The Chinese New Year: How Importers Can Avoid Delays & Quality Issues

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The Chinese New Year of 2016 starts on February 8th. While this is a major event that is still largely unknown outside of Asia, importers are (often painfully) aware of this season. They certainly have good reasons. The Chinese New Year shuts down every single production facility in the entire country, for varying time frames. In a worst case, and rather likely, scenario – the Chinese New Year can result in severe delays.

This time is especially risky for products that are due for shipment in the spring and summer season. Think swimwear and outdoor furniture. If you fail to implement the proper preparations, the Chinese New Year may result in heavy losses for your import business. How to do that, is exactly what I’ll explain in this article.

1. No New Orders Accepted. Mass Production and Sample Development is Halted 1 to 2 Weeks Before the Chinese New Years Eve.

While the Chinese New Year Eve is set on February 8th, 2016, all suppliers start to wind down operations one to two weeks in advance. As such, the CNY puts a halt to mass production far earlier than many buyers anticipate. This is not always in your suppliers direct control. One component and materials subcontractor closing doors a few days earlier can essentially result in an unexpected, and early, shutdown of the supply chain. This partly explains why different companies close their doors on different dates. Get a confirmation on their schedule well in advance to prevent delayed orders.

However, administrative functions tend to be operational a week or two longer, than the production lines. As such, you can, at least, save some of the runways on sample development and contract negotiations, that may take place at this time.

2. Production is Halted for At Least Two Weeks After the Chinese New Year Eve

While the official holiday is only lasting for roughly 5 working days, plus two weekends, most workers remain in their home provinces for an extra week or two. This explains why most suppliers are not back in business until two, sometimes even three, weeks after the Chinese New Years Eve.

You will have a hard time reaching any representatives, including the sales people, on CNY eve and the following days. However, they will most likely be available to handle administrative tasks within 5 to 7 days. Don’t hesitate to contact them at this time frame.

3. Getting Operations Back to Normal Takes Time.

Eventually, everything gets back to normal. Hopefully. The truth is that many manufacturers struggle to get back to a normal mode of operations in the weeks after the Chinese New Year. The primary reason for this being workers who simply don’t return to their former employers, without any prior announcement. Depending on the number of workers departing in secret, it can cause severe disruptions across the supply chain.

Finding, and training, a new batch of workers provides new challenges of its own. Skilled workers are, to a certain degree, replaced by rookies. This is one, of two reasons, why the risk of quality issues is at its peak right after the end of the Chinese New Year. Every trade takes its own time to master. This is just one, of many reasons, why you should never relax your quality assurance and inspection procedures.

The other reason for an increase in Post-CNY quality issues, as hinted above, is the large number of orders a (moderately successful) supplier, and its subcontractors have stacked up. This may include a backlog of orders from early December and onward, depending on the production time needed. This is stretching the suppliers’ capabilities to its maximum.

Plenty of suppliers, even those who are not so busy, just use the general Post-CNY stress as an excuse for being slow and providing poor service. That’s worth mentioning too.

How to Avoid Severe Delays Due to the Chinese New Year

Now that you are aware of the somewhat complex dynamics of the Chinese New Year, and how it may affect your business, it’s about time to explain how you can prevent related delays and quality issues.

a. Place your orders in time: Ensure that production starts in late November, at latest. That assumes an average production time of 30 to 40 days. If longer, you must start counting backwards. Counting on tight schedules is never wise, so make sure that you confirm when your supplier halts production and accept new orders. Try to have a minimum 2 week buffer between the end date of the production, and the date they close.

b. Avoid placing last minute orders in January: Remember what I mentioned about the risk of quality issues Post-CNY? The same applies to the January rush, leading up to the CNY. Never place orders at this time, as the goods will most likely not ship on time while the risk of quality issues increase.

c. Keep things moving forward, to the extent possible: While production halts relatively early, sales, engineering and administrative departments are more flexible. Hence, you can move forward with due diligence, price research, sample orders and negotiations as usual.

d. Don’t make deposit payments prior to the Chinese New Year: Some suppliers never open again. If they do intend to shut down, they’ll most likely do so at the time of the CNY.

