Opinions

Standardisation is a powerful driving force behind the economic development of our markets, essential for technical progress and continuous improvement in the quality and efficiency of the business world. Telefónica has been absolutely committed to UNE from its outset. Standardisation involves reaching an agreement among all parties involved and it is a real privilege, as well as an enormous responsibility, to be able to participate in the Technical Standardisation Committees by sharing our experience and knowledge in order to help draft technical standards to boost markets. As a company, this helps us to improve and develop our management system with standards that allow our customers to enjoy the best digital service in response to the trust they place in us, as well as a responsible business model with sustainable innovation.

Accessing the single market; forging paths into new markets; multiplying investments and innovation, promoting their commercialisation and increasing their acceptance; renewing supplier and user networks; generating trust;... all of this is possible -and more, by taking part in and contributing to standardisation. UNE, as the Spanish member of the CEN and CENELEC, provides an excellent platform to exploit this tool, as yet unknown in some sectors. In these times of rapid technological evolution, in the midst of the industrial (and social) revolution, I encourage all Spanish companies, particularly SMEs, to invest in standardisation -you will reap tangible yields. Thanks to all the Spanish experts who are already here and Happy World Standards Day!

Standardisation is especially about the future, because in a world demanding increasingly multilateral solutions, documents arising from consensus, openness and transparency will be increasingly resorted to. As reflected in the European Commission's document "European Standards for the 21st Century", standards already go beyond offering technical solutions, and form part of the strategic approach to the major issues that we all have to address together. In Spain, we have a national standardisation body that meets the challenges we face as a society, where sectors and administrations find the vehicle to draft documents that enable both parties to easily implement public policies, among other characteristics.

In addition, the onset of the fourth industrial revolution, linked to the industrial use of new technologies such as big data or IoT, is a historical occasion to open up new business opportunities for our industrial sector through standardisation. As such, normalisation and standardisation are destined to be one of the driving forces behind our industrial digitalisation, as pointed out in the National Connected Industry 4.0 Strategy, under which we are currently providing important common grounds for all agents involved in the development of a safe environment to boost industry 4.0.

What is your opinion of Spanish standardisation in the international framework?

The fact that Spanish standardisation plays a number of key roles in international working bodies, while at the same time its importance for European and international standardisation authorities continues to increase, has a transcendental importance that I would dare to call strategic for our country. For countries aspiring to play a leading role in an increasingly global economy, having a standardisation body whose impact exerts a real influence beyond their borders is of the utmost importance, as it will open up new business markets for companies from different sectors, especially SMEs. We must not forget that playing an important role in boosting standardisation at international forums gives a country a competitive edge and many countries have recently been doing so, thereby enabling their economies to grow significantly, particularly in industrial sectors.