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 The European Community CE Marking
DirectiveA Guide for Apricot Resellers and Maintainers With effect from 1st January 1996, new legislation takes effect relating to the electromagnetic compatibility of most, if not all, electronic products offered for sale within the European Community - the application of the CE mark. The purpose of this document is to explain the position relating to the application of the CE mark on Apricot products and provide a guide to the implications of the new legislation. This legislation affects everyone supplying equipment, not just the manufacturer.
(Revision 1 - December 1995) What is the CE Marking Directive? From 1st January 1996 most electrical and electronic products made or sold in the United Kingdom (eg a desktop PC, a monitor, an add-in card for a PC, a personal organiser etc) must:-
The relevant conformance standards are :- EN55022 for EMC emissions Apricot tests all our desktop PCs and servers in configurations which include all of the relevant add-in peripheral items from our price list to ensure that they conform to these standards. This means that a system configured from items on the Apricot pricelist can legitimately carry the CE mark; this includes the case where a reseller buys the items from Apricot separately and does the configuration. However, taking pieces of equipment which bear the CE mark from more than one supplier and putting them together (eg a desktop PC and an add-in card) does not mean that the combined product will necessarily conform to the standards required. Plainly the nature of the PC marketplace means there are a huge number of third party add-in peripherals which could be added to a system. The manufacturers of these individual items will, of course, be required to certify them for EMC emission and immunity as required by the Directive, allowing them to carry the CE mark. Because of the sheer volume involved Apricot will only certify combinations based on items in its Reseller Price List. The implication of this situation is that reseller who integrates a desktop PC or server with add-in cards, drives etc is legally responsible for ensuring that the complete resulting configuration will meet the requirements of the CE Directive. It is possible for the supplier of the equipment (eg the PC manufacturer or the manufacturer of the add-in card, or the reseller) to self certify that the equipment supplied conforms to the CE mark requirements, but they would be responsible for showing that they had undertaken due diligence if an investigation was undertaken by the DTI. This is why Apricot chooses to test and certify all desktop PCs, servers and peripherals on its Reseller Price List. Products which were manufactured before the 1st January 1996 which do not carry the CE mark but which are in the supply chain (eg in Apricot’s warehouse or between there and the eventual customer) can still legally be sold and delivered after 1st January 1996. Shipping products that do not comply with the CE Directive:-
It is the responsibility of the reseller to ensure that they understand and comply with their legal obligations.
“Apricot desktop PC and servers are designed and tested to comply with the new CE Directive; all Apricot systems and peripherals produced after 1st January 1996 will carry the CE mark. Third party items added to Apricot equipment after manufacture must conform to the CE Directive”
All products manufactured by Apricot have complied with the international safety and electromagnetic standards for many years. Apricot has used recognised test agencies to obtain these approvals. The CE Directive is an extension to these earlier standards and all new designs of Apricot products will comply with the CE Directive. Each product will display a CE mark and the user manual will contain a paragraph referring to the CE Directive. A Declaration of Conformity stating the standards to which each respective product complies will be available on request from Apricot’s Technical Support Department.
All items listed in Apricot’s Reseller Price List are fully approved to carry the CE mark. Where a Reseller changes the specification of a system by fitting parts not supplied by Apricot or parts that do not conform to the CE Directive and the system then fails the CE Directive it is legally the responsibility of the Reseller to meet the CE Directive. Plainly the potential implications of the CE Directive are enormous, particularly for the Reseller who is integrating components from several manufacturers into a solution for a customer. There is also a huge task facing the enforcement agencies. It appears that the attitude of the authorities throughout Europe during 1996 will be to provide guidance; in the UK, David Southerland of the DTI said at the Euro EMC Conference in London in October that the initial job of the UK enforcement agency, the TSO, would be to advise and to help companies to comply. It is not clear at what stage the emphasis will move from providing help and support to enforcement, with all the potential repercussions. It is certain that many end users, particularly in corporates and the public sector, will be highly aware of the CE Directive. This is where there is potential for the mainstream brands, such as Apricot, to offer reassurance.
Advice to Authorised Repair Centres Where an Authorised Repair Centre changes the specification of a system during the repair process and the system then fails the CE Directive, it is the responsibility of the repair centre to meet the CE Directive. In the field, it will be necessary for Apricot authorised TPM’s and Apricot Systems Centres to ensure that all repairs or modifications to Apricot systems are completed with original specification authorised parts/spares as supplied by Apricot or other distributors. (i.e. a Quantum Maverick drive must be replaced with a similar drive from the same manufacturer). Repair Companies that refurbish old non CE marked equipment must ensure it conforms to the new CE legislation before resale.
For further advice on the CE Directive contact the DTI and ask for the following briefing notes :-
The policy relating to the EMC Directive & UK Regulations (plus any other documentation) should be available from :-
Standards are available from :-
or
Please note that any of the various regional "EMC clubs" or the Personal Computer Association should also be able to give additional advice to resellers and distributers.
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