CNY 2016 Timeline

• November: Confirm when your supplier is closing and reopening for the CNY
• December 10th: Last day to place an order before the CNY
• January 20th: Some suppliers and subcontractors stop production, causing disruption in the supply chain
• February 1st: Most workers have already left the factories. Sales reps, engineers and management may still be around for a couple of days more.
• February 5th: All personnel has left the factory
• February 8th: Chinese New Years Eve
• February 15th: Employees, mostly white collar workers, start to come back. Some may have extended holidays.
• February 22nd: Most employees, including assembly line workers, are back in the factories.
• March 7th: Operations are getting back to normal after the Post-CNY disruption.

CNY Dates

Unlike the Gregorian New Year’s Eve, which occur on the same date every year, the Chinese New Year begins and ends and various dates in the calendar. The earliest possible date is January 21 and the latest possible date is February 20. Below follows a list list the CNY dates for the coming ten years:

• 2016: February 8
• 2017: January 28
• 2018: February 16
• 2019: February 5
• 2020: January 25
• 2021: February 12
• 2022: February 1
• 2023: January 22
• 2024: February 10
• 2025: January 29
• 2026: February 17
• 2027: February 6

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Myth and Reality of CE Marking When Importing from China

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The CE mark is a well known compliance marked, found on a wide range of different products, for example electronics, toys and machinery. The CE mark signals compliance with all, to the specific product, applicable regulations: For example the Low Voltage Directive or the EN 71 Toy Safety Directive. The CE Mark is not applicable to all products. However, it is mandatory for all products within its scope of regulations.

As I will further explain in this article, there is a lot more to CE marking than what meets the eye, namely the printed little logo. While many importers are aware that there are requirements for testing and documentation, plenty of businesses fail to understand how such documentation is produced, and what it must include.

Then there is China. CE marking procedures are not developed with importers in mind. While ensuring CE marking compliance is relatively simple for an EU or US based manufacturer, which is only concerned with its own products – it’s far more complex for importers buying from contract manufacturers in China, and other developing countries in Asia. We debunk 6 common myths concerning CE marking when importing from China, and explain the background to each one.

Important note: As we publish this Amazon.com recently removed almost every balance scooter model from its marketplace. Meanwhile, the UK Customs Authorities recalled a staggering 15,000 units of the very same product – that after finding that 88% of the produce on the market was non-compliant. For the ‘unlucky’ importers, this may spell financial ruin. However, all of this could have been avoided, if they had a at least a basic grasp of product safety standards in their home markets, and how compliance procedures work when importing from China.

Why CE Marking becomes more complex when involving Asian contract manufacturers

CE marking, being fairly complex in itself, mixed with the pitfalls and smokescreens of dealing with suppliers in Asia, results in a toxic mix of confusion and severe risk. Failing to ensure compliance can result in a forced recall, something that is taking place on a massive scale as this article is being written. In case you’ve missed it, more than 15,000 so called Hoverboards were recently recalled by British authorities. The total number of inspected units was reported as 17,000. Hence, more than 88% (!) of all inspected Hoverboards were recalled. Why? Because the importers failed to prove compliance with applicable EU regulations.

But this is only happening in over-regulated Europe, isn’t it? Think again. Earlier this week, Amazon.com announced the withdrawal of almost all Hoverboard models sold on the site. According to this article, Amazon.com has sent out requests to all Hoverboard sellers to provide compliance documents with immediate effect:

“Amazon sent sellers a notice asking for proof that their gadgets “are compliant with applicable safety standards, including UN 38.3 (battery), UL 1642 (battery), and UL 60950-1 (charger),” according to Swagway.”

In 90% of these cases, the buyers will receive no support from their suppliers. As a matter of fact, most suppliers don’t have a clue what, for example, UL 1642 is. And why should they? It’s not their responsibility after all. Now, CE marking is only required in the European Union, but the same challenges are, as underlined by recent events, also facing American companies importing from China, and elsewhere in Asia.

So, what do Chinese suppliers know about CE marking? Not much, many assume that it’s a paperwork exercise and formality. As demonstrated by the recent recalls in the UK, a product does not ‘become’ compliant with safety standards by accident. A product must be designed according to the directives to be compliant. That leads us to the next issue. Only a minority of the manufacturers in China possess the technical expertise to produce ‘compliant products’. It’s complex.

