Through the CB Scheme, Intertek will help you gain access to the global markets you want.
Obtaining the necessary international certifications can be difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. However, as a Certification Body in the CB Scheme, Intertek can help to make this process a simpler one. Through our testing partnership, you will realize both time and cost savings, while meeting the requirements to market your products in more than 40 countries. It's no wonder Intertek issues a lot of CB Scheme Certificates
CB Scheme Background
The IECEE's CB Scheme is an international program for the exchange and acceptance of product safety test results among participating laboratories and certification organizations around the world. Most electrical and electronic equipment must have product safety registration or certification for each country in which it is offered for sale. Historically, obtaining the necessary national product certifications has been difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. This is no longer true. The CB Scheme is a convenient process for mutual recognition of test results between participating countries, normally without the need for additional testing.
The CB Scheme offers manufacturers a simplified way of obtaining multiple national safety certifications for their products - providing entry into over 40 countries.
Benefits of the CB Scheme
By significantly reducing duplicate testing for multiple markets, the CB Scheme provides substantial advantages:
- Speed: Accelerated international product acceptance - faster product movement from factory to market
- Efficiency: CB Scheme rules stipulate handling of applications on a priority basis
- Savings: Significantly reduced workload, reduced testing, and fewer product samples subjected to possible damage or destruction
- Convenience: One-stop complete local testing for worldwide safety compliance
How the CB Scheme works?
International acceptance of electrical and electronic equipment product safety test results is the basis of the CB Scheme. Upon successful completion of testing, a CB Test Certificate and a corresponding CB Test Report is issued for the product. Together these two documents become the passport with which a manufacturer is able to apply for national certifications from any National Certification Body in any of the participating countries, usually without additional testing. However, in most countries, factory inspection is required as a prerequisite for obtaining national certification/approval.
Throughout our global network, Intertek provides three National Certification Bodies (NCB) for the CB Scheme process, and numerous CB Testing Laboratories (CBTL). With a CB Test Report from CBTL and a corresponding CB Certificate from an NCB, you may obtain multiple national safety certifications for your products. To obtain a national certification without additional testing, you must submit your CB Certificate and Test Report to an NCB in a participating CB Scheme country.
CB-Full Certification Scheme (CB-FCS)
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) announced the introduction of the CB-Full Certification Scheme (CB-FCS), coining it "the world's first truly international certification system" to facilitate global market acceptance. The CB-FCS offers improvements over the current CB certification system through its use of a multilateral agreement (MLA).
Why Intertek?
Because of the different requirements for market entry in different regions of the world, it is a complicated and complex process for a manufacturer to handle the certificate application process alone. Our expertise in testing as well as our knowledge of the procedural aspects of certification has saved manufacturers from the headaches and confusion of the market-entry processes. With Intertek you have a partner with a great deal of experience in the field. With more than 300 accreditations and recognitions globally, our clients realize a more streamlined testing and certification procedure through a single point of contact.
If you have already obtained a CB Test Certificate and CB Test Report for your product from another participating NCB, we can accept those documents as a basis for issuing one of our certification marks-the ETL Listed Marks for U.S. and Canada or the S Mark for Europe. During all stages of the approval process, you will work with our technical experts who are experienced in testing to international product safety standards.
