13th March 2020
We trust you have tuned in to our series around UL and are looking forward to the various blogs and videos presented by PPC&A and our supporting partners, it’s certainly a topic of interest and in many instances, one of confusion across a number of sectors and applications for machine builders.
In this blog I would like to get the cogs turning around what could happen if you don’t comply to the standard and the importance of getting it right.
As a machine builder, looking to explore new markets in North America, you may be asking ‘do I need to meet any local legislation?’ If you’ve done your due diligence you will know the answer, but what does that really mean?
Is it a badge, a change of components, is it the design itself or can you use an existing European design? Let’s take a closer look.
To summarise: The panel design and its contents must all adhere to UL.
There will be European OEMs/Machine Builders that are experts in their given sectors, looking to export and increase market share. They have an excellent design with amazing features, not just in process automation but data capture too. They’ll see North America as the next natural step in its plans for growth. But the result of jumping in with both feet without understanding the US market can be devastating. Let’s illustrate that with an example:
The Sales Team are hungry and have sold 15 new machines into a new customer. The business is delighted, the salesperson got their commission pencilled in and the orders processed and dispatched. On arrival into the US, the local customs officers have looked at the shipment and identified a number of concerning factors:
So, what happens next?
US Customs immediately quarantine the shipment and notify the freight forwarder who then advises the customer. The impact is a “RED TAG” situation whereby the shipment cannot move until resolution. The customer is disgruntled and loses an onward sell and or loss of production output.
The seller faces costly expense in rectifying the machine to make it UL compliant and doing so under duress. The return of the machine alone is an inconvenience but also consider the impact of a possible re-design, re-qualification of the panel and the loss of revenue to the customer!
Here’s another consideration: What if a North American OEM has taken delivery of a machine completely unaware that it is non-UL compliant and UL make an unannounced visit?
They’ll undertake an audit and very quickly identify a risk to safety and processes. The impacts here are huge and could in effect cause major disruption to manufacturing, in addition to business closure and fines.
Simply put, it’s just not worth the risk. Costs vary but our experience shows that the cost increase between a ‘European design only panel’ and that of a UL compliant version is typically no more than 10% and often less.
So, is UL508A required on all control panels sold into North America?
Believe it or not, the actual answer is No! The US have adopted a legislation depending on the application and state. You should always check the local ruling, however, why design a non-compliant machine for only one state? Designing a standardised platform that will sell throughout the US and beyond would be a far more efficient directive.
Come back next week whereby we will be sharing with you the key aspects of design to meet this all-important compliance.
If you have a specific question about UL then the form below will be the most useful tool for you. With these questions, we can respond to your specific needs directly and also build on the communications planned throughout the campaign.
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Stefano Muraro of Rockwell Automation explores specific evolutions of UL508A standards and the impact on industrial control panels, highlighting innovative, sustainable solutions.
In this guest contribution to the ongoing Sustainability in UL Standards campaign, Phil Murby, UK Commercial Manager at Lutze explores a different approach to the construction of a control panel.
In this guest contribution to the ongoing Sustainability in UL Standards campaign, Phil Murby’s insights provide practical guidance on aligning control panel wiring practices with sustainability and compliance, offering tangible solutions for both efficiency and environmental stewardship.
As the manufacturing community increasingly leans towards sustainable practices, machine builders and OEMs find themselves at the centre of impact and progress. But there are several caveats to ‘doing the right thing’, that will almost certainly emerge. The implications for standards and certifications like UL508A for one, could be significant.
European machine builders are increasingly eyeing the lucrative North American market. Ian Knight believes accessing the opportunity depends on your firm’s ability to strategically navigate standards and avoid the pitfalls of safety compliance.
PP Control & Automation has long been promoting the considerations to be mindful of when navigating UL 508A. When doing so, questions linking to NFPA often enter the discussion. This supplement offers some clarity on the relationship between the two.
PP C&A has signed a deal with Product Approvals to boost its product certification offer to global clients.
Having an understanding of the processes encompassing inspection and evaluation is a major facet to the right UL practice for OEMs and the often overlooked considerations and risks when converting European builds to US-ready machines or when looking to expand into North America with new machine builds altogether.
With the control panels built and the components selected, all under UL guidance, machine connectivity will bring the whole thing together but there’s a serious worry that all that hard work can be undone by not understanding the importance of cabling in relation to UL.
Many definitions used in systems implemented in North America have no equivalent in the design of industrial installations according to European regulations. The reason for this is not a simple problem of different terminology, but a different conceptual approach altogether.
With these questions, we can respond to your specific needs directly and also build on the communications planned over the next 6 weeks.
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