At Knox Thomas we recognise the complexities involved in bringing a product to market, especially when it comes to CE and UKCA marking, which involves compliance with over 20 EU directives and their UK statutory instruments.
We provide specialised compliance support tailored to the details of your own, unique product requirements, while keeping your commercial and stakeholder requirements in mind at every stage of the process. Our mission is to make the whole process as simple as possible, so that you can focus on what matters to your business.
Whether you are designing new machinery, modifying existing equipment, importing machinery or supplying a bespoke system, we help you understand what applies, what evidence is needed and what to prioritise before the machinery is placed on the market or put into service.
Understanding Client Needs
We know that every client’s needs and goals are different. To ensure we deliver value to you, we start by understanding your specific machinery and business, including your commercial drivers, strategic objectives and stakeholder considerations.
By aligning our support with what makes your project distinctive, we are able to provide tailored solutions that add real value to your organisation.
Streamlining Compliance
Our team of experts possesses in-depth knowledge of machinery legislation. This enables us to streamline the compliance process, making it more efficient and effective for you. By minimising complexity and uncertainty, we help you save valuable time and resources, freeing you to concentrate on your core business.
For the majority of machinery, CE and UKCA marking follow a self-certification process. Our role is to help you understand what must be evidenced, how to justify compliance and how to move forward with confidence.
Which Legislation Applies
Whether the product is a standalone machine, partly completed machinery, bespoke equipment or an integrated assembly, uncertainty around legal duties can delay supply, increase risk and create documentation gaps. We provide a structured review of your machinery, its intended use, the applicable legislation, the relevant standards, the conformity route and the supporting evidence, and we clarify whether CE marking, UKCA marking or both are required.
Relevant legislation may include the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and the new Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 where applicable, the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations and Low Voltage Directive, the Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations, the Pressure Equipment Regulations, ATEX requirements, and other relevant UK Statutory Instruments or EU Directives.
For example, where a manufacturer is developing a machine for both UK and EU customers, we review the applicable requirements for each market, identify the relevant harmonised and designated standards, assess the documentation gaps and support development of a robust technical file before supply, so a single body of evidence supports both marks.
Compliance Audit and Gap Analysis
A compliance gap analysis identifies the differences between your machine’s current state of compliance and the legislative safety requirements it has to meet. We carry out a comprehensive audit of your product against the requirements of the applicable legislation, filtered through the requirements of the relevant standards. Where gaps are identified we provide a structured analysis of the non-compliances and actionable guidance on how to rectify them effectively.
It is the right starting point when you have inherited machinery with an uncertain history, modified equipment that may no longer match its original Declaration of Conformity, or a technical file that needs to stand up to a customer or regulator. It can be taken on its own or as the first stage of a full CE/UKCA marking project. Our guide to running a safety compliance audit explains what the process looks like from your side.
Our Support Services Cover:
01. Self-Certification Guidance
02. Identification of Relevant Legislation
03. Harmonised and Designated Standards
04. Compliance Audit and Gap Analysis
05. Technical File Support
06. Declaration of Conformity
Who We Work With
We support machinery manufacturers, importers and integrators across the UK and EU. If you build or modify machinery, our Machinery Risk Assessment for Manufacturers page covers the risk assessment that sits at the heart of CE and UKCA marking. If you integrate robots and cobots into cells, see Robot Cell Risk Assessment for Integrators. Where testing is needed to prove compliance, we offer EN 60204-1 electrical testing, lifting accessory testing and cobot force and pressure testing.
KnoxThomas’ “comprehensive understanding of applicable legislation enabled us to fulfill our customer requirements for certification of the machinery.”
Book a CE/UKCA consultation
For a free initial consultation, simply book an appointment via our meeting system or fill out the contact form to email us. Tell us what the machinery is and which markets it is going to and we will come back with a scope and a price. We aim to respond to all enquiries within 24 hours.