But the iPhone is Made in China? Yes, it is. China is home to some of the most sophisticated and large scale production facilities in the world. But asFoxconn (the World’s leading contract manufacturer) will not accept your order for 2000 pcs of Bluetooth headsets, it’s rather irrelevant.

Misunderstanding 1: It’s the supplier’s responsibility to ensure compliance with all relevant CE marking directives. Not ours.

No, it’s yours. While the legal texts often refer to ‘responsibility of the manufacturer’, this doesn’t apply to importers. European authorities never go after foreign manufacturers. Instead, they target the EU based importer, which is then facing persecution and fines.

The biggest mistake one can make, when buying from China, is to assume anything about the supplier. And the biggest mistake of all big mistakes is to assume that the supplier even knows which regulations apply, in the EU, to your product. 80% don’t know. 15% does, but can’t do it. The remaining 5% does have the technical expertise, equipment, subcontractors and experience – and some of the required compliance documentation, but not a complete set.

Misunderstanding 2: The supplier sent us a CE Declaration of Conformity. Does that mean my products are compliant?

When a supplier is asked whether ‘they are compliant with regulation / directive X”, they respond by sending a CE Declaration of Conformity (DoC). Before we dig deeper in this, we start with the basics: A factory cannot be ‘CE marked’. It only applies to specific products. Hence, a CE DoC is only valid for the listed SKU/s. It does not magically ensure compliance with every single unit that comes off its assembly line.

Now, to the real issue. What many Chinese manufacturers, and importers, fail to understand is that the Declaration of Conformity is just one of the ‘CE Documents’ that are required by law. At a minimum, the full set of documentation includes the following:

a. Declaration of Conformity
b. Test Report/s
c. Design File / Circuit Diagram
d. Bill of Materials / Component List
e. Risk Analysis
f. Summary of all applied EU directives / technical standards
g. User Guide / Instructions Manual
h. Applied Marks and Labels

That’s the Technical file. Guess how many Chinese manufacturers even know what a Technical file is? Not many. Finding a supplier, and a suitable product, with a complete set of documentation is close to impossible. Contract manufacturing just don’t work that way. Then again, manufacturers are not, and are not even supposed to be, experts on European Union CE marking requirements. That’s your job!

The Technical File is, without exceptions, created and held by the importer. No specific format is required, and many suppliers will assist with its creation – but never expect them to take initiative and lead the project. Also keep in mind that each product must have its own Technical File, even though variations of the same product can be covered by one single file.

Misunderstanding 3: The supplier knows which EN directives apply to our products

No, most suppliers don’t have a clue. Even among the manufacturers with the European Union as a main market, the understanding for which “CE Marking Directives” apply is limited. As a result, many suppliers can only provide documents proving partial compliance, i.e. compliance with some, but not all, applicable regulations.

Misunderstanding 4: My products are CE marked, why should I worry?

The CE Mark is only a conformity label. However, the European importer is required to maintain the required documentation for a minimum of 10 years. There are plenty of low quality, and sometimes dangerous, products with CE marks – but the label itself is of no value without the proper documentation. What you need to consider is the following:

a. Which EU directives apply to our products?
b. Do we have the complete set of documentation?
c. Apart from the CE mark, are there other EU labeling requirements, applicable to the product?

Misunderstanding 5. Third party testing and certification is not mandatory for our products. Hence, we can trust the supplier to issue all relevant documentation.

In our interview with Han Zuyderwijk, he mentioned that 90% of all products can be ‘self certified’. That means that a supplier is allowed to issue a Declaration of Conformity, without submitting the product to a third party company for compliance testing. That should make life a lot easier for importers. Just tell the supplier to issue a DoC and do the testing in house. Yes, in theory, that could work – if it wasn’t for the fact that very few suppliers has the expertise and equipment to carry out the required tests. After all, these test reports are mandatory attachments to the Technical File.

As a result, you must rely on a third party testing company when developing the CE Technical File. In the end, you shouldn’t let your supplier make judgements on their own products, even if they have the expertise and equipment.

