Speaker at our club meeting of 14th October was Eric Dewhirst, who built his talk around the fact that this day is International Standards Day. 

Living as we do in a ‘digital age’ - our everyday lives depend on international agreements on standards - especially in engineering and technology. We heard that the need for standardisation in areas like weights and measures was understood from very early times and that the need became increasingly vital as the industrial revolution progressed. Today Standards are at the very heart of international cooperation, business and trade.

Almost every country in the world is cooperatively involved - which is impressive and with many countries having their own well-established standards organisations. The UK has the British Standards Institute - BSI, with its well known ‘kite mark’.

The International standards organisation ISO has at its core a mission to ensure  that the products and services we use daily are safe, reliable, and of high quality. They also guide businesses in adopting sustainable and ethical practices, helping to create a future where our purchases not only perform excellently but also safeguard our planet.

Following questions, a vote of thanks was proposed by Tom O’Connell.