Machinery Update | November / December 2020

www.machineryupdate.co.uk MACHINERY UPDATE 5
PPMA matters
No more false
starts for the
UK, we hope!
Tim Paul
CHAIRMAN, PPMA GROUP OF ASSOCIATIONS
(INCORPORATING PPMA, BARA AND UKIVA)
Whether we like it or not, we need to be prepared for a
new normal on 1 January 2021. Whatever platitudes
and dramas might unfold between the UK and EU
Council members between now and 31 December 2020, one
thing is for sure: change is upon us.
But are the changes really that bad? Through my global account
director role with Domino UK and chairmanship of the PPMA Group
of Associations since 2018, I have experienced the operational
challenges of COVID-19 and Brexit first-hand. And while it could be
argued that things remain “predictably unpredictable”,
irrespective of your political allegiance and geographical
standing, sometimes you need to force the hand that feeds you.
Different does not mean indifferent, it simply means that we
will be governed by a new set of circumstances.
Multiple domain names and
social media accounts have been
taken down for selling C-19 ‘cures’
There are so many issues and connotations to Brexit, you can
end up going full circle and come back with more questions than
you have answers. Although the genuine hardship felt by many
in this C-19 year cannot be ignored, in the main, I believe Brexit
and the pandemic have created a series of opportunities that
have been brilliantly disguised as problems and challenges,
particularly for those serving the food and pharmaceutical sectors.
However, where there is an issue of supply and demand comes
opportunism, and those that are unfortunately willing can often
exploit others. Therefore, deal or no deal, the implementation
of things like the Medical Device Regulations (MDR) legislation
in May 2021 can only be a good thing for consumers in the UK
and our European counterparts (learn more in our special
pharmaceuticals feature that starts on page 42).
There is also the requirement for placing medical devices on
the market, along with other cross-border manufactured goods,
with different rules for Great Britain and Northern Ireland at
the end of the transition period. Recent updates to conformity
assessment now mean existing CE marking will continue to be
recognised in Great Britain until 30 June 2023. Similarly,
UK Notified Bodies will not be able to issue CE certificates, other
than for the purposes of the CE UKNI marking (valid in Northern
Ireland) and will become UK Approved Bodies from 1 January 2021.
Undoubtedly, the road ahead will be bumpy, but UK
manufacturing must stand as one to bring about new-found
prosperity. It is time to make it happen.
n
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T. 01536 748525
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