Information Technology

Power Quality

The portion of products that draw non-linear current from the distribution network is rapidly growing. The increasing use of switched mode power supplies and electronic light sources causes a major problem for the power companies, since the actual current consumption of a network, may substantially exceed the specifications.

Nemko is a major international player in EMC testing, based on our own EMC test sites in Europe, the Far East and North America. All our sites are equipped for a wide range of tests. They have a variety of shielded enclosures, anechoic chambers (up to 10 meters) and open area test sites (up to 30 meters) are also equipped for testing a wide range of products.

Any electromagnetic disturbance, natural or man-made, is potentially a hazard to other susceptible electronic equipment in that environment. The susceptibility may cause damages or malfunctions to the device, and may even end up in hazardous and unintended operation.

Nemko can assist in mastering the quality, reliability, maintainability and the accuracy of the customer’s measurements and measuring systems. The uncertainty in measurements can be managed through the periodic calibration of measuring equipment. A thorough knowledge of the performance of the measuring instruments is essential for the effective quality control of various processes.

This is Nemko's own certification mark as established in 1933 as a mandatory mark for electrical products marketed in Norway. Since 1991, it is offered as a voluntary mark and has gained worldwide recognition as a sign of compliance with relevant safety and EMC standards, especially within the IT and office equipment area.

The IEC CB Scheme is by far the largest international certification scheme for products and is the closest there is to worldwide certification. It has more than 60 member countries, but it is also accepted outside these countries

The GS Mark (Geprüfte Sicherheit, meaning Tested Safety) is a specific German mark that is used for a wide range of products, including electrical equipment.

The GS mark is owned and monitored by the German safety authorities, but is offered through Nemko. It is highly recognized not only in Germany, but also throughout Europe.

The CCC (China Compulsory Certification) is required for market access in China for many listed products. It was implemented on May 1, 2002, and replaces the earlier mandatory CCEE and CCIB certification.

GOST R certification is mandatory for a wide range of products and the GOST-R mark is a mandatory certification mark for electrical products, which are going to be shipped into Russia.

The certification is based on safety testing for IEC standards with Russian deviations, EMC testing and for products in contact with food, this also includes hygienic certification. Nemko is one of the few GOST approved laboratories outside of Russia.

ISO 27001 is the Information Security Management System Standard designed to specify the requirements for implementation of security controls within an individual organization. It also covers physical control and IT security issues.

Certification of the information security management system is a confirmation from an independent, competent and accredited agency that the business adheres to the requirements of an internationally recognized information security management system standard. This includes establishing, implementing, operating, monitoring, reviewing, maintaining and improving the organization’s Information Security Management System.

BSMI (Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection) Certification is the approval scheme for ITE and audio/ video products in Taiwan.

This is the regulatory European product marking allowing access to the EU/EEA member countries (and even some EU candidate countries in Eastern Europe), as dictated by EU Directives and corresponding national regulations.

The KC mark is mandatory for certain types of electrical products in Korea.

This purpose of this mark is to protect consumers from the hazardous aspects of electrical appliances (electric shock, energy hazards, fires, mechanical hazards, thermal hazards, radiation hazards, chemical hazards, etc.)

This is a common European third party certification mark granted to certain electrical equipment complying with the European safety standards as defined in the agreement.

The Hazardous Substance Testing Service (HSTS) is offered as a part of the IECEE CB scheme. It is a means of determining and reporting the level of hazardous substances in materials and components used in electrical equipment.

Nemko performs testing on a broad variety of product categories within the IT and Audio Video product categories according to the relevant standards. In addition, Nemko offers flexible service and a short delivery time.

Nemko can perform safety testing for lasers according to the EN/IEC 60825-1 standard

Nemko is able to provide the following certification marks for EMC:

Canadian Electrical Safety Certification Services

Nemko Canada has gained accreditation from the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) to certify electrical products to Canadian Electrical Safety requirements.

This is a common European certification mark for EMC. It shows that the product specifically complies with the European EMC standards for electromagnetic emission and immunity.

This is a long-standing agreement between the European certification bodies for electrical products to avoid the need for retesting when applying for national certification in the different member countries.

Directive 2002/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of January 27, 2003 on waste, electrical and electronic equipment (the “WEEE Directive”) imposes on producers and distributors “take-back” and recycling obligations.

In addition this includes obligations for information to users, treatment facilities and reporting to authorities.

Attestation of Conformity, or AoC, attests conformity of the tested product sample only, as sometimes called type certification. As such, it does not include any production surveillance and does not give the right to use any certification mark.

REACH, the European Community Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical Substances, is one of the Community’s most complex environmental regulations.

