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UL 2013 Chicago Innovation Awards Finalist

October 3, 2013

UL's Product Safety DNA Process Recognized as a Top 100 Nominee

NORTHBROOK, Ill., October 2, 2013 - UL (Underwriters Laboratories), a world leader in advancing safety science, has been named a Top 100 Nominee finalist by the 2013 Chicago Innovation Awards organization, in recognition of its Product Safety DNA Process. Winners of the Chicago Innovation Awards, the largest annual celebration of innovation in the Midwest, cut across all industries, representing big companies, small companies, for-profit and not-for-profit, high-tech, low-tech, and no-tech. They demonstrate the breadth of innovation that is unique to the Chicago region. Winners will be announced and awarded October 30 at the Harris Theater.

UL's Product Safety DNA Process, categorized under the annual award's "B2B Software and Services" category, is a state-of-the-art, data-centric certification and reporting process for product safety evaluations. Historically, UL product safety certifications and evaluations were reported as a text- based essay on the safety critical attributes of the product tested and evaluated to UL's published requirements or standards. With the DNA process, text-based reporting is eliminated and critical data is instead stored in an electronic database. This database is catalogued and structured so that data can be easily searched, sorted and linked enabling the reference of previous construction and testing, reducing effort, turnaround time - in some cases from months to days- and cost for present and future submittals by manufacturers.

 "UL is honored to be recognized as a finalist in the very city where our company was founded in1894," said Frank Ladonne, UL Principal Engineer. "For more than a century we have employed exacting scientific processes and the highest ethical principles to deliver trusted results. Today, we are focusing on the next generation of safety challenges, helping new geographies, new industries and new stakeholders create safer living and work environment in the most efficient ways with transformational advances like the DNA process," added Ladonne. For more information visit www.ul.com/motors.

The Chicago Innovation Awards aim to recognize Chicago as a hub of innovation by igniting a new narrative for the region, strengthening its economic future and building the spirit of innovation throughout the community.

For more information and to take part and vote for the 2013 Chicago Innovation People's Choice Awards visit http://www.chicagoinnovationawards.com/. Voting is simple, the top 100 finalists have been divided into 12 industries. Within each industry, you are welcome to vote for as many as you like. Descriptions are provided at the bottom of each industry page if you wish to read more about each nominee.

About UL
UL is a premier global independent safety science company that has championed progress for 120 years. Its more than 10,000 professionals are guided by the UL mission to promote safe working and living environments for all people. UL uses research and standards to continually advance and meet ever-evolving safety needs. We partner with businesses, manufacturers, trade associations and international regulatory authorities to bring solutions to a more complex global supply chain. For more information about our certification, testing, inspection, advisory and education services, visit https://www.ul.com/.

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