 | Issue: | Europe 2004 |
| Article no.: | 2 | |
| Topic: | International Standards, Technology, and the Global Economy | |
| Author: | Alan Bryden | |
| Title: | Secretary-General | |
| Organisation: | ISO | |
| PDF size: | 48KB |
About author
Alan Bryden is the Secretary-General of the International Organization for Standardization, the ISO. Prior to this appointment, he served Director General of the French national standards body, AFNOR. Earlier, as Director General of the French national testing laboratory (LNE) he founded Eurolab (European Federation of Measurement, Testing and Analytical Laboratories) and served as its first President. He also chaired the Laboratories Committee of ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation). He began his career in metrology, with the USA’s National Bureau of Standards (today the National Institute of Standards and Technology) and has a strong background in the fields of quality and the rational use of energy. He was Vice-President of the first Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade in GATT (now WTO).
Article abstract
The ISO 9000 quality standard and ISO 14000 environmental standard have made the ISO (International Organization for Standardization), its standards and good practices famous throughout the world. The ISO’s standards facilitate international trade, encourage good management practice, increase safety, and protect health and the environment. It is the ISO, together with the ITU and IEC, that guarantees the interoperability, and integration of so many of the information and communication technology products and services that put technology at the service of humankind.
Full Article
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) has long been familiar to engineers for keeping the wheels of industry turning efficiently through technical standards that provide solutions in resource provision, manufacturing and distribution. In recent years, ISO has been increasingly recognized for its economic and social contributions: developing standards that facilitate the flow of international trade, encourage good management practice, increase safety and protect health and the environment.
