Strategic Benefits of Participation in IEC

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Strategic Benefits of Participation in IEC

• Jack Sheldon
• IEC Standardization Strategy Manager

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Standards a little history

• 4 ft 8½ in ? 1 435,1 mm

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The distance between the rear end of Roman horses
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The axle length of Roman war chariots
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The ruts along Roman roads
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Standard axle size of 19th century wagons
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First tramways
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Modern railways
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NASA Space Shuttle
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Weights and measures
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and then
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The winner of the contest
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Electrical plugs and sockets

• Early 1930s IFK
• IEC/TC 23 (Electrical fittings) set up 1934
• Nowhere in 1939 2nd world war
• Restarted in 1947
• IEC 83 published 1957, catalogue of plugs and
  sockets used in Europe, UK USA
• SC 23C (Worldwide plug and socket outlet systems)
  set up in 1970

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IEC 60906

• Two solutions
• IEC 60906-1 for 250 V world (1986)
• IEC 60906-2 for 125 V world (1992)

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IEC 60906-1 cover page
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World-wide plug and socket
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Why?

• 60 years to get nowhere
• Political interests
• Commercial interests
• Protectionism
• Failure to take long-term view
• Experts pretended technical issues
• Implications of globalization and device
  portability

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IEC 100 years ago

• Founded in 1906 to promote international
  co-operation on all questions of standardization
  and related matters in the field of
  electrotechnology

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Mission statement

• IECs mission is to be globally recognized as the
  provider of standards and conformity
  assessment-related services needed to facilitate
  trade in the fields of electricity, electronics
  and associated technologies

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IEC mission

• Encourage national adoption of international
  standards
• Stimulate world trade and business by ensuring
  technical and market relevance of its products
• Make results applicable and available for
  voluntary adoption world wide
• Set the framework for Conformity Assessment in
  global markets

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Participation Benefits

• Influence the development and content of IEC
  standards
• Early warning of developing markets, establish
  customer contacts
• Improve product safety and quality
• Rationalization and cost reduction in design and
  manufacturing

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Participation Benefits

• Acceptance of products on world markets
• Meet future safety and environmental demands
• Access to the latest technology
• Adds up to
• Reduced transaction costs
• Increased trade

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Benefits to governments

• International standards are best source for
  governments
• legislation/regulation
• issuing tenders
• Recognized source for WTO compliance
• Contributing towards fulfilment of the World
  Trade Organizations Agreement on Technical
  Barriers to Trades
• Standards provide detailed technical
  interpretation of the law

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Benefits to Multinationals

• Build acceptance in global markets
• Influence the content of standards
• Develop anticipatory intelligence
• Use customer networks
• Save time and money
• Improve safety and quality

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Reducing Costs and Improving Performance

• Without IEC standards, Schneider Electric would
  become more reactive than strategic and its costs
  would rise. (Claude Ricaud, Vice President for
  RD, Schneider Electric (France))
• We survived an economic crisis in Argentina
  because we could still export our products to
  other countries and because our products were in
  total compatibility with the global market.
  (Higino Ridolfi, President, Automacion
  Micromecanica, Grupo Micro (Argentina))
• IEC gives Rockwell Automation one set of global
  conditions against which the companys designers
  can concentrate their efforts. (Pip Pearce, Vice
  President of Global Standards Promotion, Rockwell
  Automation (USA))

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International Standards

• Eliminate misinterpretation or misunderstanding
  across differing languages
• Help a buyer get what is expected from supplier
  from another country
• Enhance understanding agreement about technical
  parameters
• Lead to trust ? basis of business relationship

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• Thank you
• ??