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Navigating Global Markets: Essential Documentation to Avoid Launch Pitfalls

Bringing a product into a new market presents both opportunities and challenges, and effective technical documentation is key to success. Without a clear understanding of legal, technical, and cultural nuances, setbacks can arise. Investing in professional expertise ensures your documentation meets the highest standards, helping you navigate complexities with confidence.

Technical documentation serves as a vital link between your product and everyone involved with it. When introducing your product to a new market abroad, it's crucial to consider the differences in legal systems, as well as the varying technical and language requirements in different countries. 

Understanding Product Compliance Requirements

Compliance requirements are among the most critical aspects of both technical documentation and the product itself. Regulations define the information that must be included in the documentation and the standards the product must meet.

Crucially, not adhering to compliance requirements can lead to legal repercussions and harm the product’s reputation.

  • Product modifications: Consider the differences in electrical outlet standards across countries. If your product’s power connector doesn’t fit the outlets in another country, you’ll need to modify both the product and the accompanying documentation.
  • Certificates: In some cases, you may need to acquire additional safety or quality certificates for your product in different countries. Etteplan is here to help you navigate these legal requirements and assist with product testing to ensure conformity with international standards.
  • Symbols and color schemes: Warning and hazard symbols in the European Union comply with ISO standards, while those in the USA follow ANSI standards. Be mindful of the color schemes used in your documentation. In Western cultures, red often signifies prohibition and danger, while green indicates permission and safety. Eastern cultures may interpret these colors differently, as noted by Maciej Chudański, a skilled technical illustrator in Etteplan.

How to adjust documentation to different legal requirements?

Etteplan uses component content management systems (CCMS), which make it easier to introduce and manage documentation modifications. 

  • Documentation variants: You have the ability to develop distinct documentation versions for each market. This allows, for instance, an extra certificate to be included only in the documents for the specific country where it is mandated.
  • Variables: If a product has a different rated voltage or is marketed under another brand in a different region, the CCMS can adjust the name or number as a variable to ensure proper localization and compliance. You can establish a set of variables tailored to a specific country or geographic area (like Europe) and integrate them into the current documentation. See the example below:
  • Conditions: If you need to add a warning or description to the documentation for a specific country, you can set a condition in the CCMS. For instance, you might choose a country or geographic area, just like with variables. When publishing the document, select the relevant option (e.g., USA). You will then see the standard text for all countries, along with sections specific to the condition “USA”.

Tailored Documentation for Global Success

Thanks to technical documentation that is modified in compliance with the requirements applicable in each country, you can effectively introduce your product to international markets. This approach ensures compliance with legal and formal standards, while also providing users with accurate and clear information about the product. 

Ask our expert a question

Kimmo Kallio

Vice President Technical Communication Solutions

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