Do you ever feel like your product should available in a wider market? Imagine expanding your customer base to a potential 500 million people? The European community has a population of over 500 million people. If you hope to grow your business to new markets in Europe, you have to ensure that your product is CE compliant for the European market. In this blog, we will be unfolding every possible detail regarding the CE certification process.
What is CE Certification?
CE stands for “Conformité Européenne,” and it is European based standard that certified product on the ground of health, safety, and environment. CE marking is conferred to the manufacturers of electronics and various other items. This certification mark gives the implications that the product is free from safety issues and health hazards.
Previously, CE certification was limited to the electronic items sold within the European Economic Area (EEA). But as time progresses, the CE marking extends its footprint to the rest of the world. It should be noted that the CE mark is not considered as a benchmark for quality for electronic products.
Anatomy of CE Marking
CE marking is equivalent to a standardization mark, and it is affixed on those manufactured products as per European standards.
CE mark on a product indicates the following details:-
- The product is being manufactured as per European product directives.
- The product met European safety and performance standards.
- The product is free from environmental and health hazards.
Noteworthy points regarding the CE certification process
- CE marking could cater to a wide range of products, including electronic goods, medical equipment, and machinery.
- CE is an abbreviated form of the Conformite Europeenne, a French word, which means European conformity.
- CE mark is a standardization marking for electronics and various other products manufactured within the European Economic Area[1] (EEA) since 1985.
- CE marking is a sort of manufacturer’s declaration that the product fulfills all the EU health, safety, and environmental protection requirements.
- The CE marked products can be quickly sold across the European market, including Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
- Every EU country is accountable for implementing CE marking across various verticals of products that have significant safety and health hazards. The countries are also under the obligation of setting up the penal provision for the defaulter in case of non-compliance.
Read our article:How to Get CE Marking Certification in India?
Steps for CE certification process
If you wish to avail CE certification for your product, feel free to go through to given instructions.
- Identify the product which needs to be certified with CE mark.
- Select the relevant CE marking directives from the following options:-
- Machinery directives
- LVD as known as low voltage directives
- EMC- Electromagnetic compatibility directives.
- PED- Pressure Equipment Directives.
- Construction machinery directives.
- Lift Directives
- Medical devices directives
- Toys Directives
- Select the relevant harmonic standards for the products seeking CE Certification.
- Conduct risk assessment of the Directive and standards along with the products seeking CE certification to validate compliance.
- Test the product either via an in-house facility or third-party certified lab as per the selected directives.
- Manufacturers are free to affix their products with CE marking through self-certification. However, the provision for self-certification is limited to specific categories of products. The manufacturer can take advantage of CE mark notification agency or competent body to avail CE certification marking for their products.
- Next, the manufacturer must prepare the TCF against the products that seek CE certification/marking. The TCF, (Technical Construction File), consolidates the following details:-
- Device description
- Circuitry Schematics of the device
- The general design of the device.
- The rundown of the standards applies to the product.
- The registration regarding the standard assessments
- An in-depth description of the logic behind the device’s operation.
- Datasheets regarding subassemblies;
- Parts list
- Markings and labels currently used by the manufactures.
- Copy of installation and maintenance guide.
- Test reports
- Quality control.
- Declaration of Conformity.
Affixing of the CE Marking
After meeting the requirement above, the applicant can affix their product with CE marking. However, there are specific rules that a manufacturer should keep in mind while affixing the CE mark on the products. These rules are as follows:
- Products under CE certification should be marked for the same before dispatching to the market.
- Great care should be taken while affixing the CE mark on the product. As per the given provision, the CE mark should be affixed on either bottom or back of the product.
- The height of the marking varies according to the dimension of the devices or components. The right dimension of the marking ensures better legibility for the end-users.
- CE mark should be indelible in nature, which means it can’t be compromised under normal conditions.
- It could be hard for someone to maintain the dimension of the CE marking for varying product sizes. Fortunately, under such a circumstance, the manufacturer can be waived off the dimension provided the visibility and proportion remain uncompromised.
Conclusions
CE marking is a sort of standardized marking that ensures the product is being manufactured as per the EU’s directives and regulations. Nowadays, customers look into every aspect of the products, including quality before buying them out. They care about the vulnerability of the product and often look for safety prospects of the same.
Thanks to CE marking, which can authenticate the product on such grounds. The manufacturer out there needs to keep in mind that CE Mark certifications seek Notified body certifications. Connect with CorpBiz’s experts to avail of professional-grade help regarding the CE certification process.
Read our article:What is CE Certification? -Know about it in detail
