The CE Mark - The Passport to the European Market
A wide range of products must be CE marked before they can be sold in Europe. This includes toys, most electrical or electronic products, fireworks, gas appliances, machinery, and many other product types.
It is a requirement that the company has carried out a correct CE marking of these products. Otherwise, it is illegal to sell the product, and the authorities can order the sale to be stopped.
CE marking is a process with six steps:
- Find the directives and regulations that apply to the product.
- Find the harmonised standards that can be used to prove that the product complies with all the requirements in the legislation.
- Make a risk assessment to verify that all potential hazards posed by the product are adequately mitigated.
- Test the product to check that it actually complies with the legal requirements. Some product types must be tested by an independent test laboratory. Most types of consumer products can be tested by the manufacturer.
- Compile the technical documentation to evidence that the product complies with the legal requirements.
- Draw up the declaration of conformity and affix the CE-mark to the product, and then you can begin to sell your product.
Torben Rahbek can guide you through the complete process. We will start by establishing an overview of the road to the CE mark and the documents you will have to acquire or write. We meet to discuss this so you will know where to start – and then you start. If you run into trouble on the way, you can ask Torben Rahbek for help, and if you prefer that Torben Rahbek produces some of the documents for you, this can also be arranged.
You only pay for the time, Torben Rahbek spends on the task, and we follow up monthly on the expenses so we avoid that things get out of hand.
Benefits of CE Marking for Businesses
It is a significant advantage for the company to have checklists and procedures to support the CE marking process, both to ensure that everything is covered and to be able to document what has been done. Torben Rahbek can assist in identifying the relevant directives, conducting the risk assessment, and developing checklists and test programs.
While companies are allowed to handle it themselves, experience shows that it’s easy to overdo it “just to be safe.” This can make the task overwhelming and often postponed “until there’s more time.” Torben Rahbek can help break the CE marking process down into manageable “chunks” so that progress is made quickly, with results achieved promptly.