Misunderstanding 6: My supplier cannot ensure compliance with a certain directive. However, they have exported to companies in the EU for years, without problems. Why should we listen to you instead of our supplier?

We get to hear this a lot. Hopefully, we will hear this slightly less often, after the ongoing crackdown on unsafe electronics. But, back to the topic. Many importers assume that there are no regulations in place, simply because their competitors don’t bother to ensure compliance. Many Chinese suppliers use the same argument: None of our buyer’s required this sort of procedure before, why should we care now?

What you must understand first of all, is that there is no such thing as total enforcement of regulations. Regulations that were developed, in the first place, from a European context, rather than for international trade based on contacts made through Alibaba and GlobalSources. In practice, this means that the customs don’t check every single shipment.

While we don’t have data on how many shipments they actually check, we are receiving an ever increasing number of reports from importers having their cargo seized by the customs in various EU member states – simply due to a lack of CE marking compliance documents. However, the fact that most shipments still ‘gets through’ is taken, by both suppliers and importers, as a sign that CE marking compliance is not something that should be taken that seriously.

I agree that enforcement is spotty. I agree that the framework is overly complex, and that legislation must be adapted to modern conditions (worth mentioning is that the CE mark was implemented in the 90s, which doesn’t make it that old, but things are moving fast). However, mine and your opinion will carry little weight the day your product is facing a forced recall due to non-compliance. In fact, the big risk is not having products seized by the customs. What is a far greater risk is products causing fires or personal injury. If that happens, and it’s revealed that your company has been selling illegal and non-compliant goods, you will not only face a recall, but a lawsuit for millions of Euros.

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Alarm Systems Manufacturers in China

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In this Product Guide, we explain what importers must know about buying Alarm Systems from Chinese manufacturers. Keep reading, and learn more about Alarm systems production clusters in Mainland China, and applicable regulations and standards in the European Union and the United States.

Alarm Systems Manufacturing Clusters in Mainland China

Shenzhen, being the world’s primary center for electronics manufacturing, is home to a large number, if not the majority, of China’s Home Alarm System Suppliers. The well established ecosystem of component (i.e. 3G and GSM transmitters) and subsystem (i.e., Camera Modules) has enabled the industry to quickly take root in Shenzhen city, and its surrounding. Follow the links below, to learn more about electronics manufacturing in China:

• Importing Electronics from China – A Complete Guide
•  The Importers Guide to Shenzhen – The Capital of Electronics

As in many related industries, many suppliers are not proper manufacturers, but traders. While such trading companies may indeed offer a low MOQ, buying from one is unwise. I explain why, below:

1. Electronics trading companies can rarely, if ever, provide the required compliance documentation required by law in developed markets, including the United States and the European Union. As you will soon learn, further down in this article, this cannot even be taken for granted when buying from industry leading Alarm Systems Manufacturers in China.

2. In our experience, most Trading companies possess little relevant expertise, apart from that of pricing structures in the relevant industries. However, Alarm systems manufacturing is complex and requirescomprehensive quality assurance procedures. If you buy from a mere middleman, you have no insight into the supplier’s ability to minimize quality issues and defects.

3. Many trading companies deal with goods made for the domestic Chinese market. While “Made for China” may not exclusively be of poor quality, that is sometimes the case. Furthermore, products made for the domestic market are, for clear reasons, not manufactured in compliance with foreign regulations and safety standards. When importing Alarm systems from China, this includes the R&TTE directives (European Union) and FCC Part 15: Intentional Radiators (United States), among others.

How to Distinguish Between a Manufacturer and Trader

To the untrained eye, it may seem virtually impossible to distinguish between an Alarm systems manufacturer, and a trader. However, the following signals can reveal the difference – without you actually being forced to visit their factory:

a. Product Certificates, Technical Files & Test Reports: Compliance documents are almost exclusively held by manufacturers. Very few trading companies in the industry can provide such documentation.

b. Product Scope: A manufacturer is always limited by its own technical expertise and assembly lines. Hence, an Alarm system manufacturer is specialized in certain product categories, for example GSM Home Alarm Systems or Fire Alarm Systems. Trading companies, on the other hand, have no such limitations.

c. Registered Capital: While there are ways to ‘artificially increase’ the registered capital, it’s still an important signal that can be used to determine the suppliers scale of operations. A supplier with a registered capital of RMB 10,000,000, is far more likely to be a manufacturer, while an entity with RMB 200,000 is most likely not.

