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The IEC provides a neutral and independent knowledge platform that allows countries to participate in global value chains. It enables companies to build safe and efficient products that are welcome anywhere in the world. Over 13 000 experts participate at the global level in approximately 170 Technical Committees …many thousand more work in mirror committees in each member country. The IEC has over 7 200 publications in its library, covering the whole breadth of electrical and electronic devices and systems. It also administers four Conformity Assessment Systems that help verify that products satisfy quality, safety and efficiency standards. IEC work facilitates global trade.

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The IEC was founded in 1906 as a direct consequence to the World’s Fair in St. Louis (1904) where electric energy was the central focus. The exhibits that occupied the Palace of Electricity not only used electricity of numerous different voltages, but also either direct current or 1-, 2-, or 3-phase alternating current, with many different frequencies and variations of connectors and plugs. It became clear to scientists that in order to build on each other’s research and stimulate further development of this new technology as well as commercialization and the creation of markets, standards where needed. This led to the decision to create a Commission charged with establishing the common international terms and measurements for ratings of electrical apparatus and machines. Today, most companies, who want to build products that are accepted worldwide, use IEC International Standards and Conformity Assessment Systems.

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The IEC brings together 165 countries but nearly all countries in the world accept products built according to IEC International Standards.

83 developing countries participate in the IEC Affiliate Country Programme completely free of charge. They can select up to 200 copies of IEC International Standards for national adoption and can join IEC General Meetings and technical meetings as observers. They can also participate in up to 10 technical fields and comment on working documents. Those countries who have taken full advantage of the programme can apply for Affiliate Plus status and get added benefits and up to 400 standards free of charge for national adoption. The programme is extremely successful and there is nothing comparable out there.

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Technical rules and specifications eliminate the cost of NOT coordinating and allow products everywhere to work safely together. IEC International Standards include testing methods and measurement processes to assess a product’s ability to operate. They encourage interoperability, allowing products from different manufacturers to work in all relevant environments and with all applications. Rather than providing detailed product specifications, which would lead to a huge number of different standards and would likely limit innovation, IEC International Standards offer a set of interface specifications. This leaves manufacturers free to develop their technology solution but ensures that their products are able to connect with others in the market.

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Electrotechnology is the core business of the IEC and it is clearly what is driving our modern world today. Without electricity there is no economic development and there is no global trade. Harmonized rules allow countries and industries to trade and to participate in global value chains. Most of the 159 WTO member states commit to using IEC International Standards as a technical basis for their laws and regulations for electrical and electronic devices and systems.

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The large majority of all goods traded in the world today are electronic and electrical or depend on electrotechnology. International Standards are increasing in importance. One reason is that products are no longer “made in a country”; they are “made in the world”. Before they are consumed in one market these products have travelled through many others. Countries are more interdependent than ever. Electric and electronic goods and components represent one of the largest product groups in global trade after raw energy.

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Small and medium companies and economies are able to sell their products globally to many countries if they apply IEC International Standards. It lowers the bar for entry into the global economy and this helps create jobs. However, countries with differing national standards risk being side-lined, unable to compete. The importance of and need for standards is also growing due to technological integration. Advanced technology fields and the corresponding highly profitable markets depend on standardization for their large scale development.

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Success in business depends on the ability to sell, if possible anywhere in the world. And there are two important, but often underestimated strategic tools that can give companies a real competitive advantage. Active participation in standardization; only a small percentage of leaders understand its strategic impact. And it is a well-kept secret. By participating in the standard setting process companies are helping to shaping the rules industry will work with in the future. In essence, a company that sits at the table where the technical rules for global trade are written doesn’t leave it up to competition to write those rules for them. IEC Conformity Assessment Systems allow companies to access more markets faster and at less cost. Today, proof of conformity for anything from components to large systems is a pre-condition for doing business.

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There is an important message that needs to be carried to board-rooms across the world to increase the understanding of the real implications of active participation: when your company doesn’t sit at the table where the technical rules for global trade are written, then the competition will write those rules for you, and you will likely have to work with them in the future.

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The IEC is the only organization in the world that provides a true international standardized form of certification. IEC Conformity Assessment Systems are the largest and best known multilateral agreements based on one-time testing of products globally and the most direct way to the market. Thousands of testing labs participate in its Conformity Assessment Systems. Each member of a System accepts the certificates and conformity assessment reports of all the other members of that System. Duplicate testing is eliminated: products often need to be tested only once to provide access to many member markets. Companies are able to reach global markets much faster, easier and at less cost. This approach also allows countries to protect their citizens from sub-standard products.

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IECEE covers conformity testing and certification for safety, quality, efficiency and performance of electrical and electronic devices used in the home, office and health care facilities. It also includes toys, electronic components, lighting, Smart Grid, EVs, industrial automation, electric motors, and more. The System is the exclusive issuer of the PV Quality Mark for PV components and the PV Quality Seal for PV systems. The World Bank often refers to them in tenders for photovoltaic installations.

