Custom Machine Construction: Choosing the Right Partner and Ensuring Safety Compliance

Custom Machine Construction: How to Choose the Right Partner and Avoid Safety Issues

Do you know the responsibilities that come with deciding to build or purchase custom machines? Are you confident that the company you choose will meet all legal and technological requirements? What about the costs involved—do you understand what factors most influence the final price? In today’s complex production processes, automation is not just a trend but often a necessity. However, deciding to commission custom machine construction is just the beginning of the challenges. Below are essential tips to help you select the right supplier and ensure that the machine you order meets strict legal and technical standards.

Is Your Process Ready for Automation?

Before you start looking for a company to design and build a machine tailored to your needs, ask yourself: Is the process I want to automate stable and repeatable enough to justify the investment?

• Established Processes
  If the process is well-established and its parameters are well-known, it’s worth consulting a machine manufacturer experienced in that field (e.g., packaging, palletizing, or welding). This allows for a quicker transition from design to implementation, as the operational scheme and safety requirements are tested and easy to define.
• New, Non-standard Operations
  When dealing with new, innovative processes, implementing automation becomes a kind of R&D department. Such a project requires a partner unafraid of experimentation and capable of working iteratively: first testing the concept, then building the final solution. Often, you need to look at processes from a broader perspective and consider what can actually be automated (usually “everything can be,” but at what cost?) and what benefits automation will bring.

Custom Machine Construction: What to Consider?

Declaration of Conformity and CE Marking

According to the Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC), and soon the Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery, the manufacturer (the company building the machine) is obliged to issue a declaration of conformity and assign the CE mark at their own risk. This is not just a formality—it’s a conscious confirmation that the machine meets essential safety requirements. If it turns out otherwise, the manufacturer may be forced to withdraw the machine from the market, which could mean halting production at the client’s site.

The Role of the Machine Buyer

When ordering a machine, you must be aware of the standards and norms the product should meet. Although the primary responsibility for compliance lies with the manufacturer, the user (buyer) also has duties related to making the machine operational with people. If the machine does not meet essential requirements, an inspection (e.g., by OSHA) may order its shutdown and withdrawal from circulation. This means not only financial losses but also the risk of accidents and legal liability.

Difference Between Essential and Minimal Requirements

• Essential Requirements
  These are criteria that must be met to assign a machine the CE mark and legally introduce it to the market. They cover a range of issues related to safety, ergonomics, and workplace hygiene.
• Minimal Requirements
  These arise from the so-called “Tool Directive” (Directive 2009/104/EC) and represent the minimum safety level an employer must ensure when operating older machines. However, with the introduction of the concept of “significant modification” in the new Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, any significant rebuild or modernization means the device must meet full essential requirements. This limits the possibility of using outdated machines solely based on minimal requirements.

Custom Machine Construction: Collaborating with an Experienced Partner

If you decide on custom machine construction, remember that the best results come from tailoring technical solutions to your process, not the other way around. What does this mean in practice?

First, it’s worth conducting a business-technology risk analysis to determine if the process is ready for automation. This involves assessing both potential gains (e.g., reduced labor costs, faster completion time) and limitations (e.g., the technological advancement level in the company, availability of specialists). If this analysis shows that the process can be effectively and safely automated, you can proceed to the next steps.

The next step is a detailed risk assessment from the perspective of essential requirements, i.e., the provisions of the Machinery Directive and the new Regulation (EU) 2023/1230. This stage determines the final machine design, what safety measures to include, and whether additional process modifications are needed. A serious manufacturer usually follows this scheme:

1. Process Preparation Assessment – business-technology risk analysis to see if automation is profitable and feasible.
2. Design and Prototype – an initial design or prototype of the machine to verify assumptions and assess whether the planned technical solutions make sense.
3. Development of Safeguards – from control system concepts to selecting guards and protective systems. Here, it’s crucial to conduct a parallel risk analysis in the context of essential requirements.
4. Documentation and Final Compliance Assessment – at this stage, the manufacturer refines construction details, confirms compliance with standards (e.g., harmonized) and prepares full technical documentation required to issue a declaration of conformity and assign the CE mark.

It’s important that each of these phases considers both the business perspective (is it profitable?) and the legal one (will our machine fully comply with the directive and regulation requirements?). This way, even innovative or complex projects can be realized predictably and safely.

Custom Machine Construction: Before You Choose – Training and Support

Even the best machine won’t deliver the expected benefits if the team responsible for its purchase and supervision lacks sufficient knowledge of the Machinery Directive and Regulation (EU) 2023/1230. This is crucial, especially for those responsible for investments in the company (engineering, maintenance departments) and safety specialists. Professional training and consultancy can answer key questions:

• How to order a machine in compliance with regulations? – Understanding legal requirements and the scope of responsibility makes it easier to choose a supplier who truly understands machine safety.
• How to verify a supplier for safety? – The right level of legal and technical awareness ensures that the company designing and building the machine will meet both essential requirements and industry standards.
• How to use and maintain the machine? – Even the best design can fail if there’s a lack of knowledge about safety procedures, maintenance, or periodic audits.

Specialized companies like Engineering Shield can help in this area, offering training and consultations in the field of the Machinery Directive and Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, and showing how to translate theory into practice. As a result:

• You check the supplier’s competence – you have clarity on whether the project team knows the regulations and can implement them.
• You minimize the risk of interpretive errors – correct understanding of requirements translates into shorter execution time and fewer corrections.
• You protect employees and investment – well-trained personnel means less risk of accidents and failures, ensuring work safety and production continuity.

Training also covers harmonized standards and indicates practical ways to verify whether the machine is indeed designed and built according to current regulations. This not only ensures investment security but also provides a solid foundation for further automation process development in your company.

Custom machine construction offers an opportunity to optimize processes and introduce new quality to your company. To turn this opportunity into success, it’s worth:

1. Thoroughly analyzing the process for automation possibilities.
2. Ensuring full compliance with essential requirements – lack of proper risk assessment and failure to follow procedures can result in the machine being withdrawn from the market.
3. Choosing an experienced partner who understands your needs, tests the concept, and delivers a safe, compliant solution.
4. Investing in training to ensure that personnel can use new devices effectively and safely.

Main Risks in Ordering a Machine

Potential Risk	Consequences	How to Minimize?
Insufficient Process Analysis	Delays, incomplete automation, or even failed automation	Thorough initial business-technology risk assessment; prototype testing.
Lack of Documentation and Compliance	Acceptance difficulties, legal sanctions, machine withdrawal	Close collaboration with an experienced partner; ensuring full CE documentation.
Neglecting Safety Risk Assessment	Threats to employees, production stoppages, production halts	Incorporating essential requirements and industry standards at the design stage.
Underestimating Project Costs	Budget overruns, low investment profitability, “burned” money	Early scope determination and reliable estimates; clear communication at every stage.

At Engineering Shield, we specialize not only in machine safety but also in safely implementing new technologies. With our team of experienced machine-building engineers, we take a holistic approach to every project, combining legal requirements with production realities. Moreover, we can jointly design and build a production line with the client.

If you’re wondering whether your production process is suitable for automation and how to safely implement new solutions in your company, seek professional support. Collaboration with experts like Engineering Shield will help you avoid costly mistakes, accelerate implementation, and ensure full compliance with applicable law. After all, safety and efficiency are investments that pay off multiple times over.

FAQ: Custom Machine Construction