Ensuring Compliance with Applicable Regulations and Safety Standards When Importing Alarm Systems

There are two factors to consider when importing Alarm systems from China, as explained below:
a. An alarm system is a composition of various subsystems, for example, IP Cameras, Control Panels, RFID Keypads, Power Supplies and Wireless Transmitters. From a compliance perspective, each subsystem is subject to product regulations and technical standards. In fact, the very regulations and standards that do apply differ between the various subsystems. Below follows an example:

• Control Panel: R&TTE, RoHS
• IP Camera: R&TTE, RoHS
• RFID Keypad: RoHS
• AC Adapter: EMC Directive, Low Voltage Directive, RoHS

Why is this problematic? Because testing and obtaining the relevant documents for various subsystems can be extremely costly. As such, an efficient compliance strategy must be applied when sourcing Alarm systems in China.
b. Most alarm systems communicate wirelessly. Hence, most Alarm systems are subject to regulations in most developed markets, including the European Union and the United States. Below follows an overview of applicable regulations in the United States and the European Union.
European Union

• R&TTE Directive (Read More)
• RoHS (Read More)
• EMC Directive*
• Low Voltage Directive (LVD)*

*The LVD and EMC Directive are included within the scope of R&TTE. However, as R&TTE is not applicable to certain subsystems, including AC Adapters, LVD and EMC Directive compliance are still relevant for European based importers of Alarm systems.

United States

• FCC Part 15: Subpart C: Intentional Radiators (Read More)
• UL Technical Standards (Read More)

Now, what makes compliance more complicated when buying Alarm systems? First, it’s compliance is never simple. However, before we go further into details, you must be aware of the following:

1. Only a minority of the Alarm systems manufactures in China are able to ensure compliance with EU and US product standards.

2. Even among those who has such technical expertise, they almost never have a complete set of compliance documentation. Many importers, and suppliers, assume that a certificate or test report is all that’s needed. However, the authorities require a far more comprehensive set of documents, including circuit diagrams, component list and manual copies.

Third party testing is often not mandatory, but few manufacturers have the expertise and equipment to properly test and certify their products. This, combined with specific testing and certification procedures for each subsystem, makes it the whole procedure very costly. The chance of finding an existing system, complete with full documentation for every subsystem, is slim. On the other hand, the cost to produce said documentation ‘from scratch’ for every subsystem can be staggering. Instead, we advise importers of Alarm systems to apply the following strategy:

1. Use components from established brand names (i.e., power supplies from TDK) whenever possible. Established manufacturers tend to manufacture products in compliance with the regulations in major markets, which is not the case for smaller, local, players.

2. Use subsystems (i.e., Control panels) for which the supplier can already provide the required documentation. This reduces the number of subsystems that must be submitted for compliance testing and certification by a third party, thereby cutting costs.

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CE Marking, Testing and Certification When Buying From China: Everything European Importers Must Know – By Han Zuyderwijk

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Han Zuyderwijk (LinkedIN) is the founder of Amsterdam based CEmarking.net, and one of Europe’s leading experts on CE marking and EU compliance. In this article, Han Zuyderwijk explains what CE marking is, and what kind of product documentation European importers need. He also explains why compliance with the various CE marking directives if far more complicated, when importing from China. Keep reading, and learn everything you must know about CE marking, as a European importer.

When must a product be CE marked?

A product must be CE marked, when it is covered by one or more of theapproximately 25 European Union technical regulations that require CE certification. These technical regulations are often called “directives” and sometimes “regulations”. CE marking does not apply to all types of products. For example: foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and chemicals are excluded. Electrical equipment, electronics, toys, machinery, medical devices and personal protective equipment are among the products for which CE is required.
CE marking does not just mean adding a CE sticker to the product: before a product may be CE marked, it has to be brought into compliance with the requirements of the applicable CE directives and European harmonized standards. Also the compliance must be certified according to the directives’ procedures.

How do you identify which EN directives apply to a certain product?

