UPDATE: untangling supply chain red tape
Following on from our recent post regarding changes to GB supply chain requirements, it has been announced today (24 August 2021) that the requirement for compliance with the UKCA regime has been pushed back by 12 months to January 2023 – a welcome relief for both UK businesses and EU-based component suppliers.
Partner James Corlett explains.
This is an encouraging development for businesses placing product or components on the GB market, especially given the backlog caused by the pandemic and a likely wave of last-minute applications. It is also likely to be welcomed by those businesses, selling into the EU or Northern Ireland, required to continue using the CE marking with which we are all familiar.
With resource and labour shortages severely impacting several industries, mainly in the wholesale food sector – having the knock-on effect of closing parts of national restaurant chain Nandos last week – this is at least some good news for product manufacturers and suppliers.
It remains to be seen whether the UKCA requirement will be brought in by January 2023, or delayed further, but businesses given some breathing space by this announcement should think about putting in place strategies with customers and/ or suppliers to ensure that responsibility (and the costs) of applying for a UKCA mark as and when it becomes necessary are clearly set out and agreed.
