THE DOOR TO THE WORLD MARKET - THE CB SCHEME
The scheme has been developed over the years to reflect the market needs and a milestone was the decision in October 1970 to allow for testing in one country instead of two for a CB certificate. Now, we have another milestone decision in the Full Certification Scheme, FCS. FCS will improve the CB system by including cooperation regarding factory inspections in cases where a manufacturer holds several national certificates, and by abolishing the requirement to provide secondary countries with test samples. SEMKO was one of the first laboratories to be approved as a National Certification Body, NCB, within the CB system which started in 1961. Over the years we have actively participated in the development of the scheme. Today SEMKO has, besides the testing laboratory in Stockholm also a CB Testing Laboratory in the UK, ITS Testing & Certification, as well as ITS ETL SEMKO in Hong Kong. Testing as a basis for a CB certificate can be performed at those laboratories, The largest issuer of CB certificates in the world during the last couple of years has been SEMKO, This is an evidence of the great importance we put on this only truly global certification scheme with its positive effect on world trade and we are proud to be part of the scheme that continues to be highly valued by the market. |
International trade and globalisation are increasingly significant issues where the IEC standards and the IECEE certification system play an important role. The CB scheme is unique in its function to bridge different conformity assessment systems in as many as 34 countries. From a manufactures point of view, a finished product must come out onto the market as quickly as possible based on testing that already from the start covers the requirements on different markets in order to eliminate the need of modifications in the production phase. Testing for different markets is very time-consuming, if the product must be sent to several testing and certification bodies. This is where the CB system adds a significant value to manufacturers of electrical equipment.