ISO Focus April 2004.Indd
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ISO Fo c u s The Magazine of the International Organization for Standardization Volume 1, No. 4, April 2004, ISSN 1729-8709 Drilling deep Shell saves money with common standards Metadata : a worldwide library effort Contents 1 Comment Cheryl Stark, Chair, ISO/TC 67 It takes a synchronized team to get the petrol we need 2 World Scene Highlights of events from around the world 3 ISO Scene Highlights of news and developments from ISO members 4 Guest View By Mr. Malcolm Brinded, Chairman of the Committee of Managing Directors of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group. ISO Focus is published 11 times 7 Main Focus a year (single issue : July-August). It is available in English. Annual subscription 158 Swiss Francs Publisher Central Secretariat of ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 1, rue de Varembé CH-1211 Genève 20 Switzerland Telephone + 41 22 749 01 11 Fax + 41 22 733 34 30 E-mail [email protected] Web www.iso.org Drilling deep Manager : Anke Varcin • Assessing the value of partnerships Editor : Giles Allen • Standards as a strategic business asset Assistant Editor : Elizabeth • Only one standard is needed Gasiorowski-Denis • Capturing the added value – ISO/TC 67 Artwork : Pascal Krieger and Pierre Granier • Offshore structures – the imperatives of safety and security ISO Update : Dominique Chevaux • Applied regionally, effective internationally – in Europe Subscription enquiries : Sonia Rosas • Standards to the aid of regulation in Norway ISO Central Secretariat • Kazakhstan takes the international route Telephone + 41 22 749 03 36 • China’s new petroleum industry strategy Fax + 41 22 749 09 47 • Demands continue to change “ downstream ” E-mail [email protected] • Managing resource conservation in the USA • The key role of training cross-board players © ISO, 2004. All rights reserved. 31 Developments and Initiatives The contents of ISO Focus are copyright and may not, whether in whole or in • Metadata: a worldwide library effort part, be reproduced, stored in a retrieval • The next century for gas container requalification system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, 35 New this month photocopying or otherwise, without written permission of the Editor. • ISO safety signs – used locally, understood globally • Sizing up card dimensions for international interchange ISSN 1729-8709 • ISO helps libraries self-diagnose their electronic performance Printed in Switzerland 37 Coming up Cover photo : ISO Highlights of upcoming articles ISO Focus April 2004 Comment It takes a synchronized team to get the petrol we need o the consumer, the petroleum A collaborative effort with the entire offered its technology as the basis for and natural gas industry is the support community creates baseline several ISO/TC 67 standards and the Tsupplier or retailer of petrol standards and reduces the number of two groups continue jointly to develop and heating fuels used by that person. internal product specifications that a standards that serve the entire world but This is the industry interface with the company must maintain and use in address the varying needs of different consumer, but that interface contains a negotiation with vendors. operating areas. very extensive, interdependent network Another partner is CEN, the of contributors backing that retailer. “ The whole fits together European Committee for Standardiza- The trade name on a petrol sta- because each portion tion, that has an ISO mirror commit- tion is the company which supplies the tee, CEN/TC 12, with the same name fuel, refines it, produces it, drills for it, recognizes the common and goal as ISO/TC 67. CEN/TC 12 and explores for it. In the petroleum goal, and respects the upholds the spirit and intent of the industry, these companies are known intentions and input Vienna Agreement, by allowing ISO to as operators, and are usually, but not be the lead standardization organization always, responsible for the total supply of the other portions.” for its standards. Any item of European chain. Their owners, or in other words, but not international concern is worked stockholders, expect these companies Vendors are the companies sell- through CEN/TC 12. to operate in a responsible manner to ing goods and services to the operators. The whole fits together because generate a profit for them. These vendors can be service/supply companies selling or using manufac- each portion recognizes the common Operators have various business tured goods and/or the actual manu- goal, understands the part it plays, and streams that work together to supply the facturer of goods. Vendors are also respects the intentions and input of the end-user with fuel, lubricants, plastics, driven by their stockholders to generate