You are a manufacturer?

Then you should take the following steps:

You must then take the following steps:

1. You must determine whether your product is a machine, a related product or an incomplete machine falling within the scope of the European Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230.
2. Your machinery must be designed and constructed on the basis of a risk assessment, in accordance with the applicable essential health and safety requirements set out in Annex III to the Machinery Regulation and in line with the current state of the art.
3. You must draw up the technical documentation and an instruction manual.
4. You must carry out the appropriate conformity assessment procedure. For machinery or related products covered by Annex I of the Machinery Regulation, the involvement of a Notified Body may be mandatory before you are permitted to place your product on the market or put it into service.
5. You must draw up an EU Declaration of Conformity to be supplied with the machinery (for partly completed machinery: an EU Declaration of Incorporation).
6. You must affix the CE marking and all other required information to every unit you manufacture (not applicable to partly completed machinery)

Our machine safety experts will guide you through each of these steps. Through training courses, information sessions and technical explanations of the requirements of the Machinery Regulation, you will gain practical insight into what is needed to ensure your product complies – enabling you to work in a targeted and efficient manner.

If your machine or related product falls under Annex I of the Machinery Regulation, you can turn to Vinçotte for the required involvement of a Notified Body in the categories for which we are notified. For those categories, we carry out the EU type examination or unit verification. If the assessment is favourable, you will receive the relevant certificate, enabling you to affix the CE marking and place your machine on the market. The current list of categories for which Vinçotte (Notified Body 0026) is notified can be found in the European Commission’s NANDO database. Are you unsure whether your machine falls within these categories? Please contact our experts.

Are you an importer?

For all machinery you import, you must check whether the manufacturer has carried out the correct conformity assessment procedure, drawn up the technical documentation and provided the machinery with the CE marking, an EU declaration of conformity and an instruction manual.

If this is not the case, you must not place the machine on the market. This is because you may only place compliant machines on the market and you must be able to prove this with the necessary documents, which must also be drawn up in the correct language. In addition, you must indicate your name, registered trade name or brand, and contact address on the machine.

If you place the machine on the market under your own name or trade mark, or if you modify it in such a way that it no longer complies with the requirements, you will be regarded as the manufacturer yourself.

Our experts will check on your behalf whether the manufacturer has fulfilled their obligations and whether you, as an importer, need to take any further steps. This ensures that you only place machines on the market for which you can demonstrate compliance, thereby limiting your liability risk.

Are you a distributor?

Before placing a machine on the market, you must check that it bears the CE marking and is accompanied by the EU declaration of conformity and instructions for use in the user’s language. You must also check that the manufacturer and, where applicable, the importer have indicated their name and contact address on the machine.

If you have reason to believe that the machine does not comply, you must not place it on the market until it has been brought into conformity. If the machine poses a risk, you must inform the manufacturer or importer and the market surveillance authorities. In addition, you must ensure that storage and transport do not compromise the machine’s conformity.

If you place the machinery on the market under your own name or brand, or if you make substantial modifications to it, you are yourself considered to be the manufacturer.

Our experts will check on your behalf whether the machinery you distribute has the required marking, declarations and documentation, and will also assess the safety of the machinery. This enables you to supply machinery with confidence, knowing that it meets the legal requirements both formally and in terms of safety, whilst minimising your liability risk.

Are you building a machine for your own use?

The mandatory CE marking applies to anyone who builds or assembles a machine, even if it is solely for their own use. Therefore, if you are a builder or assembler, you are regarded as the manufacturer of the machine. Anyone who makes substantial modifications to a machine is also considered a manufacturer under the Machinery Regulation.

In addition to your obligations as a machinery manufacturer, you must, of course, also comply with the rules applicable to machinery used in Belgium. These can be found in Book IV, ‘Work Equipment’, of the Code on Well-being at Work.

ATTENTION!

From 20 January 2027, the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 will apply and the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC will be repealed. Machinery placed on the market or put into service from that date must comply with the Machinery Regulation.

Please ensure you prepare for this transition in good time. Our experts will identify which new or amended requirements apply to your machinery, so that you can continue to supply your products without interruption after 20 January 2027.