The Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) and CSA International are working together to streamline the certification process and help electrical manufacturers get their products to U.S. and Canadian markets more quickly.
The U.S. and Canadian testing organizations signed an agreement on Nov. 10, 2003, and adopted an expanded Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on March 1, 2004. After several months of negotiation, UL and CSA completed the first phase of the mutual component acceptance program, which will allow manufacturers to obtain both UL and CSA certification and listing with a single product test. The expanded MoU will cover 50 additional component and 11 additional end-product categories as well as the 13 product categories included in the 1996 agreement.
“The expanded MoU and the mutual acceptance program are part of UL’s overall drive to help manufacturers get safer products to market faster,” said Gus Schaefer, UL’s senior vice president and chief operating officer for the United States and Canada.
“The mutual component acceptance program is increasing the competitiveness of our electrical manufacturers by reducing costs and clearing the path to market,” said Malcolm O’Hagan, president of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association.
end of article