VDE certification

VDE directly participates in the formulation of German national standards and is one of the most experienced certification bodies in Europe with high reputation worldwide. It completes a total of 18000 certification projects annually for nearly 2200 German companies and 2700 clients from other countries. So far, nearly 200000 electrical products from 50 countries worldwide have obtained the VDE logo.

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Introduction to VDE Certification

The VDE Testing and Certification Institute located in Offenbach, Germany is a research institute under the Verband Deutsche Elektrotechniker (VDE), founded in 1920. As a neutral and independent organization, VDE's laboratory inspects and certifies electrical products in accordance with German VDE national standards, European EN standards, or IEC International Electrotechnical Commission standards based on applications. In many countries, the VDE certification mark is even more famous than the domestic certification mark, especially recognized and valued by importers and exporters.

In China, the diversification of the export direction of electrical products has led importers in Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia and other regions to propose safety certification and CE marking requirements such as GS (Germany), BEAB (UK), IMQ (Italy), etc. In the process of certification, most complete machine manufacturers break these requirements into parts and require their respective suppliers of Electrical safety parts to ensure that they obtain a high-level safety certification mark, which is also the external promotion reason why more and more parts manufacturers want to obtain the VDE mark.

Applicable testing areas for VDE

Electric heating and electric appliances

Data processing and medical equipment

Luminaires and electronic products

- Cables and insulation materials

Installation of equipment and control devices

Electronic components

EMC testing

VDE certification process

1. Submitting a formal application form and structural parameter table is an important document for applying for VDE,

2 Application Confirmation - After receiving the formal application form and structural parameter table, VDE will formally confirm the application in writing within 2-4 weeks and send invoices, factory inspection questionnaires, and other materials.

3. Sample Delivery - When the VDE application is confirmed, the specific sample delivery requirements and the relevant standards based on which the testing is conducted will be informed. After the sample is completed, it must be self tested according to standard requirements or submitted to relevant domestic laboratories for prediction. After the prediction is qualified, the samples can be safely and accurately sent to VDE for testing through express delivery.

1) Once all test items are passed, the applicant will be notified as soon as possible.

2) The inspection results may also have defects. Some minor defects require communication between the certification body and VDE. As long as there are slight corrections and no need to resubmit samples, VDE can issue the certificate.

3) When significant defects appear in the testing results, the certification agency will discuss the reasons for the failure with the applicant. If necessary, please send back the failed samples to VDE for reference and analysis. After the sample is modified and improved, handle the re inspection procedures and send the sample again until it is qualified. If the samples are resubmitted within six months, the cost of retesting will be greatly reduced.

4 Factory inspection - Factory inspection before issuing certificates and regular or irregular supervision and review after obtaining certificates. Before the factory review, the certification body assigns experts to assist the manufacturing plant in conducting a self inspection of production facilities, experimental equipment, metrology, and the entire quality system in accordance with VDE requirements. If during the review, the inspectors propose rectification requirements, assist the manufacturer in discussing rectification measures as soon as possible and implementing them promptly until they pass the re inspection.

5 Certificate issuance - On the premise that the factory inspection passes smoothly, if the sample test is qualified, VDE will promptly notify the applicant of the results, and the VDE certificate will also be issued soon.

Documents to be submitted for VDE certification

1. Product Description

2. Explanation of model differences

3. Circuit diagram

4. German instruction manual

5. Parts and Material List

6. CB test report

7. Other required materials

VDE Certified Factory Review

In principle, VDE conducts factory audits twice a year. The main content of factory inspection is to review the consistency of products and samples, but it also needs to review quality management documents such as inspection procedures, records, and measurements.

Matters that do not comply with VDE certification

1. Poor cleanliness and hygiene

2. Poor safety conditions

3. Environmental protection does not meet standards

4. Unsafe chemicals

5. No safety manager

6. No first aid training or fire drills

7. Failure to provide and use PPE

8. No MSDS

9. Overtime

10. Wages below the minimum wage standard

11. Illegal employment of child labor

12. Illegal use of underage workers

13. Collection of deposit, seizure of ID card, or restriction of personal freedom

14. Body searches, corporal punishment, and infringement of workers' rights

15. Delayed wages

16. No statutory welfare benefits

17. In the "three in one" factory building, the machinery and equipment do not have safety devices

18. The dormitory is crowded and the accommodation conditions are poor.

19. Not inspected by the local health department and issued a certificate

20. Insufficient bathroom and bathroom facilities

21. Limited access

22. Asexual isolation

23. Insufficient ventilation equipment

24. Unreasonable number and distribution of fire extinguishers and hydrants

25. Unsafe factors

VDE Certification Application Details

1. First consultation - The applicant provides our company with a brief introduction to the company and a description of the current status of the VDE product to be certified, such as product model, name, parts list, drawings, working principle diagram, technical parameter table, usage instructions, etc.

