CE marking
In order to be sold on the European market, electrical and electronic products and telecommunications equipment must obtain the CE marking to guarantee that the requirements established by the European Union regarding safety, health and environmental protection are respected.
Sicom Testing carries out all the technical tests and prepares the documentation for the CE certification of different types of products, including:
- transmitting and receiving radios (radio controls, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, short-range SRD devices and others)
- home appliances
- products for the railway and nautical sectors
- automation and control systems
- home automation components
- electrified furnishings
- mobile phones
- satellite trackers
How to obtain the CE mark
For manufacturers, the procedure for obtaining the CE mark is divided into the following phases, for which it is possible to contact a competent laboratory such as Sicom Testing.
- Identification of the essential requirements required by the European Community directives in relation to the product to be certified.
- Testing of the product and execution of other technical activities to verify compliance with the requirements required by the applicable standards.
- Predisposition of a technical file that collects all the documentation necessary to identify the product and certify its compliance with the requirements of the applicable directives.
- Positioning of the CE mark which must be visible, legible and indelible.
- Editorial board of the EU Declaration of Conformity which indicates the conformity of the product with all legal requirements.
The CE mark is valid for products made both inside and outside the European Community, and is necessary for their marketing within the Community.
Importers' obligations
Importers can only place products on the European market that comply with CE standards.
It is the importer's obligation to ensure that the manufacturer has:
- performed the appropriate assessment procedure
- prepared the technical documentation
- the CE mark affixed to the appliance
- accompanied the product with the required documents
- respected, as expected, the mandatory product and manufacturer identification requirements
If the importer considers that an appliance does not meet the CE conformity requirements, he cannot place the product on the market until it is brought into conformity. Furthermore, if there are possible reasons for risk, he must inform the manufacturer and the supervisory authorities.
Importers must identify themselves by indicating their name, their registered trade name or their trademark on the device, also adding a postal address or a document accompanying the device that provides the competent authorities with the data necessary for a possible contact.
An importer is considered a manufacturer and is subject to manufacturers' obligations when he places a product on the market under his own name or trademark, or when he makes modifications to a product already placed on the market in such a way as to affect its conformity with the applicable directives.
Obligations of distributors
Distributors need to know which products need to have CE certification and be familiar with the accompanying documentation. Furthermore, they must be able to recognize clearly non-compliant products. In general, distributors must also be able to demonstrate that they have acted with due diligence and adopted the necessary control measures for the products they market.
A distributor is considered a manufacturer and is subject to manufacturers' obligations when he places a product on the market under his own name or trademark, or when he makes changes to a product already placed on the market in such a way as to affect its compliance with the applicable directives.
Reference directives
The main reference directives applied by Sicom Testing are:
- 2014/53/EU concerning the radio equipment and repealing Directive 1999/5/EC
- 2014/30/EU relating to electromagnetic compatibility
- 2014/35/EU relating to the making available on the market of electrical equipment intended to be used within certain voltage limits
- Council recommendation 1999/519/EC relating to the limits of exposure of the population to electromagnetic fields from 0 Hz to 300 GHz
- 2002/96/EC on waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)
- 2001/95/EC relating to general safety of the products
- 2008/57/EC relative to interoperability of the railway system community
- 2014/90/EU (ex 96/98/EC) on marine equipment