We are experiencing unusual times on the international stage these days. Resulting from globalization during the past 30-40 years, global trade has become extensive and stable not least for the electrotechnical industry which highly relies on supply of various materials and parts form different sources worldwide.
The international news picture the last month seems to indicate that this stability will no longer prevail in the time to come.
The first article below deals with challenges this may mean for the electrotechnical industry.
Metals needed for the electronics industry at risk
It is common knowledge that copper, lead and tin are indispensable metal parts in electrical and electronic products. All three are raw materials of native chemical elements and are being mined in many parts of the world. The demand for copper is steadily increasing due to the ongoing energy transition to electricity. It is estimated that the demand over the next 30 years to be around double the amount consumed in the previous 30, not least since the world’s rapid adoption of AI is leading to a surge in demand for data centers.
New guideline for product safety requirements in Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia, with Malaysia to the north andIndonesia to the South. The population is presently about 6 mill, with ¾ being of Chinese descent.
On 1 February, the country’s Consumer Product Safety Office (CPSO) published an updated Information Booklet for Product Safety Requirement Regulation.
Egypt bans mobile phones not complying with international standards
At the end of January, the Egyptian National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) announced that from1 February, they block the activation of new mobile phones that do not meet internationally approved specifications and standards, particularly those set by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA). This decision is part of the NTRA’s broader efforts to protect users’ rights, ensure safety, and maintain high-quality telecom services in Egypt.
In the nineties, theIECEx,which is IEC’s conformity assessment system for Haz Loc/Explosive (Ex) equipment was established and likewise the EuropeanATEXDirective with regulations for such equipment. Nemko was one of the founding members of the IECEx and was one of the first Notified Bodies (NBs) under the ATEX Directive too, largely driven by the extensive offshore oil and gas industry in Norway.
The Product Certification Department at Nemko HQ in Oslo is responsible for national certification in Norway for the traditional N-mark on products. Among its other responsibilities, is also serving as National Certification Body (NCB) within the internationalIECEE/CB schemeand as a Certification Body within the EuropeanETICSsystem andENECscheme.
Mr. Marek Papuziński has recently been appointed as the new manager of this Product Certification Department. Marek has been with Nemko for the past three years, supporting the Nemko Group Global Certification Department with his extensive battery expertise and other skills. Prior to joining Nemko, Marek gained significant experience with UL Solutions in Poland.
5 March: Nemko USA live webinar- Understanding the Certification Requirements for Mexico
For information and registration, please click here.
20 March: Nemko Taiwan webinar (In Chinese) - The European Accessibility Act (EAA) Product Compliance
For information and registration, please clickhere.
25-27 March: EMV 2025 in Stuttgart, Germany-The leading European exhibition for EMC.
For information and a free ticket, please click here.
31March - 4 April:Hannover Messe - The world’s leading fair for technologies within industrial transformation For information and a free ticket, please clickhere.
10-11 April: Nemko USA in-person seminar in Austin Texas: Global Regulatory Conference
For information and registration, please clickhere.
13-15 May 2025: IEEE’s annual Symposium on Product Compliance Engineering, in San Francisco, USA
For information and registration, please click here:ISPCE 2025.
IEC Academy courses and webinars For information and registration, please clickhere.
GSO courses in the Arabic Gulf Region
Information about themes, places and times may be seen here.
Receive invitations to Nemko webinars on current compliance matters The webinars will be conducted in English, and one will be able to access the recordings afterwards, for own use and sharing with others please register here.
Resources from past events
Recordings etc from the recent Nemko live webinar: The European cybersecurity standard is harmonized-Now what?
