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Dear Prospective Client:
Over the course of our 36 years in
product safety, we have introduced many innovations in our effort to streamline
the certification process, as we have successfully secured UL, CSA and TÜV
approvals for more than fifteen hundred different units. With our thorough
knowledge of the various specs and an initial product review, we can recommend
design modifications early, to avoid surprises and costly rework down the road.
Typically, in just one day, Safety Engineering prepares a draft UL report for
your units at your factory, or our lab, summarizing problem areas and potential
solutions. As we are collecting information for UL, we are also mindful of the
additional information required by CSA and TÜV. Our submitted reports
incorporate as much flexibility as possible, allowing for alternate vendors and
future design variations to avoid repetitious and costly retesting. By
essentially handling the UL, CSA and TÜV simultaneously and exploiting any
similarities in your various units, we employ a time-reduced, cost-efficient
certification method.
To reduce costs for international approvals,
we are utilizing all of the available agency agreements and programs to
eliminate redundant testing and evaluations, such as the UL-CSA MOU for
exchanging test data, UL's cUL Program, and CSA's competing NRTL Program.
Typically, our policy is to perform the necessary tests in advance, though, in
some cases, they need to be done in the presence of the agencies' engineers.
Pretesting in our lab reduces agency engineer on-site time, allows review of
multiple units, and reduces costs considerably.
The second option is testing at your factory,
and is the only possibility for large, complex, or scarce units. It is also a
great learning experience for your people, who can gain a better, first-hand
understanding of the certification process. History has shown that our role can
decrease as the in-house engineer gradually assumes more responsibilities, if he
so desires. The main downside to this method is increased cost from having one
agency engineer and SEL engineer working on one company's products, and the
additional time required to set up the test equipment at the factory.
The third option -- one we rarely use -- is to
send the sample directly to the agency, like most companies doing this for the
first time on their own. The only reason for us to select this option would be
to have the agencies perform a test that we cannot do in our own lab. It is a
major disadvantage to lose control of the sample in this way, and we do not
recommend it if there is any other way. By the other methods, our ability to
accurately pretest makes certification a near certainty; 'a process, not an
experiment', as we like to say. In all cases, we provide support after your
product is certified by training your factory personnel to meet the demands of
Follow-Up inspections as the agencies ensure, as often as eight times per year
total, that the units continue to be built per the authorized construction.
Our fees are charged at the rate of $175 per
hour, with detailed invoices that show exactly how the time was spent, issued at
natural breakpoints during the project. Terms are net in 30 days. A deposit of
50% of the estimated consulting fee may be required in advance for new accounts
with no prior credit history with us. Overdue accounts can expect the same
priority as our invoice receives. Travel time and telephone calls are chargeable
at the same rate, and all billable time is rounded up to the nearest quarter
hour. Direct disbursements chargeable to a project, such as film, telephone, and
standards, are invoiced at cost.
Although we have refined the certification
process, you are really the key to the success of our program. Our program works
most effectively when you can provide us with the support we need, such as
providing component approval status and possible second sources. By enclosing a
generic sample of a UL report with a typical set of components and construction
details, we intend to show you what sort of information is required in the hope
that you can begin collecting similar data on your own unit. You know your units
best and therefore are better equipped to provide the necessary information, and
although we could take the time to search for it ourselves, it would be less
efficient and more costly.
For Safety Engineering to begin dialogue with
UL on your behalf, you will have to prepare an Agent Authorization Form. When
you provide us with your company information, we will prepare this Form and
provide it to you. Once filled out and signed, this Form should be sent to
Safety Engineering for forwarding to UL at the proper time.
Safety Engineering can also expedite your
other regulatory activities in the disciplines of EMC, Telecommunications, and
the European CE Mark. Experience the difference it makes when the top pros in
each field work together to redefine the concept of the
"one-stop-shop"!
To make things easier on all of us, please
allow as much advance notice as possible when you are ready to proceed. The
secret ingredients of successful certification are thorough preparation and
planning well ahead!
Best Regards,
Lee Ould, III
President
Safety Engineering Laboratory (SEL)
2372A Qume Drive
San Jose, CA 95131
(408) 544-1890, (408) 544-1899 Fax
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