Importer

An Importer is defined as any natural or legal person established within the EU who places machinery from a third country (like the US or Canada) onto the European market. This is a specific type of Economic Operator with far more responsibility than a simple logistics partner. For North American manufacturers, your importer is often your first customer or a specialized distributor.

Crucially, the importer is the regulatory "gatekeeper." Under the Machinery Directive and the new Machinery Regulation, they must ensure the manufacturer has correctly completed the relevant Conformity Assessment. They are legally required to verify that the Technical File exists and can be made available to authorities upon request. If the machinery is found to be unsafe, the importer can be held liable for the non-compliance.

To facilitate Traceability Requirements, the importer must indicate their name and registered address on the machinery itself (or, where that is not possible, on the packaging). This ensures that Trading Standards or other surveillance authorities have a direct contact point on EU soil if a safety investigation is launched.