Inspiring confidence, delivering assurance
Founded in 1901, the British Standards Institute (BSI) has been the origin of many industry and manufacturing standards that have since been adopted internationally - a testament to the organization's credibility and competence.
In fact, BSI developed the forerunner to the ISO 9000 and the environmental management standard ISO 14000, which have been adopted by over three-quarters of a million organizations in 161 countries.
Among the world's foremost national standard bodies, it continues to set standards in a variety of sectors ranging from ICT (Information and Communications Technology) to construction.
Every year, some 7,000 individuals sitting in 1,300 committees debate the latest developments in certain industries, creating new standards to be adopted around the world. It usually takes a committee between one and three years to publish a standard.
"We employ our resources where we have identified real need in terms of standardization. We ensure that the development of any standard is appropriately represented by all interested parties," says BSI Group Chief Executive Stevan Breeze.
Currently, ISO 14000 is the fastest growing international standard, particularly in Asia Pacific. By 2005, 12,683 certificates were awarded in China alone. As the world becomes increasingly concerned with sustainable growth, ISO 14000 is a critical tool that allows companies to be evaluated on their environmental policies.
"We supply a solution, which is the encapsulation of best practice, a framework specification that a business can build into their operations allowing them to be assessed independently," comments BSI British Standards Director Mike Low.
BSI also occupies a unique position in developing standards strategies in emerging areas such as bioprocessing, nanotechnology and regenerative medicine, ensuring customers stay at the leading edge in these rapidly developing areas.
As sectors mature and grow more complex, BSI continuously updates its standards to meet new requirements and demands.
"For us, it's about continuous improvement. Companies have a desire not only to meet the standards, but beat the standards. In turn we must think, it's not a question of best practice but next practice," says Low.
Raising profile in China
Meanwhile, BSI is raising its profile in China where it has 10 offices, including its base in Beijing. Each office offers training in the use of each standard as well as gap analysis and third party auditing and certification.
BSI has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese government and is working closely with it to help Chinese industry meet international standards in every sector.
"The volume of overseas business in China is phenomenal. China's economy is moving up the value chain in the nature of the products and services that they are offering. They need, and I'm sure they want, to employ best practice and be identified as employing best practice. This will undoubtedly enhance customers' confidence in meeting current and future challenges," Breeze points out.
In 2005, BSI hosted a conference addressing one of China's top priorities - the environment. During this conference, companies learned how they could address global concerns about sustainability while also improving their profitability. BSI is also involved in helping China develop its energy efficiency program.
As the Chinese marketplace matures, Chinese companies are quick to adopt these management tools that improve performance as well as boost the recognition of quality processes in international trade.
"The cornerstone of our brand is integrity. That is absolutely key to an organization that is involved in the development of best practice procedures, auditing, and training and which has 80,000 clients worldwide, of whom 4,000 are in China. The products we are offering are about inspiring confidence and delivering assurance," says Breeze.
www.bsigroup.com
(China Daily 08/28/2007 page18)
