Netherlands

Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe and most of what arrives there leaves again, which makes the Netherlands a distribution decision as much as a destination. A great deal of EMM's Dutch business is with importers, distributors and project companies who are buying for installation elsewhere in the European Union, and that matters because the conformity obligation sits with whoever places the product on the EU market. If that is you, you carry the CE responsibility, and we supply the technical file, risk assessment and declaration of conformity you need to discharge it properly rather than leaving you exposed.

Horticulture, and the food chain built around it

Dutch greenhouse horticulture is the most technically advanced in the world, and the Westland and Venlo clusters are the single most distinctive source of demand here. The sector buys climate control and screening, LED growing systems, irrigation and fertigation, substrate handling, internal transport, sorting and grading, and packing lines - and Dutch growers are exacting buyers who will measure what you claim. Flower auction logistics at Aalsmeer buys cooling, handling and processing equipment. Food processing is large and export-oriented: dairy and cheese, potato processing at world scale, confectionery and cocoa processing in Amsterdam and Zaanstad, which has been a cocoa trading and grinding centre for centuries, meat processing and beverage filling. Recycling and circular-economy plant has grown strongly with EU policy. Offshore wind installation and maintenance out of Rotterdam, Vlissingen and Eemshaven buys lifting, cable and fabrication equipment. Inland shipping and port logistics take handling, conveying and workshop plant.

Standards and conditions

Machinery placed on the EU market must carry CE marking under the Machinery Directive, with Dutch or English-language instructions accepted in practice, and from January 2027 the new Machinery Regulation applies. Nominal supply here is 230 V single phase with 400 V three phase, 50 Hz. Much of the country is below sea level with a high water table, which is worth remembering when siting pits, foundations and below-grade electrical equipment.

Tell us whether you are the EU importer of record. If you are, the technical file is not a formality and we will prepare it properly.