other portions. TC 67 works harmoni- medicines, textiles, rubber tyres, ink, a profit, work in a responsible manner, ously towards the common goal of “do and other products. The upstream por- protect workers and the environment, it once, do it right, do it internationally” tion of the operator business encom- and provide a market usable product. A as evidenced by the 91 standards pub- passes the exploration, drilling and vendor welcomes and needs standard- lished during the past five years. production of petroleum or natural gas. ization as it reduces his cost of inven- The downstream portion separates the tory, design modifications, retooling, crude product into usable products, and simplifies the negotiation with the such as gasoline, kerosene, fuel oils, purchaser. bitumen, and other streams. These two pieces cover the But the operator does not work economic side of the petroleum and independently as there are many inter- natural gas industry but are only a related components each with a different part of the overall mechanism. There mandate. And the petroleum and natural are other players that also impact on gas industry operates in many countries how activity is undertaken. Primarily, and regions, each with a different man- the regulatory community, that can be date for exploitation. All components local, state or federal, are required by do work coherently within the frame of their constituents to provide a safe and ISO International Standards to accom- healthy environment, with no damage plish their respective goals. to the standard of living. Cheryl Stark Operators welcome and need Another player is the American International Standards for equipment Petroleum Institute. API is a regional Chair, ISO/TC 67, Material, and materials, so that they can rely organization of operator supporters, equipment and offshore structures on interchangeable parts, established and the service/supply and manufactur- for petroleum, petrochemical materials and workmanship, specified ing segments. The API began writing and natural gas industries performance criteria, and safety for the standards for the industry in 1923, worker, workplace and environment. producing some 550 standards. API ISO Focus April 2004 1 World Scene Challenges for developing World Petroleum New momentum for Standardization for the countries Congress 2005 standardization services sector Trade liberalization is undoubt- The 18 th World Petroleum of medical technologies edly opening up market oppor- Congress (WPC), which is to Standardization strategies for tunities for developing coun- be held in Johannesburg, South facilitating the worldwide tries. Yet many of them, espe- Africa, from 23 to 29 Septem- deployment of innovative medi- cially the least developed, still ber 2005, will discuss the cal technologies to enhance have enormous difficulties in theme “ Shaping the Energy public health and foster interna- making effective use of such Future : Partners in Sustainable tional trade were the successful openings, whether Solutions ”. output of the World Standards they result from “ The theme reflects the continu- Cooperation (WSC) workshop multilateral ing efforts of the petroleum bringing together some 130 agreements or industry to meet consumers experts representing the major from special growing demand for cleaner, players in this sector. arrangements, reliable and affordable energy At the workshop sessions, partic- according to a supply in socially acceptable ipants exchanged experiences new study ways,” declares Dr. Elvad from their own technical commit- published by A workshop on standardization Røren, President of the World tees, organizations and countries the Com- for the services sector was Petroleum Congress. in five sessions related to : Vision, monwealth organized by the European Links between Regulators and Secretariat High-level government delega- Commission’s DG Enterprise in standards developers, Standards and the tions from the 57 member coun- Brussels on 9 March 2004. It development practices, New Interna- tries of the WPC and more than was noted that the importance technologies and standards and tional Trade 3 500 executives, 250 students of the services sector is justified the Development dimension. Centre (UNCTAD/WTO). and 350 journalists are expected by its sheer weight in the econo- to take part A number of key recommen- my of the European Union “ Influencing and Meeting Inter- in the dations were made including : national Standards : Challenges (some 70 % of EU GDP) and event. calling for closer cooperation the increasing consumption of for developing countries” between ISO, IEC, ITU-T and Fol- services by manufacturing examines the difficulties hinder- WHO as well as other stand- lowing industry, affecting the cost, price ing the export efforts of devel- ards developing organizations