12.00 – 12.25 hrs
Since 1996, compliance with the European EMC Directive has been mandatory in the EU. At the time, many viewed this as an obstacle. Nevertheless, they jumped right in, in many cases perhaps without properly examining exactly what it entailed. It was a golden opportunity for product designers to outsmart the competition, especially that from outside Europe, and for companies to market their setups, tests, chambers, or expertise. But it was also cumbersome: with all those standards, where did you even begin?
Today, thirty years later, it is internationally recognized that we in Europe weren't so crazy with that whole “CE business” after all. In countries outside the EU, too, there is often a demand for a CE marking, or rather for conformity with European standards. After all, it is known that it stands for a thoroughly thought-out product. And it ensures a level playing field.
Compliance with the EMC Directive, part of CE, has meanwhile become a fixed part of daily routine. It has greatly improved product quality, and we hardly give it a second thought: “Products must comply with harmonized EMC standards.”
But is that really true, do they really have to...?
And what should I, as a designer, really do now?
Speaker: Gert de Gooijer – Electrometric bv.