What is CE Marking?
If your business sells machinery on the extended Single Market in the European Economic Area, it must comply with the safety standards set out in the Machinery Directive. By meeting these standards, your machines can earn the CE mark. But what is CE marking?
You’ll find the letters CE on many products traded within the EEA, including those made in other countries. CE is an abbreviation of the French phrase “Conformité Européene”, or European Conformity.
Not all goods sold in the EEA require CE marking. Some that do include medical devices, hot water boilers, toys, and importantly for your business, machinery.
What does the CE mark show?
This highly recognisable symbol gives consumers the confidence that the products they are buying meet EU safety, health and environmental requirements. It also indicates that a product complies with all current EU legislation. This in turn allows free movement of the product on the European market.
How to earn CE certification
To ensure you can trade your machines in the EEA, ST&L can carry out a CE Risk Assessment. We will inspect your machinery to check it meets the relevant health and safety criteria. If there are any issues, we can provide expert advice and support to help improve your standards. We can also assist with compiling the technical files needed for your application.
We are authorised representatives within the EEA, which means that once you meet all the criteria for CE certification, we have the authority to issue a Declaration of Conformity and apply the CE mark to your machines. This complete service makes it much more straightforward to achieve CE marking for your machinery.
What are the benefits of CE marking?
By holding all manufacturers accountable to the same rules, CE marking helps support fair competition in the EEA. You know that your competitors have to meet the same strict criteria when selling their machinery in the EEA, creating a fairer marketplace.
For consumers, the CE mark ensures that product standards are high across the EEA. It is instantly recognisable as a sign of safety and quality. Meanwhile businesses know that any product bearing the CE mark can be traded in the EEA without restrictions.
What is CE marking on products from China?
Confusingly, you may see an almost-identical CE mark on some products manufactured in China. Although it looks very similar, the China Export mark does not mean that a product meets European standards. Nor does this mark indicate that the same safety, health and environmental requirements have been met. Only the official CE mark, applied by an authorised representative like ST&L, can show that a product has undergone rigorous risk assessment, safety evaluation and testing.
What does Brexit mean for CE marking?
The Government guidance on CE marking advises that you can continue to affix the CE mark to goods sold on the UK or EU market until 1st January 2022. To stay up to date with any changes, we recommend checking the CE marking page on GOV.UK. ST&L will also be on hand to advise you should anything change.
To schedule an assessment of your machinery, or to find out more about what CE marking is and why it matters for your business, get in touch with our team.