Exclusive Distributor for Australia and New Zealand...
If as an international manufacturer, your distribution strategy is to have an exclusive distributor for Australia and New Zealand then your chosen distributor must provide ACMA/RSM certified EMC compliance services. For each product you supply to the Australian or New Zealand markets your chosen distributor must be willing to properly review your company’s EMC product testing reports and issue a Declarations of Conformity certifying the product adheres to applicable ACMA/RSM EMC standards. The distributor must then create a Compliance Folder for each product consisting of government mandated documentation supporting the product’s EMC compliance. The Compliance Folder must then be actively maintained to reflect any product changes, revisions or additional EMC tests. The distributor must also provide your company with their unique EMC compliance agent identity code which you are required to emboss on all products you ship to Australia and New Zealand. For more information please click EMC Regulations
Implications...
An exclusive distribution strategy has several EMC regulation implications for an international manufacturer including:
1. It restricts the distributors a manufacturer can partner with to those who provide ACMA/RSM certified EMC compliance services.
2. It restricts or impedes access to complimentary channels (VLAs, international direct clients, etc.) as a distributor will most likely not wish to provide EMC compliance services for a manufacturer’s clients in which it has no financial incentive to do so nor control over their importing policies and procedures.
3. It restricts a manufacturer’s ability to readily modify their distribution channel to meet changing market conditions.
Example...
Let’s say you wish to cancel an exclusive agreement with your distributor in favor of either changing distributors or adding additional distributors. The problem arises in that your exclusive distributor is also your ACMA/RSM EMC compliance agent and it is highly unlikely they will want to remain so if you cancel their distribution contract. Nor are they likely to provide EMC compliance services for additional distributors (their competitors) if you add them.
If you change exclusive distributors than your new distributor must also provide government certified EMC compliance services. Your new distributor will also need to re-certify each product you ship to Australia and New Zealand as ACMA/RSM EMC compliant and re-create their associated Compliance Folders. You are then required to change the embossing on each product you ship to Australia and New Zealand to reflect your new distributor’s unique EMC compliance agency code. If you decided to change your distribution strategy from an exclusive distribution model to a multiple distribution model, please click Multiple Distributors to assess the Australian and New Zealand EMC implications.
The ANZEMC Solution