“Please provide the complete technical documentation. Preferably yesterday.”
Sounds familiar? Welcome to the everyday life of many compliance teams. Between customer requirements, market requirements and legal requirements, one thing often gets lost: true collaboration on equal terms.
But that is exactly what is crucial, especially in the field of Product Compliance.
🧩 Product Compliance is teamwork across company boundaries
Whether it's the Machinery Directive, CE marking, REACH, RoHS or the Product Safety. But to get there more than just a signature is needed: it requires trust, communication and a shared understanding of responsibility.
🔑 Why collaborative cooperation with customers is so essential:
1️⃣ Shared goals, different perspectives
Customers want safe and compliant products, just like we do. But what "compliant" means depends on the market, the intended use and the risk assessment. Open discussions help prevent misunderstandings and define realistic requirements.
2️⃣ Time is a compliance killer
If the customer only asks for the compliance declaration two weeks before launch, it gets tight. Early communication provides planning security for both sides. After all, no one wants to cobble together compliance documents under time pressure with copy-paste.
3️⃣ Sharing knowledge = reducing risks
Many customers are not even aware of how complex certain proof obligations are, especially with imported products or changes in product design. Those who act in an advisory capacity here and don’t just "check off tasks" become a trusted partner rather than just a supplier.
4️⃣ Regulation is not getting easier
With the Green Deal, Digital Product Passport & Co., complexity is increasing. Those who act in isolation will fail. Those who collaborate can recognize trends in time, adjust processes and develop solutions together.
💬 Partnership instead of Ping-Pong
Customer relationships in the compliance sector work best when both parties see themselves as part of the same goal: safe, legally compliant and marketable products. Not as a control authority against suppliers or as annoying bureaucracy.
Because in the end:
Good compliance is not a coincidence, it is the result of good collaboration.
👉 You are interested in more Product Compliance?
I can help with:
✔️ Setting up a Product Compliance System
✔️ Training managers and specialist departments
✔️ Compliance checks