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to do this: basically, one would need to find, download and read the 25+ directives to determine if the product is included in their scope and not exempted. This can be painful, considering that directives can change, or new directives may be introduced. We are not even talking about the European standards, that are amended even more regular. My colleagues and I have seen how companies are struggling with this, and we have been working hard to offer a solution. More on this below.

What sort of documentation is required?

The manufacturer needs to keep (and maintain) a Technical File with all the documentation that is necessary to prove the product’s compliance. The Technical File contains more than a test report or certificate. Although the content of the Technical File may differ from one CE directive to another, as a minimum it will contain:
1. Design documentation; (i.e., Circuit Diagrams)
2. Declaration of Conformity (Read more)
3. Test reports and certificates
4. Risk analysis (Read more)
5. Copy of the user manual or instructions for use
6. An overview of the European standards that have been applied
The manufacturer must keep the Technical File available for at least 10 years after the moment that they stop placing the product in the market. There is no registry for Technical Files. The Technical File does not need to be shared with customers. The manufacturer must present the Technical File to the market surveillance authorities of the EU Member States upon their request, if they want to check the product’s compliance.

In what cases must product certificates be issued by a third party, and in what cases by the manufacturer?

There is no general answer to this. Every CE marking directive has another procedure. I can say that only for approximately 10% of the products there is a requirement to involve a third party certification body. The other 90% may be self-assessed or self-certified by the manufacturer.
Some directives have a list or categories of products that require third party certification. In other directives a third party certification body is only required when there are no European harmonized standards available for the product, or when the manufacturer deviates from these standards. It is best the manufacturer checks the applicable CE marking directive(s) to determine if a certification body must be involved in the conformity assessment.
As said, actually only for a few products it is required to have the conformity certified by a third party. Let’s look at some of the most general applicable CE directives:

• Machinery: only 17 groups of high-risk machinery (such as sawing machines and press machines with manual loading/unloading) are listed as machinery that may need to be certified by a third party. Even these 17 groups of machinery do not require the intervention of a certification body if the manufacturer applies the applicable European harmonized standards. That means that the great majority of the machinery may be self-certified.
• Electrical equipment: in almost all cases electrical equipment does not need to be tested and certified by a third party certification body.
• Electronics: electronics do not need to be tested and certified by a third party certification body, if the manufacturer applies the available European harmonized standards.
• Medical devices: Class I medical devices that are not sterile or have no measuring function do not need to be tested and certified by a third party certification body.
• Construction products: a large group of construction products do not need to be certified by a third party certification body.
• Pressure equipment: a large group of pressure equipment do not need to be certified by a third party certification body.
• Toys: almost all toys can be self-certified.

Just for clarity it is good to note: even if self-certified, the products still must be tested, and the test reports must be provided in the Technical File.
In the case a certification body is involved, they will issue a Certificate of Conformity and the manufacturer will include this in the Technical File. In all cases, the manufacturer will issue a Declaration of Conformity, confirming compliance with the applicable CE directives and standards.

Does this also apply to non-EU based suppliers, for example, Chinese manufacturers?

All requirements of the CE marking directives apply to the manufacturer irrespective of his/her location in the world. Chinese manufacturers must fulfill the obligations of the CE directives if they have the intention of making their products available in the European Union. Obviously, we have to remember here that the market surveillance authorities in the EU Member States do not have to competence to enforce EU rules in China. They will focus their actions and measures on the European importers.

Based on your experience, what are the biggest compliance related challenges facing European businesses importing from China?

I think the biggest pain related to CE marking of this group is that they are fully liable for CE marking, but they are not in control of the product’s design, production and compliance. They fully have to rely on their Chinese supplier.However, is the product really compliant? Many companies do not know how to check and assess product compliance.
Also, the directives and particularly the standards change on a regular basis. This means that the certificates and reports they receive from their manufacturers today, may not be valid anymore tomorrow. Since they are fully liable, the importers need to familiarize themselves with the requirements, and make sure to stay up to date with the latest developments.

How can your company help EU based businesses ensure compliance with EN directives?

