Independent Certification: A key to foreign markets

Differentiating the safety, quality and value of new, often innovative electrical products to purchasers in the foreign marketplace is not easy. For example, all electrical goods in the EU have to carry the CE Mark indicating that they comply with all the relevant directives on quality and safety grounds. An additional certification mark can help make differentiation possible, by better communicating with importers, purchasers and end users that a manufacturer has taken extra time and made some additional investment in a product to ensure that it is as safe as possible.

Safety certification is also particularly helpful for new manufacturers (or those not well recognised in foreign markets) to convince potential customers of the quality and value of their brand - giving them a better chance of success in the marketplace.

Manufacturers challenges:

- Minimising costs
- Securing 'a share' in local and foreign markets
- Maintaining order books

3rd party testing and certification can help

For some manufacturers the idea of paying for additional safety testing and certification seems a difficult one to justify, particularly when production costs are already so high, but this relatively small investment will add real value to products, open up greater export possibilities for goods and offer some protection in the marketplace against litigation.

1) Minimising costs
A manufacturer looking for certification services - whatever goods they make, needs to seek advice from the relevant certification body for their industry, right at the beginning of the design process. The certification body will be able to advise on local standards and regulations for the particular target country or region and the certification process will often employ them in the preliminary designs. Positive adjustments made to the design of a product at the start of the manufacturing process, improves the likelihood of compliance with relevant international standards later on, speeds up the approvals process and also reduces the chances of a product re-call. Involving a certification body in this way saves manufacturers time and money in trying to identify for themselves what they need to do to secure product certification and keeps the cost of the certification process to a minimum.

2) Securing 'a share' in local and foreign markets
The issue of securing and sustaining distributor channels and keeping their orders coming in is perhaps the biggest issue manufacturers face. Certification can make the export process easier and faster. Every country that a manufacturer targets has its own national requirements. For example in the electronics industry there are guidelines for safety, electro-magnetic compatibility and energy consumption as well as for product performance under local conditions like extremes of temperature, humidity or differing voltage suppliers etc. Certification of products against those guidelines and to relevant national standards will help manufacturers quickly demonstrate compliance with them and help them to secure wider acceptance from purchasers and consumers alike. Certification for one market such as Europe can then be used to obtain approval for other markets such as the US & Canada.

3) Maintaining order books
Over the last ten years there has been an increased awareness of product safety from consumers - particularly in the European market. Consumers are demanding safer goods from their retailers and are more willing to undertake litigation against manufacturers if things do go wrong.

Independent third party certification for products re-assures retailers and consumers of the safety of the product and makes them more likely to be loyal to a brand in the future. This is key to maintaining a reputation as a responsible manufacturer and producer of quality products that will ultimately help with sustaining order books.

Counterfeiting

Independent certification also offers manufacturers a level of protection against counterfeiting. The accompanying technical files, reports and certificates provide an audit trail should a legitimate manufacturer be required to demonstrate a due diligence to safety provision by any enforcement agencies, in the light of a challenge posed to them by counterfeit goods.

Not alone

Manufacturers who opt to secure certification for their products will not have to deal with the process alone. Certification bodies are experts in national and international safety standards and are available to assist all manufacturers from the most established businesses to fledgling operations. Also, they will be in good company as many global brand leaders opt to avail themselves of independent product certification.