Why standards make your SME stronger: 10 times added value
Last updated:
15/10/2025
Running an SME in Belgium is top sport. You are simultaneously manager, accountant, HR manager and fire extinguisher. Every day again. And somewhere on that long to-do list, 'rules', 'quality requirements' and 'safety regulations' pop up.
Recognizable? Good news: standards can make your life a whole lot easier. Yes, really. Standards are not boring piles of paper, but a smart shortcut to greater success. Here are 10 reasons why your SME is better off with standards, illustrated with real-life stories from the field.
Standards help you set objective criteria for your products or services so that quality does not depend on interpretation. You can check in the interim, detect deviations and make timely adjustments.
According to a Sapience&ienet survey, "improved quality of product or service" is the main motive for SMEs to apply standards.This system leads to consistent output, fewer defects and fewer surprises after delivery.
Customers seek both certainty and transparency. Standards help make your operations understandable and verifiable.
"A standard sets the rules of the game and makes the difference between subjective and objective," says Philippe Couloumies of FAYAT Bâtiment.
That statement illustrates that with standards you don't just use fancy words, but provide clear, measurable frameworks.
In a chain (suppliers, subcontractors, partners), the ideal is for everyone to work to the same standards. This simplifies collaboration, reduces misunderstandings and increases reliability.
A study by SBS-SME emphasizes that standards promote compatibility and interoperability of products and processes.
If your SME applies standards, your suppliers can better anticipate your requirements, and the chain runs more smoothly.
Standards are often internationally recognized - that lowers the barrier to entry into foreign markets.
According to SBS-SME, standards help SMEs "have easier access to new markets."
A concrete real-life example is Oystershell: ISO 13485 certification improved their credibility, which facilitated their exports to both European and non-European markets.
With a recognized standard in your pocket, you can take stronger actions in markets where technical or quality requirements are higher.
Many Belgian and European laws refer to standards. By using them, you can automatically comply with many technical regulations.
Indeed, standards often function as technical specifications in legislation. You also cannot go around standards to demonstrate CE conformity.
As Ann Verhue of Callens notes, "In our industry, standards are required by law ... we have to comply with PED legislation and all our installations are CE marked."
That way, you avoid having to make constant adjustments to comply with regulations - you build in foresight.
Standards are based on the latest insights from experts in different sectors. For SMEs, this means: Free access to international knowledge. You don't have to reinvent the wheel - you build on proven best practices and get room to innovate. Monitoring and evaluating established processes creates room to experiment and improve.
"ISO 9001 helps companies not to constantly put out fires, but to grow in a structured way and learn from their mistakes," says consultant Yana Toelen.
By systematically looking at what works and what doesn't, you can innovate step by step - without making your organisation unstable.
From cyber security to occupational safety, standards contain guidelines, safety margins and checks that help avoid mistakes, liabilities or accidents.
The Sapience&ienet study shows that many SMEs apply standards precisely to reduce risk by including safety factors upfront in the design.
In industries such as construction, manufacturing or engineering, this can make the difference between minor corrections and major claims. By reducing risk, you build a solid reputation as a reliable company.
Technical misunderstandings cost time and money. Standards provide clear terminology and uniform agreements. So everyone - from your supplier to your customer - knows exactly what "quality," "safety" or "deviation" means.
Without a common language, projects are often delayed by repeated discussions about definitions.
Those who work according to standards deliver more consistent work. When quality is higher, mistakes are rarer, expectations are consistently met, and communication is clear, your customers will feel - and appreciate - that. And happy customers will come back, and bring others with them.
Standards show that you are forward thinking and take quality seriously. It gives your SME more credibility - not only with customers, but also with banks, investors and potential employees.
A proven standards-based operation exudes reliability and ambition.
"Standards ensure the quality of our services, but they also play a major role in environmental management and sustainability," says MCI's Vincent Gallego.
As an SME, when you have standards certification or can demonstrate standards-oriented operation, you endorse your position as a professional player.
Standards are not ballast - they are powerful tools that enable structure, trust, growth and sustainability for your SME. Let this article not be the end, but the beginning: start today with small steps, use the examples as inspiration, and steadily build an organisation that not only functions, but excels.
👉 Find out how standards can strengthen your SME.
