1,400 injuries each year.

Or ask Deere & Company, whose agriculture and construction equipment is exported and used around the world. By participating in standards development for component pieces like fittings and fasteners, Deere knows that these components will meet their needs “off the shelf.” And the more standardized components they can use, the less they, and their customers, have to pay.

By participating in standards development activities – and by implementing standards and conformance tools – each of these organizations has been able to streamline processes, trim costs, earn and maintain market access, and boost their bottom line.

Want to learn more? The next tab tells you all about the value of standards to industry, government, consumers, young or emerging standardization professionals, and students. You can also read case studies that describe how companies, organizations, and government agencies are relying upon strategic standardization to meet their goals, and learn how to get involved in the American National Standards (ANS) process.

United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration,
Standards and Regulations: Measuring the Link to Goods Trade. Washington, DC, June 2016, p2

"We develop standards for testing the energy performance of windows, and implementing these standards leads to more energy efficient homes and buildings."
– Tom Herron
NFRC

Beyond the bottom line: standards impact quality, lead-time, factory flexibility, and supply chain management.

Standardization and conformity assessment activities lead to lower costs by reducing redundancy, minimizing errors, and reducing time to market.

Demonstrating compliance to standards helps your products, services, and personnel to cross borders. Standards also make cross-border interoperability possible, ensuring that products manufactured in one country can be sold and used in another.

Businesses not only reduce the economic risk of their research and development activities by participating in standardization, they can also lower their overall R&D costs by relying on previously standardized technologies and terminologies.