Markets & international trade
Our customers in Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, the United States and Canada apply thorough supplier due diligence, and so do we. This page sets out how we handle counterparty checks, sanctions screening, product compliance, customs and shipping on every international transaction.
Markets
Our registered office and logistics base are in the Netherlands, at the centre of Europe's port and road network. From there we buy, sell and ship machinery for customers and suppliers in the regions below.
Europe · Asia-Pacific · North America Also served on request: United Kingdom · Switzerland · Norway · Australia · New Zealand · Taiwan · Chile · Uruguay
Our approach
Before we trade we verify legal identity, ownership and authorised signatories through official registries and screen all parties against EU, UN, UK and US sanctions and export-control lists. We expect, and welcome, the same checks on us.
We comply with EU restrictive measures and the EU Dual-Use Regulation (EU) 2021/821, and we respect US re-export rules for US-origin goods. We do not supply embargoed destinations or listed persons, and we document end use and end user where required.
No facilitation payments, no improper gifts, no undisclosed intermediaries. Our policy follows the Dutch Criminal Code and is designed to be compatible with the US FCPA, the UK Bribery Act, Singapore's Prevention of Corruption Act and Japan's Unfair Competition Prevention Act, which many of our counterparties apply to their suppliers.
Every machine has a documented identity (serial number, photos, hour reading), a condition report and the market-specific compliance documents. Records are retained for seven years in line with Dutch law.
Invoices in the name of Windmolen Machines B.V., payment to the company account only. For intercontinental transactions we work with confirmed irrevocable letters of credit, escrow or staged payments linked to inspection and shipment.
Product compliance
A machine that is legal to use in the Netherlands is not automatically legal to import or operate elsewhere. Before we ship, we check the destination requirements with your customs broker or authority and assemble the documentation. An orientation per market:
| Market | Machinery & engines | Safety & operation | Road vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU / EEA | CE marking; Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC → Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 from 20 Jan 2027; Stage V engines (Reg. (EU) 2016/1628) for new non-road machinery | Harmonised EN standards; operator instructions in the local language | EU type-approval / CoC; national registration |
| United Kingdom | UKCA or CE (recognition continued); Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations | PUWER, LOLER for lifting equipment | DVSA / DVLA registration |
| United States | EPA nonroad engine certification (Tier 4 Final) required for import; CARB requirements in California | OSHA 29 CFR 1926 (construction), ANSI/ITSDF B56 (forklifts), ANSI A92 (MEWPs) | FMVSS / DOT conformity for trucks; non-conforming vehicles generally only when 25 years or older |
| Canada | ECCC Off-Road Compression-Ignition Engine Emission Regulations (aligned with US EPA) | CSA standards; provincial occupational health and safety regulations | Transport Canada CMVSS; 15-year rule for non-conforming vehicles |
| Japan | Off-Road Law emission type designation (MLIT) for non-road special motor vehicles | Industrial Safety and Health Act structural standards and periodic inspections (cranes, forklifts, MEWPs); JIS | MLIT type approval; registration |
| Singapore | NEA off-road diesel engine emission standards; registration of non-road machinery as required | MOM Workplace Safety and Health Act: lifting equipment examined and certified by an Authorised Examiner | LTA registration; Certificate of Entitlement system |
| South Korea | Construction Machinery Management Act registration and inspection; Korean emission standards | KC certification where applicable; Occupational Safety and Health Act | MOLIT type approval; registration |
| Hong Kong SAR | EPD Non-road Mobile Machinery (Emission) Regulation: approval and label before use | Labour Department lifting appliances and lifting gear regulations; Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance | Transport Department registration |
Orientation only, based on publicly available regulations as at October 2026; requirements change and depend on the machine, engine and intended use. The applicable requirements are confirmed per machine with the importer's broker or the competent authority before shipment.
Customs & trade agreements
Shipping
Roll-on/roll-off and container services from Rotterdam, Antwerp, Zeebrugge and Bremerhaven serve Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong as well as the US East, Gulf and West coasts and Canada (Halifax, Montréal, Vancouver). Oversized machines travel on flat-rack or open-top containers, break-bulk or RoRo decks, lashed and surveyed before departure.
Yes. For intercontinental transactions we accept confirmed irrevocable letters of credit issued by a reputable bank, with documents (invoice, packing list, bill of lading, inspection report) presented according to the L/C terms. Escrow and staged payments are alternatives.
Contracts, invoices and shipping documents are issued in English (or Dutch). We supply the data your broker needs for local forms, and we can arrange sworn translations of key documents on request.
Yes. All counterparties, vessels and destinations are screened against the EU consolidated sanctions list, UN lists and the UK and US (OFAC, BIS) lists before contract and again before shipment. We will decline or suspend a transaction that fails screening.
Dutch law, with the competent court in Amsterdam, unless agreed otherwise in writing; the CISG is excluded. We are open to arbitration clauses (for example NAI or ICC) for larger international contracts.
Our office hours are 09:00–17:00 CET. That overlaps with the late afternoon in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea and with the morning on the US East Coast; for the US West Coast we schedule calls in the early CET evening on request.
Next step
Tell us the machine, the destination and the required documentation. We will quote delivered to port or site, with the compliance file included.
