Rick, A CE mark is as stated Cost Added, but serves no one, but lawyers, marketing people, sales people. Not mention the added cost of testing. All it has done is just create another buzz word, give the Euro buyers a feeling of comfort. And we have to find place for another sticker. Where is the Value Added??
Once CE comes full circle it will be business as usual at a higher cost. Duane "When all is said and done, more has been said than done." ____________________________________________ On 3 Apr 1997, Richard C. Towner wrote: > Okay, okay... > > The questions were a bit ambiguous. But they still stand. I would appreciate > any further responses, and I'll add the following assumptions for > clarification... > > 1/1/95 Machines which had been operating in Europe placidly for years, didn't > suddenly become unsafe. > > Position: Operational conditions didn't change, the legal environment and > requirements for safety due-diligence did. > > 1/1/96 Manufacturers didn't start getting calls from their installed base of > customers and clients in Europe that products were suddenly not operating as > intended in their intended end-use environments and were causing undue > interference. > > Position: The laws of electromagnetics didn't suddenly change. The legal > requirements to show that products operate as intended and not interfere in > their INTENDED END-USE ENVIRONMENTS did. > > 1/1/97 Products which have been operated safely for years didn't suddenly > start > killing people. > > Position: The requirements of safe operations of equipment and the safe > construction of equipment didn't change. The legal documentation requirements > to show that products were constructed according to good engineering practice > changed. > > Question (rhetorical): If you didn't have to do this regulatory compliance > stuff, would you? > > Question (rhetorical): If a change makes a product better, faster, prettier, > lighter, less expensive, more competetive, would you make it? > > FACT: The CE mark does make you more marketable in Europe, because without it > you're not. > > Question: If you're totally redesigning your product, or significantly > redesigning it to comply with harmonized standards, is your compliance program > cost-effective? > > It is understood that the regulatory compliance process IS COST-ADDED. The > question is, is it VALUE-ADDED? > > I HAVE just answered my own question. But I came to that conclusion in a > relative vaccum. I'm looking for responses as to whether positioning > regulatory > compliance as value-added in any sense of the term would be a productive use > of > time, or whether positioning it as NON value-added, and approaching solutions > from that perspective is more effective. FYI, I think the latter. > > I welcome your brief input. And thank you for your lengthy attention. > > Rick > >
