Services portal
Services standardization
The specific needs and competitive situation for each branch of the services sector are also taken into consideration.
Within DIN, services standardization is carried out not only by the DIN Standards Committee Services (NADL) but also in 20 more of DIN's 72 standards committees. such as the committees for standards on information technology, municipal services, sports equipment, information and documentation, and the DKE German Commission for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies of DIN and VDE.
Service standardization
In Germany, services play a role in almost every branch of industry. Each area of the services sector has its own particular market conditions which need to be taken into account in standardization. Most projects dealing with services regarding a specific product or sector are developed in the DIN standards committee responsible for that product or sector. DIN's Standards Committee Services (NADL) develops standards on services in the following three areas only: business services, consumer services, and health services.
Members of the European Union have to work closely together. This means that companies are increasingly active across borders, and to reach new markets they have to adjust to common framework conditions.
European standardization is special in that all 33 CEN/CENELEC member nations are obligated to adopt European Standards (ENs) as national standards. The aim is to ensure that the same requirements regarding the quality and safety of products and services apply in every European country. Directive 2006/123/EC on services in the internal market supports this aim in that it, in Article 26 (5), stipulates "the development of voluntary European standards with the aim of facilitating compatibility between services .... and the quality of service provision."
Ever since the EU's new "Regulation on the Future of European Standardisation" came into effect on 1 January 2013, the European Commission is now called upon to mandate the development of services standards within CEN, CENLEC and ETSI to supplement the projects initiated by business and consumer organizations. The overall goal is to provide a new impetus for the provision of services across borders and strengthening the competitive ability of smaller service providers.
See also the European Commission's „M/517 Mandate“ addressed to CEN, CENELEC and ETSI for the Programming and Development of Horizontal Service Standards".
At European level, Germany currently holds the Secretariat of CEN/TC 420 "Service excellence systems“.
Go here for an overview of CEN technical bodies.
The services sector is becoming increasingly global thanks to the networking of information and communications technology which is linked with growing economic ties between businesses worldwide.
International standards and specifications are used as a foundation for the free exchange of services and international cooperation. They help ensure comparability and transparency, which is essential for choosing the right service provider or cooperation partner.
Research projects which dealt with the increasing internationalization of the services sector include
„DL Standards – Services standards for global markets“ and „Standard:IS – Services standards in successful internationalization strategies“.
DIN holds the secretariat of the international committee ISO/TC 232 „Learning services outside formal education“.
