From directive to regulation – more than a formality

The old framework was a directive: each country translated it into its own national rules, with room for national interpretation. The new one is a regulation, it applies directly and uniformly across the whole EEA, with no national adjustments. For Norway, that means the 2009 machinery regulations are repealed and replaced, and the requirements become the same here as in the rest of Europe.

The CE mark remains. But from 20 January 2027, it's this regulation the mark is built on.

Four things that actually change

1. Digital documentation becomes the default. For the first time, instructions for use and the declaration of conformity can be delivered digitally as the standard. Paper is something the user can request, not something that must sit in the box. In return, the documentation must be accessible and downloadable throughout the equipment's life, in practice for at least ten years.

2. "Substantial modification" is now defined. The regulation sets out what counts as a substantial modification of a machine. If you modify equipment substantially, you can yourself be regarded as the manufacturer, with new requirements for conformity assessment and documentation. For anyone who repairs, rebuilds or adapts lifting equipment, this is the single most important change to understand.

3. Lifting accessories are explicitly covered. Chains, ropes, shackles and other lifting accessories fall clearly within the scope. There's less doubt than before about what counts.

4. Cybersecurity and smart equipment. For equipment with software, sensors or connectivity, new requirements arrive that aim to prevent safety functions from being tampered with. The "smarter" the equipment, the more this applies to you.

The common thread: documentation you can trust – digitally

Look at the four changes together and they point the same way. The centre of gravity shifts from "did you have the paperwork when the machine was sold" to "can you show a traceable, up-to-date and available history throughout its whole life".

This is where many will feel the gap. A binder that was good enough in 2015 isn't built for a requirement of digital availability for ten years, traceable changes, and conformity that must be documentable on request.

Kolos Kontroll: documentation that already lives digitally

Kolos Kontroll is built on the very principle the regulation now brings to the fore: that inspection history, certificates and documentation should sit together, digital and accessible, not in a binder, but somewhere you find it when you need it. You log in for the full history, or scan the QR code right on the equipment to retrieve documentation without logging in.

It doesn't make Kolos Kontroll a "compliance button" for the Machinery Regulation. Conformity is the manufacturer's responsibility and is tied to the machine itself. But the digital, traceable documentation the regulation rewards is exactly what the platform is made for. And because Kolos manufactures lifting equipment ourselves, we sit inside the new framework on both sides of the table: as a manufacturer that must CE-mark under the regulation, and as an inspection body that keeps your documentation in order throughout its life.

If you're wondering in particular about "substantial modification", whether a repair or rebuild tips you into manufacturer responsibility, that's a conversation we're glad to have. We stand in that assessment ourselves, every time we modify equipment.

Well ahead of 2027

You have until 20 January 2027. But digital, traceable documentation isn't built overnight – it's built by starting before you have to. Get in touch, and we'll show you what Kolos Kontroll looks like in practice – or go straight to Kolos Kontroll.

Kolos Lifting & Inspection · Skvadronvegen 29, 4050 Sola, Norway · +47 98 90 44 44 · 24 hr duty +47 905 80 510 · post@kolos.no