Technical Rules & Standards - vdma.org

The new regulatory overview keeps you up to date with the most important existing and upcoming regulations in the areas of product safety, operational safety, environmental regulations, sustainability and occupational safety.

When CE marking machines, important instructions must be observed in order to fulfill the legal obligations. The VDMA has compiled these notes for practical use, which go beyond explanations in the official guide.

What are the implications for standardization of the proposal for revision of the Machinery Directive published by the European Commission?

The EU Cyber Resilience Act is one of the most important regulations for the mechanical engineering industry in the coming years. Find out about the dates, obligations and implementation proposals for the regulation, which will apply at the end of 2027.

After the second face-to-face meeting on 8.11.2024 and numerous further online meetings of the 7 sub-working groups, the first drafts and H2 requirements lists are available. (update no. 3)

This article collects some of the EU counterpart policy developments in China in the past two years for reference.

24 mandatory standards, 405 voluntary standards and 75 translated standards were approved in the past two months.

A series of mandatory standard drafts are released for comments, such as agricultural machinery, foundry machinery, metalforming machinery, etc.

A series of implementation rules of China Energy Labelling are approved together with the updated Product Catalogue.

Pilots for product carbon footprint certification have begun, and related standardization activities have been carried out orderly.

A series of import and export-related catalogues are released.

The import of products with CE marking into the United Kingdom is still permitted. What is the legal basis and is there any official information?

What are the sticking points of the EU Regulation Machinery and what has the VDMA been able to achieve for its members? What can those responsible for compliance expect?

The VDMA launches the “DPP for Machinery” initiative. Here you will find the current structure and the upcoming content relating to the initiative.

The VDMA launches the “DPP for Machinery” initiative. The initiative bundles, coordinates and aligns all DPP activities and thus represents the VDMA's association-wide bracket with regard to the topic of digital product passports.

The Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) was published in the Official Journal of the EU on 20.11.2024. The act is an EU Regulation that has legal effect in the European Union and the European Economic Area (EEA) without national implementation.

In this position paper, the VDMA and its member companies comment on the design and implementation of the Digital Product Passport under the new Ecodesign Regulation.

13 mandatory standards, 327 voluntary national standards and 5 Amendments of national standards were released.

A series of mandatory standard drafts are released for comments, such as for construction machinery, packaging machinery, rubber and plastics machinery, foundry machinery, tractors, etc.

The No. 1 Amendment of GB/T 26572-2011 Requirements of concentration limits for certain restricted substances in electrical and electronic products is approved.

Chinese group and association standards are encouraged to be implemented through, testing, certification, inspection, bidding and contract performance.

Regulations are instruments used to ensure the stability and integrity of markets and industries. They serve to protect consumers, promote fair competition and ensure compliance with legal stability.

Bureaucracy holds back innovation and investment in the machinery and plant engineering sector. 

The last DAfA Thematic Committee took place on March 26, 2024 and the last DAfA meeting on April 9, 2024.

The official guide to the Machinery Directive has been revised and published in version 2.3 in English and German. The reason for the revision is the new legal interpretation of digital operating instructions.

Consultation on Regulation (EU) No. 1025/2012: VDMA advocates optimized standardization processes to ensure the efficiency and competitiveness of European industry and to meet modern market requirements

Update! The Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) has been published and will enter into force on december 11th. The VDMA has compiled a FAQ document to provide support and non-binding guidance to its members.

Mechanicus optimizes your work processes with straightforward calculations of machine elements. Test reliable calculations for gears, bearings, and more at www.mechanicus.app.

The Schlierbach presence experience exchange on machine safety took place for the sixth time on June 10 and 11, 2024. More than 60 participants attended the event on one or both days.

The EU Commission, member states and trade associations have agreed that manufacturers of machinery will be able to supply instructions in digital form from April 26, 2024.

Between the current Machinery Directive and the new EU Regulation - those responsible for machinery safety are faced with some groundbreaking questions. An overview of obligations and deadlines.

A flashlight on essential requirements for the safe commissioning of machines and systems in the USA in contrast to Europe.

In some cases, functions of a machine are tested and optimized on site. There is a desire to leave machines without CE marking to the customer for this purpose for a certain period of time.

The NAM annual report is now available for download.

The EU Regulation Machinery will apply from 20 January 2027. The Machinery Directive must be applied by 19 January 2027. How can the manufacturer manage the changeover of the EU Declaration of Conformity in just one day?

Manufacturers based outside the UK who wish to import products, such as machinery, into the UK must appoint an importer and provide details of this.

With a delay of two and a half years, the mandatory certification of low voltage switchgear and controlgear according to the Indian IS/IEC 60947 series of standards will come into force in May 2024.

A lawsuit at the ECJ could endanger the entire system of harmonized standards. The planned final proposals of the Advocate General at the ECJ does not bode well.

Update: VDMA provides its members with a comparison of the provisions and technical requirements of the EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 with those of the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC in English and German.

The text of the new EU Machinery Regulation, adopted in the Permanent Representatives Committee on January 25, 2023, is available for download.

The VDMA Quick Guide explains the manufacturer's obligations, in particular with regard to the conformity assessment procedure.

Current developments in the field of standardization and market access in China.

The database "Machinery safety standards" helps manufacturers and users of standards to find their way through the jungle of standards.

The Blue Guide is the central document explaining overarching provisions on CE marking. The version from 2016 has been updated.

Dr. Magnus Janicki Convenor for another three years

The complexity of legal requirements for all products in the field of application of mechanical and plant engineering is constantly increasing. For this reason, the VDMA supports its member companies in opening up foreign markets with comprehensive expertise on the locally applicable regulations.

Call for participation in the survey on the study by E&Y and Menon, which examines the European standardisation system and aims to improve innovation and competitiveness.

On May 20, 2021, the Industrial Printing Working Group met virtually to discuss "Anti-Counterfeiting, Brand Protection - Solutions for Packaging and Label Printing".

The Technical Report CEN/TR 22100-1 builds a bridge between the world of standardization and the European Single Market legislation for machinery.

China is currently formulating a new standardization strategy. Increasingly, attempts are being made to introduce national Chinese standards as the basis for an international standardization project.