The EU Industry Days are Europe’s flagship annual event focusing on key industrial policy discussions, connecting industrial frontrunners, and boosting the knowledge base of European industry. Every year, they provide an opportunity to companies, entrepreneurs, organizations, national ministries, regional authorities and other industrial stakeholders to organise their own sessions as part of the official programme.
This year's edition took place in Malaga from 4 to 6 October.
As part of the event, on 5 October, CEN, CENELEC and Orgalim (the organization representing technology industries in Europe) co-hosted the panel ‘Harnessing the Power of Standardization for Business Success’.
Moderated by Giovanni Collot of CEN and CENELEC, the session saw Patrick Cox, CEO of the TRE-E Consortium, and Albert Casas, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa Area Manager at Unex, share their insights on the merits of embracing standards and their transformative impact in driving business growth. The discussion underscored the universal relevance of standards, emphasising their role as a common language that drives technological progress.
During the event, the panelists also shared their practical experiences on the benefits of standardization for business, together with the first-hand challenges their companies faced in dealing with standards and standardization. They stressed the value of standards in building trust, guaranteeing interoperability, and providing access to the global market. They also reminded the important of engaging the industry in the development of standards, in order for them to be effective and useful.
Among the challenges discussed, participants noted that standards development very often is still slow, and that it should evolve with the necessary fluidity to adapt to the industry. Also about the need to simplify bureaucracy and administration was raised as one point that will facilitate the interaction between industry and standardization.
Finally, a few words were also dedicated to the role of education to train and reskill the next standardization professionals, responding to the increasingly strategic role of standards in many industries.
More information on the event and on the EU Industry Days 2023 can be found on the official website.
Whitney CLARK
wclark@cencenelec.eu