2. Establish an agency relationship - The principal (applicant) signs an agency agreement with the agent, further clarifying the responsibilities, powers, and obligations of both parties in a written contract to ensure close cooperation between both parties during the application process, enabling the application work to proceed smoothly and achieve the expected objectives. At the same time, the proxy letter is the legal basis for our company to submit to VDE to prove that we have been entrusted by the applicant.

3. The formal application form and structural parameter table - are important documents for applying for VDE. The applicant can provide relevant materials and entrust our company to translate and fill them out. After being signed by the applicant, they will be returned to VDE.

4. Application Confirmation - After receiving the formal application form and structural parameter table, VDE will formally confirm the application in writing within approximately 2-4 weeks and send invoices, factory inspection questionnaires, and other materials.

5. Sample Delivery - When the VDE application is confirmed, the specific sample delivery requirements and the relevant standards based on which the testing is conducted will be informed. Our company can assist VDE applicants in obtaining relevant standards and clarifying all relevant testing items, methods, etc. After the sample is completed, it must be self tested according to standard requirements or submitted to relevant domestic laboratories for prediction. After the prediction is qualified, the samples can be safely and accurately sent to VDE for testing through express delivery.

1) Once all test items have passed, the applicant will be notified promptly.

2) The inspection results may also have defects. For some minor defects, communicate with VDE, as long as slight corrections are made and there is no need to resubmit the sample, VDE can issue the certificate.

3) When significant defects appear in the testing results, our company will discuss the reasons for the failure with the applicant. If necessary, please send back the failed samples to VDE for reference and analysis. After the sample is modified and improved, our company will handle the re inspection procedures and send the sample again until it is qualified. If the samples are resubmitted within six months, the cost of retesting will be greatly reduced.

6. Factory inspection - Factory inspection before certification and regular or irregular supervision and review after certification. Before the factory review, Shanghai Dexin will assist the manufacturing plant in conducting a self inspection of production facilities, experimental equipment, metrology, and the entire quality system against VDE requirements. If during the review, the inspectors propose rectification requirements, assist the manufacturer in discussing rectification measures as soon as possible and implementing them promptly until they pass the re inspection.

7 Certificate issuance - If the sample test passes the factory inspection smoothly, VDE will promptly notify Shanghai Dexin of the results, and the VDE certificate will also be issued soon.

Shortcut to obtaining VDE logo for electrical components

Generally speaking, there are two ways to conduct type approval experiments for VDE certification: the first way is for the enterprise to directly consult with VDE and complete the application process, and mail a considerable number of test samples to Germany according to the requirements of VDE testing engineers. The testing will be carried out item by item according to German VDE standards, and the full testing cost will be paid according to the total time spent on VDE testing workload and the work price of German engineers. The second method is for enterprises to first apply for "CB testing" to CB laboratories in China that have a good cooperation relationship with VDE, and then convert the CB test report into a type test report certified by VDE. We know that the CB test certificate is uniformly formulated by the Certification Body Committee (CCB) of the International Electrotechnical Commission's Organization for Electrical Product Safety Certification (IECEE), and is issued by a certification body recognized by IECEE-CCN in a country (in China, CCEE is the issuing unit of the CB test certificate). Together with the attached test report, it is used to notify certification bodies in other countries, The sample of a certain electrical product has been tested in accordance with the unified IEC standard. More than 30 countries have joined the CB system in the world, and VDE is also a member laboratory of CB. Therefore, the CB test report we provide can be directly accepted, so the testing of the main projects can be completed in China. However, if there are national differences between individual experimental items such as the DIN and IEC standards in Germany, the VDE engineer will notify the agent and send individual samples to supplement the difference experimental items. After that, the testing results can be comprehensively confirmed.

Comparing the two methods, it is not difficult to see that the first method of applying for VDE is due to overseas testing, which makes it difficult for enterprises to understand the entire experiment. In addition, the probability of passing VDE testing at once is generally low, so it is necessary to communicate back and forth and send samples overseas multiple times, making it difficult to control the project cycle. In addition, the unit labor cost of VDE German technicians is still much higher than that of domestic technicians, so the total cost may be relatively high. The second approach seems to be divided into two stages: domestic testers and foreign supplements. In fact, it takes advantage of the advantages of domestic local testing stations being relatively familiar with product technical conditions, timely communication and improvement when problems are found, and various favorable conditions such as the difference in labor prices between domestic and foreign countries. Through the operation of some practical projects, it has been proven that applying for VDE certification using CB test reports is a time-saving and economical shortcut.