At Striper Solutions LLC, we understand the ever-changing landscape of product development and we've thrived in helping to bring innovative products to market for over a decade.
The past few years have shown that navigating the complex world of product development regulatory compliance has become increasingly crucial to our customers, and how an experienced consultant can provide immediate value to a development team. So, Striper Solutions is now prioritizing regulatory compliance as the main focus of our consulting efforts.
Why regulatory compliance?
Product development compliance focuses on ensuring the physical safety, functionality, and environmental impact of the completed product. Whether it's electrical safety, mechanical safety, laser safety, electro-magnetic compatibility (EMC), or environmental impact, products need to meet basic health and safety regulations for their intended area of sale. These regulations are often complex and require specialized testing to show compliance, having a trusted partner with global product development experience is important to product success.
Gateway to New Markets
Whether its CE marking for Europe or EMC testing for Canada, regulatory compliance is the gateway to new markets for your products. International product safety compliance is essential for manufacturers looking to expand globally, ensuring products are safe and comply with legal requirements of the sales region. These regulations can often vary significantly, depending on the sales region and result in legal issues for non-compliant manufacturers. A consultant with regulatory and management experience can be key to ensuring a smooth transition to the new market space.
Agency Certification
In addition to legal requirements, product manufacturers must also consider the requirements of the customer. Often times customers will demand product Certification through a recognized authority, like UL, CSA, TUV, or Nemko, to demonstrate the products are safe and comply with applicable regulations. Working with an Agency can be a complex, lengthy, and expensive endeavor for a manufacturer without prior regulatory experience. An experienced consultant can provide the interface between your product development and the technical demands of the Agency.
The Connected World
The Internet of Things (IoT) has significantly impacted new product design by creating the expectation of connectivity for many electronic products. This connectivity also comes with increased product complexity. The addition of transmitters requires understanding and demonstrating regional Radio Frequency (RF) compliance, as well as RF safety and data security challenges, which can impact all areas of the product design. A knowledge of communications regulations is necessary to make informed design decisions at the beginning of the design process to avoid costly redesigns at the product testing stage.
The Need for Effective Compliance Management
The best way to keep your product development on schedule is by focusing on your core business. That is often at odds with regulatory demands that are complex and require high-level engineering input and analysis. Effective compliance management can be crucial in leveling demands on critical engineering resources to meet critical scheduling requirements.
Compliance as Part of the Development Process
The integration of compliance considerations into the product development process is a necessity to reduce development cost and schedule. Identifying and specifying applicable regulations, materials, safety features, testing, and required documentation should be done as part of the product specification process. Failure to identify these requirements at the beginning of the development process can increase design risk and potentially result in significant and costly redesign and re-test.
The Importance of a Regulatory Consultant
Unless your company develops medical devices or is large enough to have multiple overlapping projects, product development compliance is probably not a full-time function. However, when needed, expertise and experience are key factors to efficiently navigating the complexities of the regulatory environment. A consultant with a knowledge of regulations and a background in engineering can be a key factor in effective product development.
Cost Effective
A product development regulatory consultant can work with internal management and engineers as well as external agencies to quickly address compliance needs and develop strategies for compliance. This allows companies to focus on core business and reduce long-term costs associated with potential development delays, recalls, or non-compliance fines.
Complimenting Internal Teams
Consultants offer an objective perspective on your compliance needs, potentially identifying issues not seen by internal development teams. In addition, consultants can bring best practices and insights from working with various companies in the industry to enhance development strategies and address specific issues. Working alongside internal teams, a consultant provides training and experience while they gain regulatory experience.
Industry Contacts
Regulatory problems often need expert engineering solutions to solve complex problems. Striper Solutions LLC works with a number of technical associates that can provide expertise in resolving complex product issues.
Striper Solutions LLC, Your Regulatory Partner
With over 30 years development experience and more than a decade providing consulting services, Striper Solutions has demonstrated a commitment to excellence and integrity in developing new products. Embracing a shift to regulatory compliance allows us to focus on a critical area of product development with the dedication and quality our customers need.
See more at www.striperllc.com
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