UL acquires Luminaire Testing Laboratory

UL, a product safety certification organization, has acquired a laboratory approved for Energy Star qualification testing of LED lighting products.

Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL), an independent product safety certification organization based in Northbrook, Illinois, has acquired Luminaire Testing Laboratory (LTL), based in Allentown, PA.

LTL is an independent testing laboratory that provides performance testing of lamps and luminaires, and is one of five laboratories approved by the Department of Energy (DOE) for Energy Star qualification testing for LED lighting products.

UL says that the acquisition will "bolster [its] leadership in the lighting industry, which is a strategic market for UL."

"LED technology and energy efficiency are transforming the lighting industry, with the market for LED products estimated to grow significantly over the next 15 years," said Keith Williams, UL's President and CEO. "With the acquisition of LTL we continue to advance public safety worldwide and are well positioned to meet the growing market demands for third party testing for performance and energy efficiency of LED products."

LTL has been providing energy efficiency testing for lighting products for 20 years. In addition to energy efficiency testing, LTL provides performance testing services to the lighting industry for both lamps and luminaires. LTL is instrumental in the development of photometric testing standards including IES-LM79, the primary standard used for Energy Starqualification of LED lighting products.

UL has been evaluating lighting products since 1929 and has 20 years of experience with LED lighting products. This acquisition further strengthens UL's market leadership and gives UL the ability to offer bundled safety and performance testing capabilities to the lighting industry. LTL will be part of UL's Verification Services business.

"We are pleased to be aligned with the global brand of Underwriters Laboratories," said Michael Grather, CEO of Luminaire Testing Laboratory (LTL). "We are thrilled to be able to build on UL's current leadership with our expertise in lighting performance testing."

About Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is an independent product safety certification organization that has been testing products and writing Standards for Safety for over a century. UL evaluates more than 19,000 types of products, components, materials and systems annually with 20 billion UL Marks appearing on 72,000 manufacturers' products each year. UL's worldwide family of companies and network of service providers includes 64 laboratory, testing and certification facilities serving customers in 98 countries.

About Luminaire Testing Laboratory, Inc.

Founded in 1989, Luminaire Testing Laboratory, Inc. (LTL) is an independent lighting performance testing laboratory based in Allentown, PA that provides performance testing services for manufacturers of lamps and luminaires. LTL provides third-party testing services to the lighting industry such as goniophotometry, integrating sphere and ballast services. It is one of five laboratories approved by the DOE for ENERGY STAR® qualification testing for LED lighting products.