SAE Global Standardization

Global Impact

"If you control an industry's standards, you control the industry,
lock, stock and ledger."
-W. Edwards Deming

Standards are stepping stones to reach new levels of performance and are key components for the technical foundations of laws and regulations. The ability to influence at the standards level has a cascading affect from national standards body to national regulation to internationally recognized regulation. The 1998 Global Agreement stipulates that current regulatory initiatives and voluntary standards are considered for technical merit for global harmonization. This translates into a direct line of influence for companies participating in the SAE standards process.

Standardization impacts the corporate bottom line by:

• Lowering purchasing costs
• Increasing quality
• Lowering trade barriers
• Decreasing design time
• Ensuring Interoperability

Standardization impacts competitive advantage by:

• Influencing and preempting regulation
• Promoting innovation
• Increasing speed to market of new technology
• Creating the perception of being an industry leader

SAE International's standards development is critical to the global harmonization of technical standards and regulations. SAE was granted NGO status to the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (Working Party 29, WP29), which provides the mobility industry direct access to the regulatory body responsible for global harmonization.

Standards stimulate technology, innovation and creation, and house information critical to design, production and manufacturing. This information builds profits, increases efficiencies and keeps participants ahead of the competition. Like other forms of information, the utilization of the standards process is an investment in the success of a product or service.

Sectorial Approach
SAE's strategy for standardization is dependent on each industry sector's needs. Whether a sector uses SAE for regional, national or international standards, SAE remains the platform by which to address the mobility industry's standardization needs.

SAE as International Standards
Certain mobility segments rely on SAE to be the globally recognized standards organization, and SAE is poised to be the influential leader in those markets. With this perspective in mind, it is imperative that a company works through the SAE system to influence the technical content accepted by the international community as the global standard.

Many global standards are produced through harmonization efforts of SAE and other organizations around the world. Partnership agreements with trade associations, professional societies and consortia such as AECMA, JSAE and USCAR are examples of SAE's global harmonization activities.

International via ISO/IEC
The SAE infrastructure used as a gateway to ISO/IEC standards is a critical function of the SAE system. Through SAE's many secretariats and Technical Advisory Groups (TAG), SAE is the formal structure in which a technical position is put forth into the ISO standards community. Active participation by an organization in these TAGs ensures that a company's perspective is influencing the national position, which in turn will influence the internationally adopted standard.