This regulation covers all chemical substances in the EU. The pre-study for the REACH regulation shows that there were over 103,000 different chemical substances within the community.

The key aim behind REACH is to get control of the use of these substances including end of life treatment and recyclability. The regulation states that, in principle, companies must manage the risks of all chemical substances and preparations that they produce in quantities greater than 1 ton and/or import, process, use or distribute these substances and preparations in the EU.

The Directive 2009/125/EC for ErP (Energy-related-Products), also known as Eco-Design (It is a recast of Directive 2005/32/EC Previously called Energy Using Products, EuP), establishes a framework directive for the setting of eco-design requirements for all energy using products except in the transport sector. It also covers products outside the electrical area.

The recast RoHS directive is mandatory from January 3rd, 2013. The recast RoHS Directive, 2011/65/EU, was implemented from July 2011. The Directive has been known as RoHS recast directive or RoHS II.

The old directive 2002/95/EC will be repealed from January 2nd, 2013 and manufacturers with products within the scope need to follow the new directive.

Ecology is the study of life and the interaction between organisms and their environment. Today the term ecological is often used in the same way as environmentally friendly. In our industry we often find requirements that are related to office equipment.

This is reflected by the many different ECO labeling schemes, customer requirements and growing number of environmental legislation both nationally and regionally.

The Nordic Certification Service is a long-standing agreement between the EMKO bodies:

Demko (UL Int.) as the national certification body in Denmark
Fimko (SGS) as the national certification body in Finland
Nemko as the national certification body in Norway
Semko (Intertek ) as the national certification body in Sweden

It implies that the four marks (D)(FI)(N)(S) may be obtained by one single application and submittal.

Nemko has recently acquired an existing NRTL, CCL (Communication Certification Laboratory) in Salt Lake City, Utah. Through this acquisition, Nemko is now able to provide direct market access to the United States for products requiring NRTL certification for the product areas covering standards UL 60950-1, UL 60065 and UL 61010-1.

The Diamond PSE (Product Safety Electric Appliance and Materials) Mark is mandatory in Japan for all specified electrical appliances to show that the product complies with the Japanese technical standards for electrical devices.

The IECEE EMC CB is an international scheme equivalent to the IECEE CB Scheme, but is intended specifically for EMC standards instead of safety standards.

Nemko Direct is a single point of contact for worldwide market access for IT and Audio Video products.

Nemko Direct supports you in completing the certification process by handling all the paperwork and certifications through our worldwide network. We cut through all the red tape and give you access to the countries you want in the shortest possible time. Alternatively, we can conduct a compliance analysis, and if no certificate is necessary, issue declarations that certificates are not needed.

The Circle PSE (Product Safety Electric Appliance and Materials) Mark is mandatory in Japan for all electrical appliances (other than the specified electrical appliances) to show that the product complies with the Japanese technical standards for electrical devices.

Nemko’s laboratory authorization program is established with the purpose of allowing test results from competent external laboratories to be used as basis for Nemko Certifications / Attestations. The program is offered for both manufacturers’ laboratories and independent laboratories and may cover one or more testing areas, such as Safety, EMC, Telecom or Ecology according to relevant standards.

For Nemko’s N-mark certification, attestation for CE-marking etc., the authorization program is applicable for manufacturers’ laboratories as well as independent partner laboratories. For the multi-national services (like the international IECEE CB scheme and the European CCA/ENEC), the use of such program is basically restricted to manufacturers’ testing laboratories (MTL).

However, independent partner laboratories have the opportunity in due course to qualify as CB Testing Lab (CBTL) or Associated Testing Lab (ACTL) within the IECEE CB scheme, being associated with Nemko as the member NCB (National Certification Body). In such case, further conditions and procedures apply concerning assessment etc. (Ref. www.iecee.com).

Programs

Nemko’s authorisation of partner laboratories is based on initial and periodical assessment of the testing capabilities, whether concerning authorisation of EMC Lab (ELA), electrical safety lab (SLA), telecom lab (TLA) or ecology testing labs (EcoLA)

After the initial assessment and acceptance of the laboratory, the concerned testing is either supervised by Nemko personnel based on periodical assessment of the maintained capabilities of the laboratory or the testing is witnessed by Nemko personnel when requested by the laboratory.

The acceptance of a laboratory is based upon mutual understanding of product testing and certification practice, verified through audits and reviews of test projects. After initial assessment of the laboratory’s capabilities and the relevant parts of its quality system, follow-up audits are carried out periodically by Nemko staff to ensure continuous technical knowledge and understanding of relevant administrative routines.

