Using BS 4046 to promote and reward innovation
Aided by BS 4046, Stramit International specialises in helping customers from all over the world to set up strawboard-manufacturing plants. Stramit International is the only UK-based company ever to have manufactured strawboard. According to chief executive John Mosesson, BS 4046 has become synonymous with the company. Here, he discusses how implementation of the standard has benefited Stramit International through:
- opening doors to business on an international scale
- active participation in the standardization process
- maintaining the company’s intellectual property.
How does the implementation of a standard affect how a company is perceived?
Involvement in standardization sends strong messages to trading partners and competitors about a company’s commitment to quality, efficiency and ethical practice.
- John Mosesson says:
“There is a lot of prestige that accompanies being a company that applies standards. Certainly, if you are trading overseas, businesses in other countries find it very reassuring to know a product or service complies with an internationally-recognised standard.”
Read more about using standards in marketing and new business development.
To what extent was Stramit International able to drive the standardization process?
Innovative businesses can benefit greatly from sitting on the committees responsible for creating particular standards. Stramit International was directly involved in the development of BS 4046, and was able to ensure that the resulting standard answered its needs effectively.
- John Mosesson says:
“There are those who might be worried that helping to develop a standard will mean having to reveal their intellectual property secrets, but this doesn’t have to be the case. The strawboard standard doesn’t actually reveal how we manufacture our product. It simply sets the characteristics needed for compliance with BS 4046.”
Find out how to join a technical committee.
How has BS 4046 addressed the concerns of Stramit International?
Participation in the standardization process gives companies a voice, ensuring that their interests and influence are reflected in the resulting standards. For Stramit International, this meant that promotion and support for their innovations was at the heart of their involvement.
- John Mosesson says:
“Although Stramit was set up in 1945, our use of recycled straw to manufacture panels for screens, walls, roofing, partitions and doors is still regarded as innovative. We were ahead of our time in designing sustainable, recyclable and energy-saving products and processes.”
How did compliance with BS 4046 support Stramit International’s innovations?
Involvement in standardization represents a powerful framework for shared knowledge, reducing the costs and risks traditionally associated with innovation. The level of involvement selected will reflect an individual company’s requirements.
- John Mosesson says:
“Some might fear that conforming to a standard could act as a barrier to innovation - but this is not the case. Certain standards do give guidance on how to manufacture a product in a step-by-step fashion. However, others simply establish levels of performance a product or service must meet to claim compliance.”
