ALUPROF
UK CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT AND WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
By Wojciech Brozyna - MD of Aluprof UK
Since the beginning of 2021 the UK now sits outside of the European Economic Area ( EEA ) complete with a late brokered ‘ deal ’ which helps businesses trade without tariffs between the EEA and the UK . Despite the increased levels of paperwork required for such imports and exports , it is ‘ almost business as usual ’. Over the last few years conformity with legislation and standards present in Europe has been a prerequisite for producing and selling any goods within the EEA , either produced in the EEA or from overseas . Known as ‘ CE ’ marking , it is applicable equally to the manufacture and sale of a paper clip to a curtain wall facade .
So what is a ‘ CE ’ mark ? A CE mark indicates conformity with a harmonised product standard , and assures the user that the product is classified to the relevant essential characteristics , within Annex ZA , for the member state whose market it is placed on . Construction products are different to say medical devices for CE marking as regulations differ .
So now that we have left the EEA , what now ?
The UK has set up its own conformity marking known as the ‘ UKCA ’ mark . Broadly the same as the current CE marking the new UKCA mark will allow the UK to begin to adjust its conformity standards to suit UK businesses and the UK ’ s legislative requirements in the longer term . As far as timing is concerned , CE marking is still fully accepted in the UK this year , but all companies manufacturing and selling in the UK must have UKCA marking on their products by the end of 2021 . Importantly for Aluprof UK , we will comply with the new UKCA marking and are already scheduling our products for conformity with UK ‘ approved bodies ’ this year .
Now a note of caution , we often use Great Britain , the United Kingdom and the British Isles interchangeably , but this is not correct . ‘ Great Britain ’ consists of England , Scotland and Wales , the ‘ United Kingdom ’ consists of ‘ Great Britain ’ and ‘ Northern Ireland ’. The ‘ British Isles ’, consists of the ‘ United Kingdom ’ and ‘ Ireland ’, plus numerous smaller island groups , which include the Hebrides , the Shetland Islands , the Orkney Islands , the Isles of Scilly , and the Isle of Man .
In Northern Ireland , matters get a little more complicated as manufacturers there have their own UK ( NI ) mark to comply with which must be used alongside the CE marking . Whilst Great Britain will accept the UK ( NI )+ CE marked products known as ‘ unfettered access ’, products manufactured in Northern Ireland only need to carry the CE mark if they are to be sold solely in the EEA . Part of the reason for the difference in Northern Ireland is that whilst Northern Ireland sits within the EEA , from the 1st January 2021 , it is now outside the EU Customs Union . It must be reiterated that for products manufactured and sold in Northern Ireland , they must always carry both the CE mark and the UK ( NI ).
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