Dear Chris, Only one rule is common throughout this region (and you should keep reminding yourself of it)... ... and it is that there are no rules!
Well okay, there is a framework of rules and Laws that you must operate within, but these are loosely interpreted and the game is how you operate within that framework. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to paint a negative picture or sell anyone my firm's services - I'm just saying it how it is. Do not be mistaken that any amount of test data you already hold will reduce the certification costs payable to the labs/test centres in Russia, this will just make life a little easier for you (well relatively) as it is a documentation intensive. I must concur with Vitaly's comments and also add that you should not let your sales people do the negotiation for you! They may be shrewd when closing deals with customers, but they are negotiating within their own field of expertise - approvals and certification is completely different. They may get what they perceive is a good deal, but it'll be more than you should be paying. Please also note that the contracts will state that the visiting Russian Engineers must be paid around 100 USD per day for expenses - in reality this is pocket money, as your company will already be paying for flights, accommodation, other travel costs, entertainment and subsistence in addition to the contract price! So the number of engineers and the length of their visit(s) also have the potential of the overall costs. I've produced an explanatory overview for our clients, let me know if you'd like a copy. Best regards, Edward Edward Fitzgerald Director Direct Tel. : +44 1202 20 09 22 GSM Tel. : +44 7768 53 31 00 European Technology Services (EMEA) Specialist Global Compliance and Regulatory Consultancy Regional Offices in Australia, Canada and the UK. GLOBAL INtelLIGENCE Site < http://www.ets-tele.com/tics > psst ... spread the word ! -----Original Message----- From: Maxwell, Chris [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2000 8:54 PM To: 'EMC-PSTC Internet Forum' Subject: Russian Certification of Products Our sales people in Russia have started the process of "Certifying" our equipment to sell in Russia. The two agencies that they are working with are "Gosstandart" and the "Ministry of Communication". According to them, the certification will consist of an inspection of all of our existing Compliance Documentation including ISO-9000 certification, EMC Test Data (for the products of interest), Safety Test Data (for the products of interest), Environmental Test Data including heat, frost, moisture, vibration, and blow (what is that?) along with other inspections of our calibration equipment and methods. We are also being asked to pay for a trip to the US for 3 people from the Ministry of Communication and Gosstandart (6 people total) for 7 days each. The total is a staggering $44,000 (either cash or wire transfer). Note that all of the actions being performed for this are "inspections" of existing documentation, not actual testing. So in the end, they will decide to certify our products based upon existing documentation, testing... I have never experienced this before. It appears to be a great deal of expense for not much substance. Is this typical? Has anybody else out there certified products with these agencies? By the way, we typically classify our product as "light industrial test and measurement equipment" and already have solid testing and documentation to to EN 61326-1 (EMC), EN 61010-1 (Safety) and EN 60825-1 (Laser Safety). Does this give us any kind of out? Chris Maxwell, Design Engineer GN Nettest Optical Division 109 N. Genesee St. Utica, NY 13502 PH: 315-797-4449 FAX: 315-797-8024 EMAIL: [email protected] ------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE EMC Society Product Safety Technical Committee emc-pstc discussion list. To cancel your subscription, send mail to: [email protected] with the single line: unsubscribe emc-pstc For help, send mail to the list administrators: Jim Bacher: [email protected] Michael Garretson: [email protected] For policy questions, send mail to: Richard Nute: [email protected] ------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE EMC Society Product Safety Technical Committee emc-pstc discussion list. To cancel your subscription, send mail to: [email protected] with the single line: unsubscribe emc-pstc For help, send mail to the list administrators: Jim Bacher: [email protected] Michael Garretson: [email protected] For policy questions, send mail to: Richard Nute: [email protected]