From working in this field for almost 20 years, we know that CE marking can be quite daunting and confusing. Our customers appreciate particularly the following services:
Kick Start: If the company is brand new to CE marking, we help them to determine if CE marking applies, and if so which CE directives and standards their products need to comply with. We show them how to get CE marking in a time-efficient and cost-effective way. It is maybe good to note that we are not a test laboratory or certification body, and so we don’t need to sell those services.
Documentation Review and Gap Analysis: We can help importers get the confidence they are looking for that the products they import are compliant and the documentation real. We offer a documentation review and verification of the available compliance documentation, and report on the possible gaps and irregularities.
Consulting and Coaching: For those customers that prefer a “No-Hassle” approach, our experts will conduct the conformity assessments and prepare all the required paperwork. If they want help, but prefer to keep the costs low, we offer coaching. In a few online one-on-one coaching sessions, an expert will walk the customer through the process, show them what to do and provide them with templates and checklists where available. This way the customer can complete the CE marking themselves, while the coach ensures there is progress.
easyCE, CE Marking Management Software: I am glad that I can give Chinaimportal a scoop, and that today I can unveil our plans to launch an online CE marking management platform. We mentioned how manufacturers and importers struggle to determine the applicable directives and standards. We also spoke about their pain of staying up to date with the regulations, and how to ensure the products comply with the latest versions. The easyCEplatform will solve those issues. On top of that, it will help the user to build their Technical File and Declaration of Conformity, and to keep them up to date.
The user can upload and maintain their compliance documents, and have them checked and verified by our experts. We’ll be happy to inform your audience when easyCE launches in the next couple of weeks. We even have a special offer for Chinaimportal visitors. To read all about that and to register for the Early Bird notification list, go to this page.
In any case, don’t take my word for it. Read what our customers have to say about our services at cemarking.net/testimonials. The easiest way to let us help get you started with CE marking is to complete this survey here:cemarking.net/start

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Importing Automatic and Mechanical Watches from China: A Complete Guide

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This year, we have seen a trend with many startup brands, in the Watch industry, shifting  from Electronic Quartz Watches, to Mechanical and Automatic Watches. While closely related, there are various differences in terms of components, quality issues, applicable regulations and labelling requirements that overseas buyers must know, when importing Automatic and Mechanical Watches from Chinese manufacturers. In this article, we explain what you must know before getting started.

What is the difference between Quartz, Automatic and Mechanical Watches?

As we are frequently referring to Quartz, Automatic and Mechanical Watches (Movements) in this article, we begin by explaining the differences below:

● Quartz Movement (Battery Operated): A battery operated movement using an electronic oscillator, regulated by a quartz crystal to keep time. Quartz Movements are cheap and reliable, explaining why they are used in most watches produced today. Miyota 1L22 is a common movement found in many medium price range watches. Read More
● Mechanical Movement (Hand Winding): A non­battery operated movement, that is wound automatically by motion. A Mechanical watch is wound, either automatically or manually (hand winding). The latter requires the user to wind the watch by rotating the spring. Read More
● Mechanical Movement (Automatic Winding): A Mechanical movement, that is wound automatically by motion. As such, the watch is continuously provided with energy when the wearer moves. Read More

Automatic and Mechanical Watch Manufacturers in China

Shenzhen, in China’s southern Guangdong province, is the global center for wristwatch manufacturing assembly. While most suppliers specialize in Quartz Watches (Electronic Movement), Shenzhen is also home to a large number of Mechanical and Automatic Watch manufacturers.
Most watch suppliers only produce the watch case, and assemble all other parts (i.e., Movements, hands and straps), purchased from subcontractors. As such, specialisation in Automatic and Mechanical Watches is therefore not a requirement, as any supplier can purchase Automatic and Mechanical movements. In the end, the production process is identical. In general, a watch manufacturer is not limited to a fixed pool of component suppliers, but can be instructed to assemble parts, for example an Automatic Citizen Miyota Movement, from a component supplier selected by the foreign buyer.
Much of Hong Kong and Shenzhen’s leading Watch manufacturers, and component suppliers, attend the HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair, the world’s biggest watch and timepiece trade show. Click here to read more about the HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair.

