| On the threshold
of the new millennium (under the watchful eyes of many, not least because of the
millennium bug) we may justly state that the 1999 version of the 'Normalisation 2000+'
conference is a very special one. In this
connection I would like to mention two things:
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In contrast to previous years,
in 1999 NEN has been actively involved in organizing this conference. |
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Based on reactions received
from participants in previous Normalisation 2000+ conferences, we decided to make this
conference - and thus standardization - more widely known. To this end Normalisatie
Kringen Nederland - the Dutch standards users organization - obtained an undertaking by
the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs that it will make good any deficit resulting from
the conference. |
I am sorry to have to say that the interest shown by
Dutch industry today in the subject of standardization is disappointing. However, various
reactions, discussions and publications show that the knowledge-intensive sectors are
increasingly seeing standardization as an issue of strategic importance.
Standardization is of crucial importance in those cases where knowledge build-up takes
place jointly, between for example manufacturers and their suppliers. It forms the
cornerstone of knowledge exchange and communication. Where would we for instance be
without the alphabet, which to my mind is the best example of standardization we have in
the history of mankind?
Communication is the mainstay of the relationship between manufacturer and supplier. But
efficient communication can only take place via standardized symbols and procedures.
Let me give you two examples:
Traditionally, product information is specified on technical
drawings. These drawings are therefore legal documents that form part of the communication
flow between manufacturers and their suppliers. If there were no standards relating to
technical drawings, it would be impossible for the parties involved in the production
chain these days - manufacturers, system builders, suppliers and jobbers - to arrive at a
product with the right specifications and an optimal price/quality ratio from the point of
view of all concerned.
Nowadays product information is increasingly exchanged in digital form, whether it be
geometric data, financial information or texts. There have been - and there will continue
to be - many initiatives to streamline this information exchange. In the past, initiatives
such as STEP (exchange of geometric information), EDI (exchange of financial data) and
SGML (text exchange) have resulted in many new standards. New initiatives are bound to
follow.
In conclusion, I would like to return to the millennium problem. Did you know that the
first international standard for the numerical representation of dates and time (ISO 2711)
dates back to 1973 (so a long time before the first PC saw the light of day)? A supplement
to this standard (ISO 2014) was published in 1976 and in 1988 these two standards were
replaced by a single standard, ISO 8601.
I think if people in the past had realized how important these standards were, the
millennium problem would not have featured so prominently on so many agendas today. My own
conclusion is that in this particular case standards were agreed on but we, the
standardizers, neglected to make these standards widely known.
We hope that Normalisation 2000+ will create a bridge between the makers and the users of
standards. Today's programme should facilitate this. |
