ISO/TC 293 – Proposed Standards for Feed Machinery Equipment
The US Coalition of Feed Machinery Manufacturers For Fair Trade encourages fair trade and accepted business practices that allows manufactures to compete and to produce high quality innovative, safe and environmentally sound feed machinery equipment. A competitive atmosphere governed by fair trade and accepted business will enable feed machinery manufactures to provide global feed producers with the equipment critical to continue to meet the needs of feed, nutrition and health demands in a sustainable healthy manner.
The US Coalition of Feed Machinery Manufacturers for Fair Trade is in agreement regarding the importance of safety, quality and other related items proposed in ISO TC/293.. However, the coalition unanimously did not support this initiative when it was pushed forward by a single company in China, Muyang/Famsun, through ISO and our concerns were expressed to ANSI, along with those from AFIA and others, in initial opposition to the proposal to form a new ISO Technical Committee.
As sufficient support was received from various other countries around the globe, ISO/TC 293 was approved. At the present time, each of our groups are participating in the ISO/TC 293’s US Technical Advisory Group to insure that the interests of US companies are properly represented. As sufficient support was received from various other countries around the globe, ISO/TC 293 was approved.
However we want to be clear – the proposed standards are a grave threat to the industry and if implemented would in reality undermine innovation, competition, quality, and the environment. We want to communicate to the feed industry at large that we did not support the proposal for the following reasons:
Why We Oppose ISO TC/293
Standards and regulations in the USA and other countries already exist and must be adhered to by industry
Each country, in which our members sell their product, has its own unique standards that also must be adhered to – a single global standard would interfere with the ability to adapt products to meet local standards
Each customer/client also has its own individual standards – a single global standard would interfere with the ability to adapt products to meet the standards requirement by an individual company
The standards would lead to a “commoditisation” of the feed industry – a manufacturer’s strength is based on its ability to differentiate its product from others – standardisation would undermine and remove this differentiation.
Each company producing a feed or food product has its own unique business model and approach to its own market. As such, and in order to be successful in meeting its own client needs, equipment manufacturers must have the innovation and flexibility to tailor products offered according to a client’s need. “Commoditisation” only serves those who seek the lowest cost manufacturing and not the innovation and specialisation so vital to a vibrant and growing industry.
Our members believe these types of standards programs as a ‘marketing tool’ to show that all products are of the same quality when in fact there is a range of qualities available. An example of this was in the appliance industry – the manufacturers in the proposing country would get the “standard brand mark” to show consumers that they had a high quality product but the product they were actually producing was of lower quality.
The standards would quash innovation and would be a critical threat to the well being of the industry and in the end the development of the overall market. Unique tooling, process approach, etc. are what drives this industry. A set global standard would require an added step for each manufacturer to get approval of each innovation since it would deviate from the standard. This step would also allow competitors to get access to intellectual property, which is already a major issue.