Emitech, support you in your export markets

Wherever in the world you 'd like to market your equipments, the requirements to follow would be close to the CE marking one's.

Mainly, the matter is to make sure that products are not dangerous for users and their property, that they will not damage the local conditions of the frequency spectrum use, or that they are compatible in an electromagnetic point of view.

Indeed a large number of markets outside the European Union are in need of CE marking and furthermore our team in charge of CE marking are also your contact for export markets.

Depending on the progress of your project or the complexity of your case, your request will be treated by our Training & Engineering department or by our SERCE lab (Electrical Safety, Radio and Electromagnetic compatibility) for a global solution.

To assist you in the placing on the market, we answer for each relevant country the following questions :

• What are the approval procedures required for the targetted country?
• What are the possible national deviation to consider in comparison to international standards ?
• Should you call upon a third body ?
• Are there applicable agreements allowing the recognition of our testing report ?
• Do Emitech have such agreements ?
• Is the placing on the market linked to a certification mark subscription ?
• Should your tests campaign be carrying out in a local lab ?
  

The answers allow us to draw up a customised action plan.
Use our entire advantages to ensure your proceedings :

• our direct recognitions,
• bilateral agreements between countries,
• CB scheme,
• CB-FCS.
  

The example of the North American market is representative of our global offer.

The sequence of logos hereunder, whether they are certification mark or simple marking whether they concerned electrical safety or EMC/radio requirements, shows the complexity of the export markets.

Several Mutual Recognition Agreements are currently implemented between European Union and United States, Canada, Israel, Japan, Australia, New-Zealand and Switzerland.

The objective is to reduce the trade barriers between partners. The mutual recognition agreements concern conformity assessment of certification and marking and aim to reduce costs.

Indeed, exported goods have to comply with the requirements relevant to the importer country, and their conformity with these requirements have to be evaluated. If the importer contry doesn't recognise the assessment (tests, inspections, certifications) of the export country, the manufacturer shall proceed first to the assessment in the importer coutry. Such technical barriers generate sizeable extra time and cost which can significantly endanger the possibility of competition of the product.

MRA aim to suppress such barriers in the field identified in each agreement :

• The electromagnetic compatibility
• The electrical safety
• The telecommunication equipments
• The medical devices
• The pharmaceutical products
• The leisure boats
• The devices and mechanism with pressure
• ...

Les ARM don't require nor pre-suppose the harmonisation of the technical prescriptions of each entity nor the recognition of their equivalence.
The compliance with the european regulation (CE marking) doesn't automatically express the compliance with regulation of a country which has signed an agreement, like for example the USA.

The advantage of this system consist in the loss of double job in terms of inspection and certification. When a product is specified for two markets it may be subjected to a double assessment (because technical prescriptions or standards are different). The assessment will be less expensive if realised by a unique body. The time for marketing is reduced as link between manufacturer and conformity assesment body speed up the process, as well as the unique assessment.

The MRA actors are the Conformity Assessment Bodies (CAB) identified by each state. They have to justify their technical know-how about tests and applicable requirements in the signatory country.

Emitech is recognised as CAB in the frame of MRA for its services in Electrical Safety, Radio and Electromagnetic Compatibility.

The CB scheme, is govern by the IECEE 02 document.

The IECEE is a worldwide system for conformity testing and certification of electrotechnical equipment and components and is driven by the International Electrotechnical Commission.

In the frame of the IECEE, the IEC coordinate an international system named CB scheme (CB as Certification Body), which aim to reduce trade barriers between countries for electrical and electrotechnical equipments.

CB scheme is an international program for the exchange and acceptance of safety test results of products between member labs and certification body worldwide.

Most electrical and electrotechnical equipments have to comply with safety requirements in the country where they are sold and this through conformity assessment procedure with or without the access to a certification mark.

For long, obtaining national certification mark was difficult and required lots of time and money. The CB scheme is based on the principle of mutual recognition by its members of test results, it generally doesn't required additional test.

The CB scheme offer to the manufacturer a simplified way to abtain several national certification in terms of product safety in more than 50 countries.

The CB scheme benefits

The CB scheme reduce significantly the repeting of tests for the placing on the market of your product in different countries and so, have important advantages :

• Speed - Reducing the marketing time ;
• Cost - Reducing the number of test campaign, of samples to provide ;
• Efficiency - Centralization of safety conformity tests in the world.
  

The CB scheme working

The main actors of the CB scheme are the Certification Bodies recognised in each relevant country.
These CB are using authorized test labs named Certification Body Testing Laboratory.

The CB scheme is based on the CB test certificates which provide eveidence that representative specimens of the product have successfully passed tests to show compliance with the requirements of the relevant IEC standards.

A supplementary report providing evidence of compliance with declared national differences in order to obtain national certification or approval may also be attached to the CB test Report.

Emitech intervene as CBTL in the frame of the CB scheme and work in partnership with IMQ as Certification Body.

Taking into account electrical safety requirements in the frame of the CB scheme follow 5 steps whatever is the country :

• Step 1 – The request
  Each request for the acceptance of the CB test certificate, can be presented to any authorized CB depending on the standard.
  Emitech identify the IEC standard applicable and the possible national deviation requested for your export. Emitech as CBTL submit your request to IMQ.
• Step 2 – Test and report
  Except previous agreement between the seeker and the CB, tests have to be carrying out by a CBTL authorized by the CB and test report should submitted for approval.
• Step 3 – CB test certificate
  If the CB consider test results as satisfactory, it delivers a CB test certificate to the seeker. This certificate has to be joined to the test report.
• Step 4 – Registration of the CB test certificate
  As soon as the CB certificate is issued, a copy is sent to the IECEE for registration.
• Step 5 – The use of the CB / test report by the seeker.
  

Depending on the country and / or the market targetted, the use may be linked to a fomal approval by authority or by the access to a certification mark.

CB-FCS (CB Full Certification Sheme) is an extension of the CB scheme.

The CB scheme is based on the mutual recognition of CB certificate and associated test report by the bodies member to the CB scheme, for national approval procedure or certification.

The CB-FCS is also based on the mutal acceptance of Conformity Assessment Certificates between bodies for approval process or national certification. It also aim to include a production follow-up.

It simplify the access to certification marks which belong to to CB members and optimize the surveillance follow-up on production site.

Among logos and symbols which can be seen near a CE marking (attesting a product conformity to the european regulation), some certification marks related to electrical safety, EMC or other field outside Emitech' skills may be stamped.

A mark commits the responsibility of a third Body (the Certification Body) on the conformity of the entire products marketing which hold the mark (conformity related to applicable standards).

First, a number of specimens have been tested in a lab recognised by a Certification Body, which has validated the results.Second, a detailed listing report allows, with regular audit on manufacturing site, to check if equipments marketing are same as tested samples.

In Europe, national certification marks come in addition to the CE marking. This one is mandatory but the responsibility of the compliance of the entire production marketing belongs to the person responsible for the placing on the market.

Access to a national mark of conformity in an EC member is a quality/marketing process which aim to develop the seriousness of the placing on the market of a product and with highlighting the guarantee of the Certification Body which own the mark.

Outside EEC, a certification mark can also comes from a national approval process required before the placing on the market and for the entire commercialization period.

A certification mark can also be a request from a distributor to ensure the seriousness of the manufacturer - in terms of conformity of the tested samples but also to make sure that there is no deviation on production lines.