Product Export Services: CE Marking
Increase sales by marketing your product internationally
Whether your business is marketing industrial products or consumer goods, breaking into international markets can quickly increase sales. One of the barriers to selling in international markets is the requirement for your product to bear the CE Mark. CE Marking indicates that a product meets all of the applicable CE Directives and safety requirements to sell into the EU, as well as some countries outside of the EU. Navigating the process of attaining a CE Mark is often daunting to many businesses. SGW Designworks is able to manage the process for you, with minimal impact to your business operations.
What it takes to get CE Marking
The requirements a business must meet to apply the CE Mark to a product really depends on the product itself. The European Union maintains a set of CE Directives that apply to products of all sorts. The first step in pursuing a CE Mark is to identify the directives that apply to your product. Generally, a Quality Management System (QMS) and Technical File must be maintained by the manufacturer to meet the requirements. For some products, laboratory testing is required to meet the requirements of the directive.
How SGW Designworks can help
SGW Designworks engineers have a great deal of experience managing all of the elements in a CE Mark project. We are able to scope the overall project, identify the directive(s) that apply to your product, build your Quality Management System, train your team on maintaining your Technical File, Manage laboratory testing (if required), and manage information flow with the EU Notified Body. We are able to execute CE Mark projects for local clients based in Idaho, as well as throughout the US and overseas.
CE Mark projects may be executed entirely by SGW Designworks, or with SGW Designworks working in conjunction with your staff to meet the requirements. When the project is complete, you will have all of the documentation and systems required to maintain compliance with CE Mark requirements internally.
Example Project
SGW Designworks consults with Meyer Industries to get CE Marking for the Rodenator
Meyer Industries of Emmett, Idaho manufactures and markets the Rodenator (www.rodenator.com). The executive team at Meyer Industries recognized that the European market represented a big opportunity for the business. Initial contact with potential customers in the EU confirmed what the Meyer Industries team suspected: that CE Marking would be required to sell the product in Europe.
Meyer Industries contacted SGW Designworks to discuss a CE Marking project. After an initial meeting and review of the product / manufacturing processes, SGW Designworks identified the appropriate CE Directives for the product. SGW then provided a project scope and proposal that aligned with the specific requirements of the relevant directive. The proposal was signed by Meyer Industries, and the project began.
To get thoroughly acquainted with the manufacturing process, SGW Designworks engineers literally worked in the production line producing the products for a number of days. This allowed SGW to build a robust Quality Management System for the product. To build out the Technical File, SGW Designworks reverse-engineered and documented all components used to produce the Rodenator. As a side benefit, SGW Engineers identified a number of potential product changes that could reduce cost.
SGW Designworks managed communication and information flow with the EU Notified body, and assisted with preparation of the Declaration of Conformity for the Rodenator Product. A short while later, Meyer Industries was able to affix the CE Mark to their product. The Rodenator QMS and Technical files were provided in a format that allows Meyer Industries to easily make changes to product designs, or add new products to the system in the future.
Meyer Industries projects that international sales will make up 60% of their volume within the next two years.
