CE marking is a commitment, not a sticker.
CE marking is the manufacturer's declaration that a product meets the European requirements that apply to it. It proves nothing without the file behind it, and the importer answers for that file. Here is what it means, what we take care of, and what you should require.
What CE marking means, and what it does not
CE marking is not a quality certificate. It is the manufacturer's declaration that the product meets the essential safety and protection requirements of the European legislation that applies to it. It is mandatory to place the product on the EU market, and it declares compliance, not excellence.
A CE logo on a product or a “CE certificate” in PDF proves nothing on its own: no such certificate exists in European law. What holds up is the file behind the marking: the declaration, the technical documentation, the test reports and, for some product categories, the attestation of a notified body.
Who is responsible
Whoever imports a product into the EU and sells or distributes it answers for its conformity as if they had made it: for the file, for the declaration, and in front of the national authority if an inspection or an incident occurs. If the supplier's file is incomplete or forged, the importer is the one held liable.
That is why the file has to be examined before importing, not after. A product that is already in a warehouse, or already sold, leaves no room to fix it.
What we take care of
For every product we source, we identify the European legislation that applies to it, we make sure the manufacturer's file exists and holds up, we verify its certificates with the bodies that issued them, and we keep the file for you, current, for as long as you sell the product.
Timing matters: the Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 becomes applicable on 20 January 2027, and an order placed today reaches the market at or after that date. We take that into account before recommending a product, not once it has arrived.
What you receive
A file that holds up in an inspection: the EU declaration of conformity in the name of the company that actually manufactures, the technical documentation available on request and kept for the ten years the law requires, the test reports, the attestation when the product category requires one, and the verdict of our team with its date.
And a named person in Europe who answers about this file, today and in three years.
What to require before you sign an import contract
- The EU declaration of conformity, signed and dated, in the name of the company that actually manufactures, not of a trading intermediary.
- The technical documentation available on request, test reports included, and kept for ten years after the product is placed on the market.
- When the product category requires it, an attestation from a body designated for that legislation, not a generic “CE certificate”.
- A named person in Europe who answers about the file, and a written warranty that says what it covers.
A file that holds up avoids customs delays, recalls and litigation. Building it for the products you buy in China is precisely what we do.