CE Marking: Plan Ahead to Control Costs

Dear Friends and Clients,

Here we are, just a few days away from Christmas, Hanukkah and other seasonal celebrations, and with less than three weeks remaining in the year.

Between the festivities, there may be a little time to reflect on planning for 2012. For instance, will you be shipping to Europe any products you have not shipped there before?

A mistake manufacturers often make is not planning for CE marking until they are about to ship the product. We are frequently asked for assistance just a week or two from the scheduled shipping date.

Apart from delaying shipment, this may make the process much more expensive.

CE Marking is not only a legal obligation. When correctly completed it is a very useful marketing tool. It will probably be an excellent investment in terms of marketing reward for minimum investment. The European market is huge and your CE mark is, in effect, a passport to all European countries.

Although not widely known, for about 90% of products, manufacturers may self-certify without the use of expensive CE Testing labs.

If you allow time for the assessment process before delivery you can do the assessment in-house and learn the process, and be ready for future certification of similar types of products.

We can help by doing all the regulatory research and show you how to self-assess the product, prepare the Technical File and make the Declaration of Conformity.

When your products carry CE Marking you will find that importers, distributors and sales agents will be easier to appoint as they do not have to deal with complex compliance regulations. They will not want to get involved with product certification which requires complex professional expertise. Although they may excel in marketing and sales, they may not be equipped to handle regulatory and legal issues.

If your product is one that can be self-assessed, then planning ahead can save you money. But there’s a learning curve and it’s likely to take longer the first time you do it.

To discuss the implications for your product, call me at 416-500-7287 or toll-free at 1-855-222-MAWW (6299) and I will be happy to explain the options.

Tony Baker
maww international marketing
Tel: +1.416.500.7287
Toll-free: 1.855.222.MAWW (6299)
Email: tony.baker@maww.com Web: maww.com
marketing • management coaching • research • international business development

Centre of Europe: Choosing the Best Place For your European Distribution Centre

Where is the centre of Europe?

Although this sounds like a “trivial pursuit” question, it can be important when choosing the location for a distribution centre.

At least seven places claim to be the “centre of gravity” of Europe. You can see these in the map at the following link:

http://www.europeword.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Centre-of-Europe.jpg

Rather than try to choose between them, I am opting for an eighth, by finding the middle spot between all of them. I estimate that this is at a point a few hundred kilometres south-west of Warsaw, Poland.

Would any Polish geographer care to let me know the name of the nearest town?

When choosing distribution centres, several factors come into play, including population concentrations and relative wealth, which might result in selecting a location much further to the west than Poland.

In fact, most European distribution centres are located in The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany and the UK.

Just to let you know, we have partner companies suitably located to help with your distribution and order fulfilment into all parts of Europe.

To discuss the best location for your distribution or fulfillment centre, please call me at 416-500-7287.

Influencing the Future: Lobbying in Europe

Lobbying the European Commission and Parliament are a way to help make sure your products are not on the wrong side of future regulatory changes.

Much of the regulatory environment in Europe these days is decided at the EU rather than national level, i.e. in Brussels.

The EU authorities encourage knowledgeable lobbyists to take part in work groups and committees in an advisory role, thereby reducing the workload and need for expertise by EU officials and, in the process, giving you a chance to shape things your way.

CETA Negotiations : Ninth Round Update

The ninth formal negotiating round of CETA, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the EU, has now been successfully completed.

Ed Fast, Canada's Trade Minister, says this will be Canada's biggest, most significant trade agreement since NAFTA, created in 1994.

No precise date for finalization of the agreement has yet been given, but officials are predicting this will be in mid-2012. The agreement will provide dramatically improved opportunities for Canadian companies to enter the EU market.

Upcoming Events in the GTA ....

Holiday events put on by the various European chambers of commerce have been coming thick and fast. Many have already taken place, but here are two that are still to happen:
• Belgian Canadian Business Chamber Christmas Party, Thursday, December 15th: Register at http://www.belgiumconnect.com/
• The British Canadian Chamber Charity Pub Night: Tuesday, December 20th. Register at http://bcctc.ca/Events.html

I'm also attending the Society of Manufacturing Engineers party this Friday, December 16th. To register, go to http://smetoronto.ca

If you know of any other events I might be interested in attending, please let me know!

Have a Great Holiday Season! And All the Very Best for 2012!