Citation: Nehr, S.; Jäckel, S. Successful Innovation Transfer through Pre-Standardization: A Case Study. Standards 2023, 3, 31–42. https:// doi.org/10.3390/standards3010004 Academic Editor: Zenon Foltynowicz Received: 18 December 2022 Revised: 9 January 2023 Accepted: 13 January 2023 Published: 2 February 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). Article Successful Innovation Transfer through Pre-Standardization: A Case Study Sascha Nehr 1, * and Simon Jäckel 2 1 CBS International Business School, 50321 Bruhl, Germany 2 Association of German Engineers, 40468 Dusseldorf, Germany * Correspondence: s.nehr@cbs.de Abstract: This study presents an approach to structure, analyze and evaluate corporate standardiza- tion processes using the example of pre-standardization for the reduction of environmental impacts in product design and development. For this purpose, we give a detailed description of the evolution of the European Standard EN 16524 entitled “Mechanical products—Methodology for reduction of environmental impacts in product design and development”. The standardization strategy behind the evolution of EN 16524 is analyzed using the approach of a Business Model Canvas combined with an evaluation using pre-defined success factors. Moreover, we derive general recommendations for corporate standardization professionals in checklists for each field of the underlying Business Model Canvas. With regard to the case study depicted here, we come to the conclusion that pre-standards are especially suited for innovation transfer in the field of emerging and rapidly evolving scientific and technical results. Keywords: standardization strategies; pre-standards; success factors; Business Model Canvas; environmental impact 1. Introduction Technical standards are a tool to ensure equal competitive conditions in international trading and to reduce trade barriers [1–3]. Moreover, technical standards are needed to increase productivity, rentability as well as economic feasibility, to ensure the equiva- lence of product properties, to specify equal product assessment criteria and to minimize occupational hazards and environmental hazards [4–12]. Irrespective of the company size, engineers are frequently confronted with technical standards. Technical standardization affects all engineering disciplines. In this case study, we analyze the role of pre-standardization in corporate strategies and decision-making processes. In detail, the following key questions (see Figure 1) are addressed: (i) how to ensure the successful marketing of an innovation (e.g., a product, a process, a service); (ii) which standardization strategy to choose; and (iii) which pre-standardization level to choose. For key question (i), three different approaches are considered, including standard- ization, patenting and non-disclosure. Answers to key question (ii) can comprise pre- standardization, standardization and intra-company standardization. Finally, answers to key question (iii) differentiate between national, regional and international pre-standardization levels. The analysis addresses these key questions in a case study on pre-standardization for the reduction of environmental impacts in product design and development. Based on the conclusions, general recommendations for the development of corporate pre- standardization strategies are derived. The case study resorts to a structure depicting the pre-standardization objective, the corresponding success factors for the pre-standardization activity and finally the evaluation of the chosen pre-standardization strategy. Standards 2023, 3, 31–42. https://doi.org/10.3390/standards3010004 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/standards