Standardization The
implementation of standards in industry and commerce became highly important with the onset of the
Industrial Revolution and the need for high-precision
machine tools and
interchangeable parts.
Henry Maudslay developed the first industrially practical
screw-cutting lathe in 1800, which allowed for the standardisation of
screw thread sizes for the first time. Maudslay's work, as well as the contributions of other engineers, accomplished a modest amount of industry
standardization; some companies' in-house standards spread a bit within their industries.
Joseph Whitworth's screw thread measurements were adopted as the first (unofficial) national standard by companies around the country in 1841. It came to be known as the
British Standard Whitworth, and was widely adopted in other countries. By the end of the 19th century differences in standards between companies were making trade increasingly difficult and strained. The
Engineering Standards Committee was established in
London in 1901 as the world's first national standards body. After the
First World War, similar national bodies were established in other countries. The
Deutsches Institut für Normung was set up in
Germany in 1917, followed by its counterparts, the American
National Standard Institute and the French
Commission Permanente de Standardisation, both in 1918. A paper has been published explaining the differences between international standards and
private standards.
International organizations founded one of the first international standards bodies, the
International Electrotechnical Commission, in 1906. One of the most well established international standardization organizations is the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a
specialized agency of the
United Nations which was founded on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Union. The ITU was initially focused on the
standardization of telegraph signals, and later evolved to include
telephony, radio and satellite communications, and other
information and communication technology. By the mid to late 19th century, efforts were being made to standardize electrical measurement. An important figure was
R. E. B. Crompton, who became concerned by the large range of different standards and systems used by electrical engineering companies and scientists in the early 20th century. Many companies had entered the market in the 1890s and all chose their own settings for
voltage,
frequency,
current and even the symbols used on circuit diagrams. Adjacent buildings would have totally incompatible electrical systems simply because they had been fitted out by different companies. Crompton could see the lack of efficiency in this system and began to consider proposals for an international standard for electric engineering. In 1904, Crompton represented Britain at the
Louisiana Purchase Exposition in
St. Louis as part of a delegation by the
Institute of Electrical Engineers. He presented a paper on standardisation, which was so well received that he was asked to look into the formation of a commission to oversee the process. By 1906, his work was complete and he drew up a permanent constitution for the first international standards organization, the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The body held its first meeting that year in
London, with representatives from 14 countries. In honour of his contribution to electrical standardisation,
Lord Kelvin was elected as the body's first President. where the ISO predecessor, the ISA, was founded The
International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations (ISA) was founded in 1926 with a broader remit to enhance international cooperation for all technical standards and specifications. The body was suspended in 1942 during
World. After the war, ISA was approached by the recently formed United Nations Standards Coordinating Committee (UNSCC) with a proposal to form a new global standards body. In October 1946, ISA and UNSCC delegates from 25 countries met in
London and agreed to join forces to create the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO); the organization officially began operations in February 1947. ==Global standards==