Know What Your Product Needs Before You Pay the Supplier
Importing a new product into South Africa should not begin with placing an order.
It should begin with one question:
What will I need to legally import and sell this product in South Africa?
Advanced Technical Services offers a Pre-Import Compliance Review for businesses considering new products, new suppliers or new overseas shipments.
We review the proposed products before you commit to the order, identify likely South African regulatory requirements and assess the technical documentation already available from the supplier.
The objective is simple:
Find the compliance problems before they become shipping problems.
Who Is This Service For?
This service is particularly useful if you are:
- considering a new overseas supplier;
- importing a product for the first time;
- attending a trade fair or sourcing products in China;
- preparing to pay a supplier's pro forma invoice;
- expanding your existing product range;
- importing several different products in one shipment;
- unsure whether a product requires an NRCS LOA;
- importing products containing Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, RF or other wireless technology;
- unsure whether the certificates supplied by the manufacturer are acceptable in South Africa; or
- trying to determine the likely compliance cost before deciding whether a product is commercially viable - or just another non-starter.
What We Review
You can send us whatever information you currently have. That might be as simple as a supplier quotation or pro forma invoice.
Where available, we can also review:
Product datasheets and specifications
We identify the electrical, mechanical, radio or other characteristics relevant to South African compliance.
Product photographs and nameplates
These can reveal important information about operating voltage, frequency, power, model numbers, plugs, radio functionality and other features.
Supplier certificates
We examine what the certificates actually cover rather than simply accepting that the product is “certified”.
IEC and CB test reports
Where available, we assess the standards, models, report dates and testing information relevant to a potential South African application.
RF / EMC reports
For wireless and electronic products, we identify potential ICASA and EMC requirements.
Complete product lists
For mixed shipments, we can screen the individual line items rather than assuming the entire shipment has the same compliance status.
What We Look For
Depending upon the product, our review may consider requirements involving:
NRCS
We establish whether the product is likely to fall within an applicable compulsory specification and whether an NRCS Letter of Authority (LOA) or other NRCS approval may be required.
ATS already assists importers through the NRCS process from identifying the applicable requirement and obtaining appropriate test reports through to LOA application.
ICASA
Products incorporating radio-frequency functionality may require ICASA approval.
This can include products using:
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular communications, wireless remote controls, RF transmitters and receivers, or other radio technologies.
ATS already provides ICASA compliance and Type Approval assistance for relevant electronic communications and radio equipment.
SAHPRA
Certain products, particularly medical devices and other regulated health-related products, may require SAHPRA consideration.
Where relevant, we identify this during the initial screening.
Other Regulatory Requirements
Not every compliance issue is an LOA issue.
Depending upon the product, there may be additional compulsory specifications, standards, approvals or import considerations requiring investigation.
Where something falls outside the scope of the initial review, we identify it rather than assuming it does not apply.
We Also Review the Supplier's Paperwork
One of the most valuable parts of the process is determining whether the manufacturer already has useful compliance documentation.
A supplier may tell you:
“We have CE.”
“We have IEC.”
“We have CB.”
“Our products are certified.”
Those statements are only the beginning. We look deeper.
Does the documentation cover the exact model you intend importing?
Does the product nameplate agree with the test report?
Was the correct standard used?
Does a certificate refer to a report that the supplier has not provided?
Does the report cover an entire model family or only one model?
Has the product changed since it was tested?
Is the testing laboratory suitably accredited for the work concerned?
Does the product contain a wireless module that creates an additional ICASA requirement?
These are the details that can determine whether a South African application proceeds smoothly or becomes an expensive technical exercise.
We Help You Ask the Supplier the Right Questions
International manufacturers do not necessarily understand South African regulatory requirements.
That is not unusual. Instead of asking the supplier vaguely for “South African certificates”, we can help identify the specific documentation required.
Where necessary, we can prepare a technical document request for your supplier specifying the reports, certificates, model information, photographs, declarations or other information we require.
This is particularly valuable when dealing with overseas manufacturers and testing laboratories.
Before New Testing Is Ordered
This is important.
Do not automatically commission new testing.
We first establish what already exists.
If the supplier has suitable documentation, we want to use it.
If the documentation can be supplemented or corrected, we investigate that route.
If several models can legitimately be covered as a product family, we consider that before additional testing is commissioned. Correct grouping can materially reduce unnecessary laboratory and application costs. Only once the existing position is understood should new testing be considered.
The Process
1. Send Us the Proposed Order
Send us your quotation, pro forma invoice, product list or supplier catalogue.
2. We Screen the Products
We identify products that appear to require South African regulatory approval or further technical investigation.
3. We Review Existing Documentation
Where certificates and reports are available, we assess their relevance to the products being considered.
4. We Identify the Gaps
We tell you what is missing and what additional information should be requested from the supplier.
5. You Make an Informed Purchasing Decision
You now understand the likely compliance route before committing substantial money to the shipment.
6. ATS Can Handle the Compliance Process
If you decide to proceed, we can assist with the appropriate testing, technical queries and regulatory applications.
A Small Check Before Shipping Can Prevent a Very Large Problem Afterwards
Compliance problems become dramatically more difficult once goods have been manufactured, paid for and shipped. By that point you may have:
supplier payments already made
freight costs committed
customers waiting for stock
goods sitting at a port or airport
storage and demurrage charges accumulating
a supplier thousands of kilometres away trying to correct technical documents
—and no easy way to undo the original purchase.
A Pre-Import Compliance Review moves the compliance decision to where it belongs:
Before the order is placed.
Already Have a Pro Forma Invoice?
Send it to us. Even if you do not yet have the technical reports, the invoice, product descriptions and supplier datasheets can give us a useful starting point. We can identify the obvious areas requiring investigation and tell you what documentation to request next.
Don't wait until your shipment reaches South Africa to find out whether you were allowed to import it.
Contact Advanced Technical Services
Email: dion@advancedtechnicalservices.co.za
Telephone: 010 157 4243
Stay compliant. Avoid delays. Protect your business.