Right to Repair and Cybersecurity Overhaul Reshape German Machinery Standards from Mid-2026

By July 31, 2026, manufacturers of 16 categories of electronic devices — from servers to e-bikes — must hold spare parts for up to ten years and design their products to be easier to fix. The right-to-repair mandate is part of a wider compliance wave hitting German industry, with cybersecurity now baked directly into machine-safety standards.

Just weeks earlier, in June 2026, the updated DIN EN 60204?1 came into force. The standard defines the state of the art for electrical equipment on machines, targeting control-system design, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), protective bonding and the documentation of all three. Chapter 18 contains a detailed inspection catalog. The norm itself does not prescribe periodic re-inspections; that obligation falls on operators under Germany’s operational safety regulation (BetrSichV) and DIN VDE 0105-100. Companies must set the scope and intervals based on their own risk assessments.

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The update is not an isolated event. Europe’s new Machinery Regulation 2023/1230, which takes full effect on 20 January 2027 with no transition period, will replace the old Machinery Directive entirely. Its key feature: coupling functional safety with cybersecurity. Already in January 2026, the German technical rule TRBS 1115 Part 1 was revised to spell out how the BetrSichV applies cyber risks across a machine’s entire life cycle. Since then, risk assessments have had to include IT security — for example, verifying that protective devices cannot be tampered with digitally. Industry surveys indicate most companies already involve employees in drafting these assessments.

Testing bodies are moving in tandem. Starting 1 October 2026, TÜV Rheinland will require new CNC machining centres and automated production lines to carry an integrated digital certification interface meeting EN ISO 13849?1:2023 (Performance Level e). The interface must allow remote verification of safety logic and automatic reporting. Equipment without this interface will not get its CE marking renewed for the EU market. Meanwhile, the PROFIBUS & PROFINET International organisation (PI) released a whitepaper in May 2026 outlining a risk-based approach for using protocols such as PROFINET and IO-Link securely.

Workplace accident insurers are also adjusting. On 26 June 2026, the delegate assembly of the BG ETEM approved a new hazard tariff that will apply from January 2027. Among the changes: large and small electrical installation will be merged into a common risk class.

While regulation tightens, technology races ahead. Recent trade shows showcased systems that make machine controls accessible through voice models, aiming to simplify operation of complex robotics. Humanoid robots are seen as the next addition to factory floors, though most companies are still piloting them. Germany currently has a robot density of 449 units per 10,000 employees — third-highest in the world.

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