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Reaching for Greater Heights
Need for a Singapore Standardisation Strategy
The global business environment is changing and so must
standardisation. Looking ahead, the field of standardisation will inevitably
face many new and varied challenges in the face of increased globalisation
and trade, rapid technological changes and increasing global concerns
for health, safety and environmental issues.
At the international level, standardisation activities are increasingly
more important in facilitating international trade and eliminating technical
barriers to trade. At home, there is a critical need to use standardisation
as a tool to raise the productivity and quality of our local SMEs and
businesses.
Underlying the need of a Singapore standardisation strategy is the reality
of rapid technological change. It is undeniable that with the emergence
of newer and fast changing technology, product life cycles can only get
shorter and shorter. The challenge here is to ensure that only the right
standards are being developed and delivered at the right time.
Related to rapid technological change is the increasing presence of non-traditional
standards developing organisations that are outside the traditional standards
development system. These alternative groupings have, in recent years,
emerged as a strong force in alternative standardisation. They work on
a limited consensus basis and hence standards can be developed much faster
to meet the rapidly changing needs of markets today.
In light of the above, national standards bodies around the world must
take stock and re-look their roles in standardisation in order to stay
relevant and effective in this fast-moving environment. Therefore, Singapore
needs a comprehensive and coherent standards strategy that provides strong
guidance and clear directions on how Singapore, together with all standardisation
players, should address and face up to the myriad challenges in this changing
world of standardisation.
Vision, Mission and Outcomes of the Singapore Standardisation
Programme
The Singapore Standardisation Strategy 2001 puts forth
the broad vision and strategic elements needed to guide Singapore's standardisation
activities in this dynamic and evolving international and domestic landscape.
It concurrently needs to maintain the tradition of developing and using
consensus-based standards to support the needs of the general public in
the areas of safety, health and environment, and of the competitive needs
of the Singapore industry.
The vision of the Singapore Standardisation Programme, through the Singapore
Standardisation Strategy 2001, is to be a global leader through excellence
in the use of standardisation for the social and economic betterment of
businesses, industries and consumers in Singapore.
Our mission is to improve productivity, quality and market access for
businesses and industries, protect consumer interests and enhance safety,
health and environmental conditions for Singapore through the use of standardisation.
The Strategy will be aimed at bringing about the following outcomes for
businesses and the general public of Singapore:
- Increased Market Access and International Competitiveness of Enterprises
- Increased Support for the Development of Local Enterprises
- Increased Productivity and Competitiveness through the Broadening
and Deepening of the Reach of Sector-wide Standardisation Projects for
Productivity or otherwise known as Standards Implementation for Productivity
(SIP) projects.
Key Elements of the Strategy
On the International Front:
(1) Continue and enhance strategic participation in international standardisation
activities
(2) Intensify efforts to facilitate trade through standardisation and
review of conformity assessment and regulatory policies and practices
On the Domestic Front:
(1) New Roles as NSB
- Go beyond the traditional roles of the national standards body
- Implement more projects to help industry clusters achieve productivity
gains through standardisation
(2) Market the Values of Standardisation
- Enhance marketing and promotion of standardisation, and the use of
standards by stakeholders
- Enhance the communication and education on standardisation to all
stakeholders
(3) Improve Relevance and Timeliness of Standardisation
- Implement a system to improve relevance and timeliness of standards
development
- Improve management and operation of the standards development process
(4) Use IT Tools to Reach Out and Improve Efficiency
- Employ IT tools to effectively support standardisation in Singapore
(5) Support the Singapore Enterprises
- Support the development of Singapore Enterprises through standardisation
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