Statement on Conformity of Pepperl+Fuchs Products to the EU Machinery Regulation

With the publication of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 of the European Parliament and of the Council on machinery (hereinafter referred to as the EU Machinery Regulation), the previously applicable European Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC has recently been replaced. Since the EU Machinery Regulation came into force, Pepperl+Fuchs has received an increasing number of inquiries regarding the conformity of safety-related components in our portfolio with the changed requirements of this regulation. The relevant standards experts and product managers at Pepperl+Fuchs have examined and evaluated this issue from various perspectives: As things stand today, we assume that Pepperl+Fuchs products that fall within the scope of the EU Machinery Regulation will also comply with it.

This assessment is based on the fact that the new directive better specifies economic operators and their obligations and clarifies the wording—whereas the protection objectives and the requirements themselves remain largely identical. The inclusion of cybersecurity requirements, which only affect products with digital interfaces, should be highlighted as a primary area of change. Like other companies, Pepperl+Fuchs is currently confronted with the challenge that the formal process for harmonizing standards is taking too long for its safety-related products and that declarations of conformity need to be substantiated in other ways.

On the one hand, this is due to the prevailing flood of regulations, which ensures a permanently high workload for those responsible. For example, the transfer from the Machinery Directive to the Machinery Regulation alone requires around 800 standards to be checked for suitability again. On the other hand, a number of formal hurdles have also arisen as a result of the new, more complex process and the involvement of external third parties to assess the standards. Pepperl+Fuchs is also considering taking the second route via certification by accredited test facilities due to the urgency involved. However, as the regulation has only recently come into force, there are currently no accredited test facilities.

We would also like to inform you that due to the key date regulation, no certificates, EU declarations of conformity, or declarations of incorporation may be issued before January 20, 2027. This situation poses a number of challenges for all affected industry players. We are aware of this and are actively involved in several associations to find a solution on behalf of our customers and partners.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Please get in touch with the contact persons you know or use the contact forms on our website.