By Paul Milton, CEO of G&M Compliance
As the market grows and evolves, regulators around the world try to keep up by updating their rules and regulations. China’s Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA) is no exception.
The CNCA is responsible for implementation rules, which are rules developed for specific China Compulsory Certification (CCC) categories. These rules pertain to the scope of the category, the requirements of factory inspections, and product surveillance. China Compulsory Certification is required for more than 132 categories of products looking to enter the Chinese market. The rules for each category can be difficult to manage—and when changes come, it can be particularly frustrating.
Luckily, the CNCA typically includes a transitional period with all major rule changes. This transitional period usually lasts one year, giving manufacturers and sellers time to update CCC certificates. However, since this can be a lengthy process, it’s best to get started as soon as possible.
Those who sell CCC-certified products are already subject to annual follow-up inspections. Manufacturers and sellers should note that updating the CCC certification must be done in combination with the mandatory annual factory audit, not separately. This allows the inspectors to verify that manufacturing conditions comply with the updated standards and keeps them from having to perform additional inspections.
For example, manufacturers of USB-charged products, including lighting fixtures and adapters, recently experienced this type of rule change. CCC certification is already mandatory for these products under the “Household and similar equipment” category (full implementation rules for the household category are available here), and under the new rules, products that have USB power supply are considered multi-function products. As such, they must comply with both the Household rules and the Information Technology Equipment or Audio/Video rules. (The difference between the Information Technology Equipment and Audio/Video categories will depend on the type of product.) Devices must be compliant by December 31, 2016.
Itis important to work ahead. More and more manufacturers will try to squeeze in the inspection as the deadline approaches, making delays likely. In addition, under the updated CCC requirements it is often necessary to allow two days for inspection, which is done at the manufacturer’s expense.
About the Author: Paul Milton is the CEO of G&M Compliance, a full-service compliance and certification agency headquartered in Orange, Calif. G&M Compliance specializes in getting certifications fast, and they have helped clients sell products in China, Europe, India, and around the world since 1997. With technical expertise, industry knowledge, and valuable connections, G&M certify a wide range of products, including challenging certifications like wireless products, IT equipment, and automotive products.
