Standardization in the Field of Refrigeration

The environment in which we evolve needs reference points, and one of these is standardization.

Standardization is the act of drafting standards and, as defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), a standard is "a document, established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, which provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, guaranteeing an optimum level of order in a given context". Standards should be based on the combined achievements of science, technology and experience, and be aimed at the optimum benefit of the community.

In Europe, the application of the status quo rule and the systematic adoption of standards ratified by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) by all CEN member countries in their national collections is a powerful unifying force for existing national standards. This makes Europe the first region in the world to have a harmonized collection.

Standardization focuses on global market products, testing methods and management methods such as quality management and quality assurance.

On the whole, standardization helps economies move towards globalization:

• growing importance of international trade (capital goods, consumer goods);

• government efforts to harmonize national regulations (WTO, UN...).

At the local level, standardization enables :

• rationalize and better manage production processes, thus generating economies of scale and productivity gains;

• raise product quality thresholds;

• simplify commercial relations;

• access to certification (or proof of compliance with standards);

• set up a quality assurance system;

• to limit risks.

Standardization also enables a profession or industrial sector, such as industrial and commercial refrigeration, to develop a strategy that goes beyond the national framework. As a result, standards are of considerable economic importance to countries participating in standardization, as they promote their technology.

Today, the major players in global competition in this sector are the USA, Germany, Japan, the UK, Italy and, of course, France. The take-up of international secretariats reflects the importance attached by industry to standardization, which, unlike regulation, remains voluntary. The United States is the world...