Automatic and Mechanical Movements

a. Technical Specifications

● Winding: Automatic / Hand (See explanation above)
● Size: XX­X/X’’ (i.e., 11­1⁄2’’)
● Height: XX mm (i.e. 3.9 mm)
● Hands: 2 ­ 3 (i.e., 3 hands)
● Date: Yes / No
● 24 Hour Display: Yes / No
● Vibrations per hour: XX k (i.e., 28800)
● Accepted Time Delay (i.e., +/­ 30 seconds)
● Energy Storage (i.e., 45 hours)

b. Japanese and Swiss Mechanical and Automatic Movements

Chinese Watch Manufacturers purchase movements from both domestic and foreign suppliers. Most medium and high end watches are made using movements from well known, non­Chinese, suppliers. A list of movement brands and models, commonly used by Automatic and Mechanical Watch Manufacturers in Shenzhen, follows below:
Citizen Miyota (Read More)
● Miyota 9015 (Slim)
● Miyota 90S5 (Skeleton)
● Miyota 9100 (Multifunction)
● Miyota 9011 (Multifunction)
● Miyota 9120 (Multifunction)
● Miyota 9130 (Multifunction)
● Miyota 9132 (Multifunction)
● 82/8N Series
● 6T Series
Seiko (Read More)
● Seiko Caliber 6R20
● Seiko Caliber 6R15
● Seiko Caliber 7S26B
ETA (Read More)
● Mecaline 2671
● Mecaline 2678
● Mecaline 2681
● Mecaline 2801­2
● Mecaline 2801­2
● Mecaline 2824­2
● Mecaline 2826­2
● Mecaline 2836­2
● Mecaline 2834­2
● Mecaline 6497­1
● Mecaline 6498­1

c. Chinese OEM (No Name) Mechanical and Automatic Movements

Chinese OEM (No Name) movements are commonly used in cheaper Automatic and Mechanical watches. These movements are prone to be shipped with very high defect rates, an issue exacerbated by the fact that the source (subcontractor) is often unknown. This is perhaps the biggest challenge when importing low cost Mechanical and Automatic Movements from China.
We have experienced OEM Mechanical Movements with defect rates as high as 15%, far more than the standard accepted defect rate for watch movements. The problem is seemingly so widespread, that even the Watch manufacturers themselves don’t trust their own suppliers of Mechanical and Automatic movements. Suppliers routinely refuse to set strict accepted defect rates, as they (seemingly) struggle to control the quality of incoming OEM Movements.
Further, Watch suppliers can rarely provide useful technical spec sheets (see above) for these movements, making it very complicated, if not impossible, to determine the movements quality and performance.

Applicable Product Standards, Substance Restrictions and Labelling Requirements

For Buyers based in the European Union, the main difference is that RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive 2002/95/EC) is not applicable to Mechanical and Automatic watches, as these are by definition not powered by electronic movements. This affects labelling requirements,as RoHS 2.0 requires CE marking. As Automatic and Mechanical Movements are not battery operated, you don’t need to ensure compliance with the EU Battery Directive, or the US104­142 Act. The latter restricts mercury content in button cell batteries, commonly used in Quartz movements.
However, REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals) and California Proposition 65 are both applicable.
Buyers in the United States must also ensure compliance with country of origin labelling requirements, which in the case of watches refer to the origin of the movement. As such, an Automatic or Mechanical Watch with a Japanese movement, may therefore be labelled as following:
● Japanese Movement
● Japan Movt
● Japanese Movement / Made in China
● Japanese Movement / Assembled in China
However, it’s important to highlight that this requires the movement to be assembled in the advertised country of origin. Some movements use foreign (i.e., Swiss or Japanese) parts, while the movements are, just like the final product, assembled in China. You need to be sure before you submit print files to your supplier, as improper labelling may result in a forced recall. That said, all reputable watch manufacturers clearly state the country of assembly on their websites.

Get Accurate Pricing & Product Data
From Verified Manufacturers in Asia

We help Startups & SMEs to get access to accurate information on unit pricing, tooling costs and lead times, for both ODM (Private Label) and OEM (Custom Designed) products. We have solutions tailored for the following industries:
 

Apparel & Textiles, Watches & Accessories, Electronics,
Home Products, Toys & Children, Materials, Parts & Tools