2.1.

Characteristics of national standards (NOM/NMX) and international standards (ISO)

The Mexican Official Standards (NOM) are defined as technical regulations whose compliance is mandatory. They serve
to regulate services, products, or processes that may pose a danger to people, animals, or
the environment in general.

The Mexican Standards (NMX) are technical regulations issued by the Ministry of Economy whose application is
voluntary and that allow to establish quality specifications on processes, products, services, methods of
test, competencies, etc., in addition to aiding in consumer guidance. It may be the case that a
NMX is mandatory if it is explicitly referenced in a NOM.

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Within the NOM we find information, requirements, procedures, specifications, and methodology.
necessary to establish certain measurable parameters for the different government agencies in order to
to avoid a risk to the population. The direct reflection of these Official Standards is that many products
marketed in Mexico, from bottled water to car tires, carry on their labeling the
acronyms NOM accompanied by a numerical code.

It is the Government that is responsible for identifying risks, as well as evaluating them and issuing the NOM, although the most common
during this process external experts in the field intervene whose considerations are highly taken into account
Ultimately, the NOM are developed by technical committees made up of representatives from all the
sectors that have some interest in the topic such as researchers, academics, industrial chambers, etc.

The establishment of this regulation arises from the need to establish a common language in commerce.
internationally, in such a way as to ensure compliance with minimum quality standards.

Among the most common NOMs are, among others, energy efficiency standards and practice standards.
commercial, the commercial information standards and the methodological standards.

NMX
For many years, the NMX were published in the Official Federal Diary and by public entities of the
government, but recently the way they are spread has changed and they are currently responsible for giving them to
to meet private organizations that are related to the subject in question.

In any case, despite the differences that may exist between them, the ultimate objective of both the NOM and the
NMX is the same: to raise the quality in procedures to reduce costs and thus improve efficiency, while
it facilitates work for companies and improves the service provided to the end consumer.

Definition of ISO standards

ISO standards are a set of standards aimed at organizing the management of a company in its various areas.
The high international competition exacerbated by the globalization processes of the economy and the market and power and
the importance that the figure and opinion of consumers have been gaining has led to such standards, despite
its voluntary nature, have gained great recognition and international acceptance. ISO standards are
established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and consist of standards and guidelines.
related to specific management systems and tools applicable in any type of organization.
Historical framework

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) was established in 1947 and has 91 member states.
represented by national standardization bodies. This body works to achieve a common form of
to achieve the establishment of the quality system that guarantees the satisfaction of needs and expectations
of the consumers.
At the beginning of the year 1980, ISO appointed a series of technical committees to work on the development of
common standards that would be universally accepted. The result of this work was published seven years later.
afternoon through the compendium of ISO 9000 standards, subsequent to the publication of the assurance standard
quality vocabulary (ISO 8402), which was released in 1986.
The development and diversification of ISO standards have been very important, unfolding into different branches or
families that address various aspects such as quality, the environment, safety and labor risks and the
social responsibility. The process is continuous and periodically updates and new areas appear.
treatment.

Purposes and advantages of ISO standards

ISO standards were created with the purpose of providing guidance, coordination, simplification, and unification.
carefully the companies and organizations in order to reduce costs and increase effectiveness, thus
how to standardize product and service standards for international organizations.

ISO standards have been developed and adopted by numerous companies in many countries out of a need and
will to de-homogeneize the characteristics and quality and safety parameters of products and services.

Advantages of ISO standards for companies

Based on this purpose and initial objective and due to the great prestige and immense following achieved, the ISO standards
They bring important benefits for companies, businesses, and organizations in general:

They provide elements for an organization to achieve and maintain higher levels of
quality in the product or service.

They help meet the needs of an increasingly demanding client.

It allows companies to reduce costs, achieve greater profitability, and increase productivity levels.

It is one of the most effective means to gain a competitive advantage.

Reduce the rejection of incidents in production or service delivery.

Achieve greater and better access to large clients and administrations and to international markets.

The benefits go beyond the realm of companies and administrations and their clients, who are favored by a
better service, also reaching governments, which thanks to ISO standards can:

Ensure that the goods and services meet the mandatory quality-related requirements.
safety or the environment, among other issues.

Control foreign trade with other countries.

The different families of ISO standards

There are many ISO standards, and as we have indicated, in addition to being updated, new ones periodically appear.
a higher classification and identification are grouped by families or series, each of them with a nomenclature
specific. The fundamental categories are:

Quality Management (ISO 9000 series)

Standards aimed at homogenizing the quality standards of the products or services of organizations
public and private, regardless of their size or activity.

Environmental management (ISO 14000 series)

They represent a very clarifying and effective instrument for companies to organize all their activities.
within certain parameters of respect for the environment, complying with current legislation and responding to a
greater awareness and demands from society.

Risk and security management (ISO 22000 standard, OHSAS 18001, ISO 27001, ISO 22301, and others)
Standards and systems developed with the purpose of avoiding or minimizing the various risks related to the different
threats originating from business activity.

Social responsibility management (ISO 26000 standard)

The focus of these standards is to help the company maintain a transparent behavior at all times.
ethical that is an inseparable part of its general management model.