For Nemko’s N-mark certification, attestation for CE-marking etc., the authorization program is applicable for manufacturers’ laboratories as well as independent partner laboratories. For the multi-national services (like the international IECEE CB scheme and the European CCA/ENEC), the use of such program is, however, restricted to manufacturers’ testing laboratories (MTL).

Nemko’s own Testing By Manufacturer (TBM) program was established already in 1975. Since that time, similar multi-national programs have been developed within the international IECEE and the European Certification System (ECS) in which Nemko takes active part. The TBM program has therefore been gradually merged into the program structure within these schemes.

Thus, the basic terms of reference are now the relevant rules and procedures of the IECEE, i.e. the Operational Documents CB-2027-2031 and OD-2032, which are accessible on www.iecee.com.

Options

For manufacturers’ testing laboratories, after initial assessment and acceptance of the laboratory, the testing may be performed by Nemko personnel at the manufacturer’s premises (TMP), or the manufacturer’s testing may be witnessed by Nemko personnel (WMT) or subject to periodical supervision by Nemko personnel (SMT). The latter also entails periodical assessment of the maintained capabilities of the laboratory.

Nemko can be your partner early in the product development cycle up until the product is placed in the marketplace. This will contribute to reducing costs and saving time.

Compliance Management provides you with a dedicated project team responsible from start to finish to obtain market access for your product. By getting Nemko involved early in the product development cycle, you can avoid costly delays and frequent re-designs.

The majority of Nemko’s personnel are engineers who have skills in different disciplines and types of products. Typically this is testing, inspection and quality auditing within the electrical, mechanical and telecom/radio product areas.

Nemko offers highly qualified personnel with an independent and neutral position, who act objectively and without bias to other parties involved.

Pre-shipment Inspection (PSI) is also known as Final Random Inspection. It is performed when 100% of the products are finished with at least 80% of export cartons packed. During the inspection, products will randomly be selected according to AQL standards by our inspectors.

During inspection, a product sample size may be randomly selected according to one of the well-known international standards:

Nemko offers pre-evaluation during the early stages of the product development cycle, from the initial evaluation of the product design to testing as well as project management during the different development stages.

Pre-testing by Nemko in an early stage of the product development is useful for identifying non-conformities before the product is actually completed.

Nemko may guide designers and manufacturers about applicable requirements already at the very beginning of the product development in order to reduce the chance of non-conformities later on.

When developing a new product the following should be analyzed:

Project management is an important tool for keeping a project on track at all times so as to secure a fast and efficient product delivery to the market.

Test planning is the preparation and planning of the testing schedule.

Ergonomics is the design guideline or requirements for performance specifications. This is aimed at ensuring effective and comfortable working conditions for users with normal, worse or even adjustable operation activities. The test methods and metrology are based on the human conditions in order to decide the measurements and criteria for product design evaluation.

TCO Certified is designed to ensure that IT and office equipment have a high degree of usability for the end user, but still keep environmental impact to a minimum. With the TCO labeling system, the development of products is influenced in this direction.

Nemko provides testing for mechanical shock on products according to IEC 60068-2-27.

Mechanical shock is one of the most common causes of nonstructural failure in mechanical and electrical systems.

Nemko has a large laboratory for testing various types of water ingress. This can include condensation via dripping, spraying, splashing and hosing to submerging in water tanks. It can also include dust ingress in dust circulation chambers and ingress tests with different foreign objects and different standardized access probes.

Vibrations, drops and careless handling are examples of a product's worst enemies. Some of these mechanical stress situations are prone to occur in many product lifecycles.

These mechanical conditions either make instant damage to the product or they insert potential damages that may only be visible after continuing use. They may be devastating to the product's performance and/or safety of the user. It may also cause malfunctions, reduced efficiency or total failure.

Vibration testing can help ensure that your new design will survive its intended environment. Submitting your product for vibration analysis pays for itself by reducing field return costs through improved product reliability.

Our vibration testing facilities contains 3 electrodynamic shakers to provide over 22000N in the most used vibration testing events – sine and random vibration analysis.

There is an increasing awareness concerning the damages ESD may cause during production and service of different types of electronic components and equipment.

With experience from environmental labelling schemes and from development and verification of environmental declarations, Nemko may assist manufacturers with testing and consulting when applying for the ECO label.

Energy efficient products are constantly evolving, and the consumers and authorities are requiring more economic electrical products.

After decades of focus on power consumption during operation, focus is turning to efficiency also in standby and electronic OFF modes.

Nemko AS is the only Norwegian member of the IQNet - The International Certification Network.

IQNet is the central body representing 36 national and international certification companies with a network of more than 200 subsidiaries worldwide. The IQNet certificate grants to customers the use of IQNet exclusive registered mark, which is known around the world as a synonym of Quality.

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