UL's Two-Inspection Follow-Up Service Program streamlines global market access

UL offers a new market surveillance approach for long-term compliance monitoring of products certified for safety.

All UL customers are now able to streamline their follow-up visits to two per year. The two visits will combine factory product inspections with a CIG-style quality process audit.

By redesigning the Follow-Up Service model to coordinate these two types of visits, UL adds value for customers by taking a longer term view of safety while reducing the number of annual visits. More importantly, by working with you to review specific aspects of your quality system, we can provide input that will be valuable in improving operations and helping you gauge the effectiveness of quality control processes.

Overview

Each year, one audit visit will evaluate a manufacturer's products, production processes, and quality management systems, emphasizing the suitability and effectiveness of process controls. Where appropriate, UL will help to identify possible improvements. The second visit will be primarily a routine product audit, with some limited attention to quality management as noted during the full process audit.

Benefits of the Two-Inspection Follow-Up Service Program

Added value: The new approach will add value for you by evaluating a manufacturer's process controls and providing a mechanism to identify possible improvements. Manufacturers will also benefit from fewer interruptions to production schedules.

Improved operations: Integrating product and process audits into one visit enables UL to take a more holistic view of your manufacturing operations, helping you to evaluate the effectiveness of product safety and quality within the manufacturing processes.

Alignment with globally recognized inspection programs: This new service is more aligned with global inspection programs such as CIG audits for CENELEC factories. Customers who are subject to such inspection programs will find the new approach familiar and easy to adopt. The program is especially valuable for customers seeking to leverage UL's Global Market Access services by aligning inspections into a single, common system. UL Demko's recognition of CIG reports can waive some testing for European marks such as D, ENEC and GS marks.

Better supply chain management: UL has a long-standing and extremely robust system to help you manage your entire supply chain by determining that all critical components are tested, recognized or certified, and subject to ongoing inspections. The Two-Inspection Program is an integral part of this approach: by improving quality at the manufacturing level, the program can help customers strengthen the safety of products and components entering the supply chain.

Getting started

The new follow-up approach is completely optional. Any UL customers may choose to continue with the current four-visit approach, or can opt for a combination of both approaches in different manufacturing locations.

Manufacturers of UL applicants who wish to participate should contact their applicant who can then opt-in for a particular manufacturer's location.

If you're interested in moving to the Two-Inspection program please send the following information to the UL's Customer Service team:

File numbers for high-tech products certified by UL for the United States, Canada and other international marks noted above

List of manufacturing locations that will be participating in the Two-Inspection program

For more detailed information on the Two-Inspection Program, please contact your local UL account team now.

Related Information:

Frequently Asked Questions

CIG Audit Processes

• CIG021 - Factory Inspections Procedures Harmonised Requirements (May 2009)
• CIG023 - Factory Inspection Report (May 2009)
• CIG024 - The Conduct of Factory Inspections (May 2009)

UL's Customer Service team