Newsletter

CECIP Newsletter Q1 2020

CECIP statement on COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has a significant negative impact on the European weighing industry. Although the size of the impact is still uncertain, it is clear that the industry faces major economic problems due to disruptions in supply chains, production and providing services. CECIP, as representative of the weighing industry in Europe, welcomes the wide-range of measures already introduced by Member States and calls on the EU and Member States to continue with new actions. CECIP believes actions should be taken to focus, at least, on the following points:

• Ensure liquidity of companies: Measures that can support companies in ensuring liquidity and being able to pay the bills are highly important. Not only for the weighing industry itself, but for all its suppliers and service providers. This could, for example, be a delay of VAT-payments, short-time work compensation or reducing bills for utilities or rental fees. It is important that bureaucracy should be kept at a minimum for the measures introduced.
• Increase flexibility in deadlines weighing industry: Audits and verifications are carried out on a continuous basis within the weighing industry. Often these need to be done before a certain deadline. Considering the social distancing measures in place in most Member States CECIP believes it is better if deadlines can be extended.
• Retain personnel with right skills: In the last years the European weighing industry is experiencing difficulties with attracting sufficient personnel with the right skills. It is important that the employees currently working in the industry can be retained, despite possibly temporary unemployment and cashflow problems. Short-time work compensation as introduced in several countries is a vital measure that should be introduced as widely and flexible as possible.
• Keep supply chains and borders open: The supply chains of the weighing industry are...
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CECIP Newsletter Q4 2019

CECIP Vision 2030: How the weighing industry should look in the next 10 years

The European weighing industry is constantly changing and it is important that with these changes coming the industry remains competitive, consumers are protected and innovations are introduced. Therefore, the right decisions need to be made to ensure all this in the next decade. In the new CECIP Vision 2030, CECIP presents its vision for the future of the European weighing industry and describes what should change, established and implemented in order to reach the industry´s full potential. Improvements are possible on aspects that will benefit users, society and the weighing industry. In five chapters the main elements are presented by CECIP, these are:

• Harmonisation
• CECIP believes there should be a true EU single market for both placing weighing instruments on the market and for reverification services
• Consumer protection
• Market surveillance should ensure consumer protection. CECIP is willing to cooperate with authorities to improve market surveillance. This should also result in less unfair competition.
• Digitalisation
• The weighing industry is becoming more digital. It is important that legislation is in place that fosters innovation and does not compromise consumer protection.
• Industrial strategy 
• A true general EU industrial strategy is needed for the European industry to remain competitive in the coming decade
• Globalisation
• The weighing industry is becoming more global. CECIP will strengthen its cooperation with its international partners and supports the work of OIML.

This vision serves as internal guidelines on the main CECIP priorities for the coming years and will be presented at different occasions. The full CECIP Vision 2030 can be found here.

CECIP presents Vision 2030 during dinner debate

On Thursday evening 21 November CECIP organised a dinner...
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CECIP Newsletter Q3 2019

CECIP event: The European weighing industry in 2030

On Thursday 21 November CECIP will present its Vision 2030 during a dinner event in Brussels. At the event representatives from the European Commission, Member States and CECIP will present their view on the European weighing industry in 2030. Participants will join the discussions on several aspects of the CECIP Vision 2030 such as harmonisation, market surveillance and digitalisation. Speakers at the dinner include Mr Pettinelli (Director DG Grow European Commission), CECIP President Urs Widmer, CECIP Board member and managing partner of Espera Werke Marcus Korthäuer.

The dinner will take place at Club Royals des Guides in Brussels and starts at 18.45. All stakeholders and CECIP members are invited and can register via the following link: cecipvision2030.eventbrite.com

Fragmented reverification requirements cost industry over 6 million euro per year

The EU Single Market for goods and services is one of the key pillars of the European cooperation. It brings major benefits to industries such as the European weighing industry. CECIP welcomes the EU Single Market and calls on EU decision maker to strengthen it further by harmonising the reverification requirements for weighing instruments.

The fragmented legislation is a major problem for the weighing industry. CECIP carried out a survey amongst its members concluding that 50% of the companies in the European weighing industry don´t carry out reverifications abroad and the main reason is fragmented legislation. Moreover, for the companies that carry out reverifications already, the total costs of the differences in legislation are estimated over 6 million euro per year. For the weighing industry this is a large amount of resources that cannot be invested in other areas such as R&D.

Therefore, CECIP calls on two...
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CECIP Newsletter Q2 2019

CECIP GA 2019 in Bratislava

CECIP members met between 12 and 15 June in Bratislava for the annual CECIP General Assembly (GA), where CECIP was hosted by the Slovak weighing association Únia Váharov. During those days the GA and several other meetings took place such as the legal metrology seminar and a meeting with international partner organisation. One of the highlights was the open part of the GA on Friday 14 June with various speakers including Peter Žiga, Slovak Minister of Economy. Other speakers were representing authorities and companies from Slovakia, Ireland, China and Germany. The open part of the GA focused on the different legal requirements in Slovakia and China and new developments in market surveillance and the OPC-UA project for the weighing industry.

At the General Assembly 2019 CECIP also welcomed a new member. The Turkish company Baykon, manufacturer of industrial weighing instruments and systems, was approved as new CECIP company member. Next to the GA on Friday and the internal meetings there were activities such as the excursion on Saturday morning and a gala dinner.

A press release from CECIP on the GA can be found here.

New kilogram definition becomes applicable

On World Metrology Day (20 May) the new definition of the kilogram became applicable. This new definition was approved at the General Conference on Weights and Measures in November 2018. It will change from a definition based on an artefact standard to a definition based on a physical constant, notably the Planck constant. In principle the new kilogram definition and the current kilogram definition should be have the same mass. More information on the new definition can be found in the guide that can be found here.

CECIP was involved...
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CECIP Newsletter Q1 2019

Amendment to EU Directive on definition of kilogram

In November the new definition of the kilogram was approved at the General Conference on Weights and Measures and this new definition will come into force on 20 May 2019. Therefore, the relevant European legislation needs to be amended as well. The European Commission is preparing an amendment to Directive 80/181/EEC on the definition of SI base units. A first draft of the amendment has been published and can be found here (annexes). It is expected that this new amendment to Directive 80/181/EEC will be published in one of the coming months.

Simplify software requirements to make them futureproof

Last year CECIP published its position on the simplification of software requirements. This position stressed that the detailed software requirements for weighing instruments that are set in WELMEC guides are overly technical and complicated. They are also open to different interpretations. Therefore, CECIP is calling for simpler, consistent and futureproof requirements set in WELMEC guides.

The position is now updated with two main new concrete actions. These are:

Incorporate guide 2.3 requirements in guide 7.2

Whilst recognising the significance of the Guide 2.3 in the development and design of Non-automatic weighing instruments CECIP also recognise that the Guide 2.3 is now anachronistic and does not reflect the rapidly changing technologies in the market place. CECIP is of the view that the improved methods of software control can most easily achieved by revoking the Guide 2.3 and incorporating requirements that relate to NAWI’s in the Guide 7.2.

Further develop risk-based approach

Current WELMEC Guides only consider technical solutions to control software and do not consider procedural quality-based solutions that would enable...
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