Get your product's CE certification done to be able to complete the DoC

Posted by juliabennet on March 7th, 2012

When you buy an electronic gadget you sometimes come across the CE mark. The CE marking is not there on all the electronic gadgets that you buy but you see it on specific products. What does this mark mean to you as a consumer? It means that you are buying a product that has undergone CE testing and has got its CE certification. Does it matter? It does because you can rest assured that such a product will have passed through a stringent test that makes it a very reliable product.

CE is the abbreviated form of Conformité Européenne, meaning European Conformity in French. If you want any product of yours to sell in the European Economic Area, CE testing and CE certification is mandatory.

There are some arguments against CE testing and CE certification because there are products where you can put the CE mark yourself. You don’t need testing by an independent, third party agency to do any EMC testing or ESD testing for the product. But there are some very few products where you can afford to make the mark without any testing being done. For the majority of the electronic products, testing needs to be done and EMC directive in the form of relevant standards (e.g. EN 55011, EN 55022, EN 60601, IEC 61000 or EN 61000) need to be applied.

CE testing and CE certification are also relevant when you talk about the R&TTE directive. R&TTE, short for Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment, applied to various electronic equipment like ADSL modems, mobile phones and telephones among others. Complying with the R&TTE directive means your product has got the CE mark and can be sold in the European Economic Area.

There is another term you need to keep in mind regarding CE testing and CE certification. It is DoC or Declaration of Conformity. As mentioned before, the DoC from the manufacturer means that the product is CE compliant but there are only low risk products where the manufacturer can put the DoC. For all the other products, CE testing and CE certification are the only avenues to follow before one can put in the DoC.

Don’t get fooled by articles that say that there is no need for an independent, third party agency for your product’s CE testing and CE certification. It is better to be safe than sorry because if you don’t get the CE testing and CE certification done it is possible that your products can be recalled, and in worst cases you can be fined.

Independent, third party agencies involved in CE testing and CE certification take you through the entire process. They decide on the relevant EMC directive for your product and help you with teething design issues and any problems that may occur during the testing and certification process. They also have their secure labs where the product undergoes the testing. Finally, they help you with the Declaration of Conformity.

Get the CE testing and CE certification done for your product through these agencies and whatever amount you spend will come back multi-fold.

For manufacturers of electronic and electrical devices that wish to foray into the European Union market, CE certification is an absolute must. Professional independent agencies can help you with CE testing so that you can complete the DoC.