CE marking machines made in China and India

While western manufacturers may fear the impact of imports from low-wage economies, Laidler Associates believes its work in the likes of China and India will actually benefit many European manufacturers. Consultants from Laidler have been increasingly busy over the last twelve months in these fast-industrialising countries, assessing companies' CE marking procedures and offering training in setting up procedures for compliance with local legislation.

Managing director Paul Laidler explains: "The UK is still seen as having a major manufacturing base, but we have to recognise that definitions of manufacturing are changing. Successful UK and, indeed, other European companies are the ones that focus on the entire manufacturing process, from market assessment and product design through to manufacture, support and service delivery. In that light, a manufacturer can think about its operations on a global basis, with design in one country, contract manufacture in another, assembly in a third, and possibly the back-up spread world-wide.

"It is a natural progression, then, that we are seeing an increased emphasis on manufacturing through partner companies in the likes of China and India, and that other companies in those regions should be looking to export their products into Europe. But none of that can happen without stringent CE marking compliance procedures, and that is where Laidler Associates can help."

Consultants from Laidler Associates have made numerous visits to both China and India, assessing over 100 individual projects and offering training in assessment procedures. Paul Laidler states: "Over the years we have seen an ongoing requirement for companies in China and India to use us as their European support arm - as a notified body to assess their products when they want to export into Europe. But there is no doubt that companies in these regions looking to export into Europe want local CE marking expertise - either from notified bodies in their own regions or through having increased capabilities in-house. And that is where our work is increasingly taking us. As a result, manufacturers in China and India looking to export their products into Europe can now do so with confidence. In the long run, when you look at the bigger picture, I believe that will actually prove beneficial to Europe's manufacturers."