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Underwriters Laboratories Named Accredited Elevator/Escalator Certification Organization

Posted on: Thursday, 12 March 2009, 14:41 CDT

UL Helps Manufacturers Get Innovative Products and Systems into North American Marketplace

NORTHBROOK, Ill., March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Underwriters Laboratories (UL) announced today it has been recognized by the American National Standards Institution (ANSI) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) as an Accredited Elevator/Escalator Certification Organization (AECO). As an AECO, UL will be better able to serve elevator/escalator manufacturers that seek to introduce innovative components, products and systems into the marketplace quickly.

"New elevator technologies are faster and more efficient, but regulations can make it difficult to get new components, products or systems approved and installed efficiently," said Kevin Connelly, North American industry manager of Industrial Control & Power Distribution for UL.

Typically, a manufacturer seeking to have an innovative product installed in North America would need to approach each local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) - such as a governmental agency - to review overall compliance of proposed systems according to local regulations. Because there are over 130 jurisdictions in North America, this process can be both costly and inefficient for manufacturers, and places undue burden on the AHJs. With UL's AECO accreditation, manufacturers can now submit their innovative elevation products, systems and components to be tested and certified by UL. Once certified, those products would be accepted by all local AHJs, and manufacturers will no longer have to approach each jurisdiction separately.

"Our goal is to work with manufacturers and AHJs to help get better, faster technology to market more quickly while making sure there is overall product compliance for public safety," said Connelly.

UL will review and test elevator designs to determine whether or not they meet relevant American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) standards and use the AECO label in conjunction with its own UL Mark to indicate verification. AECO-UL certificates will be accepted by all adoptees of ASME performance-based codes.

"With the accreditation of UL as an AECO, the elevator industry is embracing a bold, new era where certified, innovative and safe products can reach the marketplace rapidly," said Louis Bialy, director of Codes and Standards for Otis Elevator.

About Underwriters Laboratories

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 21 billion UL Marks appearing on 72,000 manufacturers' products each year. UL's worldwide family of companies and network of service providers includes 62 laboratory, testing and certification facilities serving customers in 99 countries. For more information, visit: http://www.UL.com/newsroom.

Media Contacts Joseph Hirschmugl Chris Suttile Underwriters Laboratories GolinHarris for UL Phone: +1.847.664.1058 Phone: +1.312.729.4224 E-mail: Joseph.F.Hirschmugl@us.ul.com Email: csuttile@golinharris.com

SOURCE Underwriters Laboratories

Source: PR Newswire

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