14th Nov update from UK Government on UKCA and Product Conformity
The UK Government has announced businesses will be given 2 additional years to apply new UKCA product marking, allowing businesses to continue to use either UKCA or CE markings.
Businesses to be given UK product marking flexibility - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
At Festo the task of re-certifying those products that require a UKCA mark with a UK Declaration of Conformity has largely been completed. Goods on stock currently only bearing a CE mark may continue to be sold as usual after the end of 2022 and replaced in stock and sales by the UKCA remarked products as they become available through the production plants.
October 2022 update on product conformity marking for the UK and Northern Ireland
The Festo engineering and product compliance teams are well prepared and have been working intensively on the UKCA topic. We are confident that the full Festo range requiring conformance marking will be compliant within the deadlines and will be available to our valued customers across the UK and for machine builders exporting to the UK market. We will keep our customers informed during this period and will be happy to answer any further questions.
Festo Ltd is the UK Importer of Festo goods from the EU. This means that Festo UK assumes legal responsibility as the Importer ensuring the conformity assessment procedures have been carried out and the labelling/documentation requirements are fulfilled.
Background
Following the departure of the UK from Europe [Brexit] at the end of 2020, the rules for product and machinery marking changed. To place products on the UK market that previously required a CE mark, a new UK Declaration of Conformity [DoC] is required and a UKCA mark must also be affixed to the product as a label or on the accompanying documentation. See Placing manufactured products on the market in Great Britain - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Since UKCA marking came into effect on the 1st January 2021 manufacturers and importers have been allowed to continue using the existing CE marking whilst the assessment process, label and documentation changes and run-out of existing stocks is completed, up until the deadline of the 1st January 2023. During this time Festo has been running a major project, across many internal engineering departments, purchasing and our external component suppliers, to ensure all relevant products are UKCA approved. Our plan is to deliver all designated products according to UKCA regulations from the 1st January 2023. The UK DoCs for 97% of applicable product families are already available on the Festo website, these can be viewed or downloaded from the Festo Support Portal “Certificates” area – see information: Further product information and documents | Festo GB. As of October 2022, more than 99% of relevant Festo products have been UKCA approved and the gap is rapidly closing on the remaining parts.
The UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) mark will be applied to products placed on the UK market currently carrying a CE mark. The mark shows the product conforms to all relevant UK legislation (UK designated standards) and is backed by a UK Declaration of Conformity and technical file. In most cases, the UKCA mark will be applied directly to the product/label or, if that is not possible, on the accompanying product packaging or instructions.
Update: UK Government easements: Labelling and documentation
The Government plans to introduce legislation extending the period the UKCA mark may be applied on documentation accompanying the product until 31st December 2025. There are no specific rules on what form the documentation should take but the accompanying document must be forwarded to the end user. Using the UKCA marking - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Reducing re-certification/re-testing costs for UKCA marking
The additional legislation is also planned to allow completed conformity assessment activities carried out under EU requirements by an EU Conformity Assessment Body [CAB] before 1 January 2023 to declare existing product types as compliant with UKCA. This means that in a limited number of cases the UK Declaration of Conformity and UKCA mark Festo products will refer to these certificates. Festo UK Declaration of Conformities list relevant standards that apply to the product, as well as details of the EU or UK CAB which was involved in the conformity assessment procedures.
Product conformity
Compliance with material-specific requirements in line with globally applicable laws and industry-specific regulations is becoming increasingly complex. Material compliance requirements are evolving dynamically and are an important part of overall product safety. If you are looking for answers to these questions:
- Does the product I have chosen comply with the requirements of the RoHS Directive?
- Is it subject to exceptions?
- Does it contain an SVHC covered by the REACH Regulation?
- Where can I find information on conflict minerals?
In our Application note, you will find an overview of these questions and further information on material compliance issues that could affect Festo products.
Product-related certificates and declarations
Declarations of conformity (CE, food safety, etc.) and product-related certificates (UL, CCC, etc.) can be found on the respective product detail pages under Support/Downloads. For more information, please contact technical support.
Paint-wetting impairment substances (PWIS)
Paint-wetting impairment substances (PWIS) are substances that cause small concave indentations at various points in the paint layer when surfaces are painted. Silicones, fluoric materials, certain oils and greases may contain this type of substances. Components used in the automotive industry, and especially in painting systems, must not emit paint-wetting impairment substances into the environment. To prevent paint defects caused by paint-wetting impairment substances in production, car manufacturers have long been implementing their own test instructions and standards.
VDMA Specification 24364, a cross-company set of rules, is available and describes requirements for testing, classification and identification. Festo supports this initiative with an appropriate classification of its products.
You, too, will benefit from this: In future you will be able to select our products even more precisely for your application using the VDMA identification system.
The VDMA specifications can also be downloaded free of charge from the members' area of the VDMA homepage by VDMA member companies for internal use. They can be found there in the Database for Technical Rules (DATeR). The accompanying practical guide is available to download at ot.vdma.org.
Corporate sustainability
Thinking in terms of generations and responsible, long-term management are deeply rooted in the corporate DNA of the family-owned company Festo. This is reflected in our corporate sustainability and sustainability management. Our contribution to sustainable development is set out in the Sustainability Strategy 2020+. This is based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations and was adopted by our Management Board in 2020. Festo attaches great importance to promoting transparency.
More information on sustainability activities and relevant key figures can be found in corporate sustainability and our Sustainability Report. In addition, Festo SE & Co. KG is continuously assessed by independent third parties. To gain insight into Festo’s sustainability performance, you can submit a request to us on the EcoVadis or NQC SupplierAssurance rating platforms.
