The MID is now in operation. We now have a new system of Type Approval and Verification for automatic weighing instruments, and the old national system, that served us well for more than a century is now no longer available for new equipment. (It stays in effect for instruments that are already in service and any Type Approvals that have not yet expired, but there will be no new Approvals to that legislation.)
For our industry the products affected are:
- Automatic Gravimetric Filling Machines
- Discontinuous Totalisers
- Beltweighers,
- Catchweighers
- In-motion Rail Weighbridges
Each of these instruments will still be required to be Type Approved, but the Approval will now be under the Directive and will be valid anywhere in the European Union. Manufacturers will be able to be accredited to carry out the initial verification of these instruments and again verification will be valid anywhere within the EU.
Checkweighers will also be controlled in most of the EU, although the UK has exercised its option under the Directive to have no controls on these instruments. However, anyone wishing to manufacture or sell checkweighers elsewhere in the EU will be able to get a Type Approval from NWML and will be able to carry out initial verification if they are accredited to do so.
One of the most significant differences between the old legislation and the MID is the ability for a manufacturer to get a different form of Type Approval, known as Design Examination. This new system will allow manufacturers to submit design details and test results to the Notified Body, without the need to submit a model for examination and test. Manufacturers wishing to follow this path must be have an accredited Quality System covering both design and manufacture, and they will need to make sure that the system covers their procedures and processes for ensuring that all the requirements of the MID are met. At the moment Design Examination is only available for automatic weighing instruments, NAWI will still require the Type Approval Certificate that we are used to, however there are many advantages to the Design Examination system and the Federation will be working with CECIP and others to explore ways of having it available for NAWI at some time in the future.
Guidance Notes for the new Regulations implementing the MID will be available from NWML though at the moment we cannot give you an exact date on when that will be. Also there are currently no "harmonised standards" or "normative documents" supporting the MID, but NWML have advised us that they are following the existing versions of the appropriate OIML documents to judge compliance with the essential requirements. As soon as the Guidance Notes are published, or the standards/normative documents are issued we will let you know.
Initial Verification under the MID can only be carried out either by the accredited manufacturer or a Notified Body. Whilst many local Trading Standards Departments are Notified Bodies for Initial Verification under the NAWI Directive it is likely that many will not choose to be Notified for automatic weighing instruments. We will shortly be providing a link from the UKWF web-site to the EC web-site where you will be able to see which TS Departments are able to verify under the MID.
Like the NAWI Directive we can expect some teething problems with MID; if you have any questions or queries please contact the Technical Officer for advice. | 
