Marking Three Years of PCA Services in Morocco

Morocco’s product conformity assessment (PCA) program, set up by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, has continuously evolved to cover a list of 419 product categories, 80% of which are subject to origin control and 20% to destination control.

We are proud to have been supporting the Ministry of Industry and Trade in its market surveillance program for over three years, with continuous improvement in line with Ministry guidelines and recommendations.

What's new? 

• Building hardware: these products have been included in the list of products subject to inspection upon arrival since February 2024. Two specific types are concerned:

1. Vertical mortise locks known as "simple 150" locks, security warded locks, or cylinder security locks
2. Lock cylinders 

• These products are inspected according to three applicable Moroccan standards.
• Adhesive tapes: these products have been included in the list of products subject to inspection and verification upon arrival since February 2024. Inspection is carried out according to the mandatory Moroccan norme marocaine (NM) standard 03.5.359-2022
• High-adhesion bars and coils, steel products and sandwich panels: mandatory NM certification against 16 Moroccan standards came into effect on August 2, 2024
• Gas appliances and equipment: following Ministerial Order No. 1616.22 concerning the safety of gas appliances and equipment, requirements related to the Cم (CMIM) declaration of conformity, the technical dossier and CMIM marking have been included. This mandatory requirement will take effect from December 20, 2024

We asked Zineb EL Moustaid, PCA Contract Manager three key questions…

1. What can you tell us about PCA Morocco?

The PCA program is a Ministry of Industry and Trade initiative launched in 2020 as part of a market surveillance program. This program enables:

• Consumer protection against the risks associated with the use of industrial products available on the national market, other than agri-food and pharmaceutical products
• Protection for economic operators through the creation of conditions helpful for fair competition in the local market, through regulatory compliance monitoring

2. What advice would you give to a new economic operator?

I would recommend all economic operators monitor standards and regulations so that they are up to date with the requirements applicable to their products. They should communicate full information (Moroccan HS code, technical data sheets, certificates of use, etc.) to the inspection offices to facilitate the processing of their files and optimize lead times. And above all, don't hesitate to consult the inspection offices if you have any questions relating to import operations.

3. You are accredited against IEC/ISO 17020. How has this accreditation helped you to improve your service?

Accreditation has enabled us to set up a quality management system that meets contractual requirements, analyzes the risks associated with our activities and implements the necessary actions to minimize or eliminate them altogether, whilst monitoring and maintaining the qualifications of our teams. It also supports us in implementing an operational process appropriate to the needs of the program that enables our teams to work in good conditions while guaranteeing a better quality of service and good lead times.

Our business model is based on the following elements:

• Certification centers organized by field of expertise (construction, electronics and metrology, automotive and mechanics, domestic textiles etc.)
• An innovative, dedicated software platform, backed by a global network of experts and facilities
• A digital platform for standards, decrees and laws applicable to each product
• File analysis teams for checking and monitoring files
• Field teams covering all points of merchandise, equipped with the latest technology to ensure proper control of goods
• Customer support responding to requests and queries from exporters, imports and forwarding agents

We are committed to playing an active role in improving the quality and conformity of imported industrial products, and to meeting the requirements of our customers around the world.

Learn more about Kingdom of Morocco – Conformity Assessment of Industrial Products Program.

This article can also be found in our PCA Newsletter (Q3/2024) – which keeps you up to date with developments in technical barriers to trade and product conformity assessment.

Read more PCA articles (Q3/2024)

• Securing the Saudi Quality Market for Your Ceramic Tile Exports
• How the Ivory Coast Import Market is Changing
• Export Your Goods With Ease to South Sudan

You can read more articles in our previous editions in the PCA Newsletter Library.