THE IMPORTANCE OF NOM FOR CONSUMERS.

Did you know that starting June 3 the Norma Oficial Mexicana (“NOMS”, Official Mexican Standards in English) became mandatory?

But what is a NOM?
HERE WE TELL YOU!

What is a NOM?

The Normas Oficiales Mexicanas are regulations that the authority determinates based on information, requirements, specifications, procedures and methodology that the products must meet, ensuring the quality and safety of the final consumer, that is, us.

The NOMS, as they are best known, have always existed, previously before becoming mandatory the products could be imported using the famous “non-marketing letter” where the importer declared that the products would not be marketed to the general public.

They become obligatory due to the misuse and abuse of these letters, they began to be imported and the products were sold to the public in general, resulting in major consequences such as: unusable, broken products, burnt cables, short life of the products, among others.

"As we mentioned at the beginning, the Official Mexican Standards exist to offer us consumers a safe and quality product."

There are different types of NOMS, as of last June 3 they become mandatory for most electrical and electronic products. Among them:

Washing machines
Blenders
Refrigerators
Luminaires
Televisions

To comply with the NOM that the authority requires, it is necessary to send a sample of the products to the laboratory so that they can carry out the necessary tests to confirm that they meet the required standards.

The number of samples required depends on which product it is, the range is up to 1 to 3 samples and the time also varies according to the type of NOM, among the most common are the NOMS of SCFI, ENERGIA and CONAGUA. The certification times for the first two, are between 45 days up to 2 months and for CONAGUA for 2 to 5 months depending on the response of the corresponding agency.

And what about the cost?

The costs will always depend on the tests performed on each product, there are NOMS ranging from $ 400 USD to $ 4,000 USD.

How are laboratory tests made?

Once the samples are sent to the laboratory, it should be emphasized that these laboratories are authorized and registered with the authority to perform them. They begin to be carried out depending on the products, among them, tests of resistance, of operation, of corrosion. The products are put in cameras of different temperatures, as well as, they remain connected for a certain time, all this to measure the resistance and security that when we have it at home, it won’t generate any problem.

An example of a product of our daily life is the cell phone, do you remember that a couple of years ago they banned in airplanes to travel with a Samsung smartphone? This was because it exploded if it was overheated, this meant that this device could enter the country, as well as its commercialization without complying with the necessary tests to verify that it was a safe device for the consumer. Therefore, the importance to comply with the procedure and compliance with the Rules.

THE NOMS EXEMPTIONS ...

But there is very good news!! The authority gives us 17 exemptions to the NOM, among the most important:

Household items: anyone who wants to move to the country and wants to bring their used belongings, can exempt the NOMS.
Electrical or electronic products that work with electrical voltages lower than or equal to 24V.
Goods destined for import for events and conventions.

And good news for the Importers!

There are different types of strategies that the authority determines that help us to comply with the NOMS as long as they have certain specific characteristics, and thus, avoiding sending our products to the laboratory and having them tested. In this way, we optimize time and costs in operations.

Among the success stories we have had with these strategies:

We have a client that supplies the hotel chains with ventilation equipment, just imagine the variety of catalogs that they have, within the strategies, we implement the grouping of models and families, reducing their costs more than 40% as if I had to certify each of their products.

Another one, is a client that imports water purifiers, implementing one of the strategies that the authority grants us, we managed to import as 1 single product and not as each item that composes it, this makes it necessary to certify the final product and not every component, optimizing time and costs.

If you have a product and do not know if it requires NOM? In IMPOEXPORTA we can gladly advise you and support you to verify it!!

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