UL advantage – New meets now

To give manufacturers greater control over the timing of their certification, UL’s new certification program, called  UL Advantage_SM, now allows qualified participants to dovetail certification requirements directly into their established business processes with virtually zero turnaround time.

A revolutionary new approach to certification, UL Advantage_SM provides manufacturers a new, more agile process which offers manufacturers the flexibility they want, while still enabling them to leverage UL’s expertise and reputation for product differentiation. In addition, manufacturers will enjoy all of the benefits of UL certification – technical expertise, uncompromising quality and a brand that consumers trust.

The program is built around individual manufacturer and its product lines. It can even help build better products.  As part of the acceptance into the program, a manufacturer's staff is required to participate in an eLearning program to ensure the company's products are designed to meet UL's safety standards.

Manufacturing locations are assessed for quality systems and testing capabilities to validate proficiency to perform testing.

Successful completion of training and validation enables manufacturers to apply the UL Mark in-house to all products – existing and those yet to be imagined – as long as they are built in accordance with program requirements.

This means businesses can move quickly to get safety-certified products to the market at the right time. Under UL Advantage_SM, UL conducts biannual process-based in-field audits of each manufacturer's testing process and supporting documentation to ensure continued qualification for the program. Without compromising quality, manufacturers who join UL Advantage_SM will benefit from a streamlined process from initial qualification to factory follow-ups to continued use of the program.  Once qualified, products are certified as they come off the production line, which eliminates the need to alter production schedules and minimizes the risk of delaying the launch to market.

For information, please contact Truda Chow, business development manager for consumer electronics or visit www.ul.com/advantage .