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IECEx covers all certification needs of the Ex industry, from individual devices to systems, location and other inspection, installation, maintenance and repair to assessing the competence of personnel working in this highly specialized area. Explosive environments include all areas where there is a risk of fire and/or explosions due to flammable gases, liquids and dusts. Explosive environments go well beyond the oil, gas and mining industries. They include paper and textile manufacturing, saw mills, sugar refineries, grain storage and handling, pharmaceutical industry, and much more. In all these areas, IEC work helps industry and regulators to better protect populations and workers. The United Nations via the UNECE recommends IECEx as the world’s best practice model for the verification of conformity to International safety Standards. With it the harmonization of Ex regulations across many countries is becoming a reality. This is particularly important because for the first time it will allow countries with more limited markets or means to access products that offer the highest safety-levels possible.

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IECQ facilitates the manufacturing of greener, lead-free electronics. The IECQ Hazardous Substances Process Management Scheme allows manufacturers to more easily comply with increasingly strict hazardous substances regulations. The avionics and now also other industries depend on the IECQ Electronic Component Management Plan to assess suppliers and safely manage their components supply chain also to avoid counterfeit merchandise.

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IECRE covers the certification needs of renewable energy sources such as wind, marine and solar. These increasingly require a systems approach that also includes risk management, installation, maintenance and repair as well as overall system performance.

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IEC work is market driven. It is often closely following the cutting edge of technological development. In fast-moving and high-tech areas, a large number of technical specifications come from industry and are developed by fora and consortia. Those technological solutions help fulfil a short-term market need. However, a fragmented standards environment does not encourage interoperability and it makes global trade difficult. To achieve global reach, consortia often seek to establish their initially proprietary specifications as IEC International Standards. By taking these technical specifications on board and guiding them through the international, voluntary and consensus based process of the IEC, potential bias is eliminated. This is great for industry, because it helps build larger markets faster.

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IEC work covers in some way or another almost any component, device or system that uses, produces or stores electricity or contains electronics and all the fundamental building blocks for electronic and electric devices. Electrical installations

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All forms of plugs and sockets

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Connectors, cables and switches

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All forms and sizes of lamps, fixtures and lighting systems, including airport beacons, stadium flood lights, LED, etc.

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Household and other electrical appliances

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TV, audio and home entertainment networks

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Energy storage, fuel cells and batteries of all shapes and sizes

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LED…OLED …3D and flat panels for TV’s and computers as well as standards that enable radio, television, digital multimedia broadcasting and reception.

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Protocols that enable cloud computing and the transfer and storage of data and file formats for home and in-car networks.

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All the fundamental building blocks for electronic and electric devices

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Standards for the safe use of nanotechnology and superconductivity in electrical and electronic products

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Switches and sensors that are used in and on products as well as during manufacturing and in communication processes.

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All forms of lasers

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Formats of multimedia e-book contents such as e-pub, Minimum requirements and user interfaces for multimedia e-book viewers, Guidelines for e-book distribution by interchangeable storage media, and more.

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Even though IEC work happens very much in the background, invisible to most consumers, it has a real impact on their daily life. We have published the requirements for a universal charger for smart phones, which should reduce the flood of electronic waste and the overall CO2 footprint of the industry. In the future consumers will be able to use a one-fits-all charger for all data-enabled mobile phones. We are currently working on Universal chargers for PDAs and computers.

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The IEC enables the colour measurement and management in multimedia systems and equipment.

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The IEC is the world leading organization working on electromagnetic compatibility. Protecting sensitive equipment from interference and containing electromagnetic emissions.

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IEC International Standards always cover the safety and dependability of devices and systems.

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The IEC provides guidelines that enable environmentally conscious design, help regulate the use of toxic or hazardous substances in the production process and facilitate end-life recycling and waste management.

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We standardize how things are called so that engineers around the world speak the same language.

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The IEC develops the many symbols that can be found on electrotechnical devices. Examples include + and – sign on batteries, on-off switch, electric shock warning lightning bolt, etc. but also many symbols that are used by designers, engineers and architects.

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Without electricity modern life is impossible. IEC work quietly in the background enables energy generation from gas, oil, coal, nuclear, and all forms of renewable energy sources, it also is responsible for safely bringing the electric energy from where it is produced to the cities, buildings, public spaces and homes where it drives millions of devices and systems. IEC work also covers the innumerable components, cables, sensors and switches from which they are built.

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The IEC enables the broad roll-out of renewable technologies such as big and small hydro

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Marine energy

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Wind power

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Photovoltaics

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Solar thermal power generation

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The IEC standardizes many electric and electronic devices and systems of conventional and electric automobiles. It also provides the basis for safe EV charging.

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The standardized measurement, performance ratings and testing methods that are included in IEC International Standards allow regulators to compare energy efficiency and permit manufacturers to build consistently reliable and efficient products. The IEC is closely involved in the development of all major Smart Grid Projects around the world and delivers most of the technical Smart Grid Standards that are needed.

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In the area of energy and energy efficiency, the IEC has been instrumental in enabling the 1 watt standby energy consumption regulations that have come into effect in many countries around the globe. IEC International Standards allow the direct comparison and testing of stand-by energy consumption and energy efficiency in a wide range of devices. Energy efficiency programs such as Energy Star depend indirectly on them. IEC work allows manufacturers and governments to really compare and improve energy efficiency.

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The IEC provides the rating system for electric industrial motors.

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Industry and regulators can look to the IEC for the solid technical foundation, universally accepted metrics and specifications that promote the global roll-out of the most efficient solutions.

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