Toronto, ON - CSA International, a leading provider of product testing and certification services, announced that selected manufacturing sectors will benefit from a new Agreement on Acceptance of Components between CSA and Underwriters Laboratories, Inc (UL) to establish a collaborative process leading to acceptance of specified components. Grant Carter, CSA's Vice President of Marketing and Communications called the accord, which was signed today, "a very important win for producers of components and end-products covered under the Agreement." Today's announcement marks a significant advance in CSA International's campaign to gain UL's acceptance of CSA certified components.

Rob Griffin, President & CEO of CSA, and Loring Knoblauch, President and CEO of UL, signed an Agreement on Acceptance of Components and expanded the organizations' 1996 data exchange Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on November 10, 2003 during NEMA's Annual Meeting and Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. The Agreements were negotiated with the support of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and Electro-Federation Canada (EFC) and major electrical customers.

The Agreement on Acceptance of Components marks a change in UL's policy toward acceptance of CSA certified electrical components used in Low Voltage Distribution and Control Equipment. CSA's general practice since 1994 has been to accept UL listed/recognized electrical components. This CSA practice remains unchanged for electrical products covered by the Agreement on Acceptance of Components, as well as for others not covered by the Agreement.

The expanded MoU, will enable manufacturers of electrical end products to obtain both CSA and UL certification/listing on the basis of a single product test program carried out by one of the two organizations. The implementation of the MoU will be in support of expressed industry needs and will be delivered following the completion of required validation activities by both organizations.

Carter said, "The Agreement on Acceptance of Components is significant for manufacturers of components used in Low Voltage Distribution and Control Equipment as well as producers of those end-products because it will eliminate component retesting and reduce the time to market for new products." He added that, "The Agreement is also a breakthrough for all electrical manufacturers who desire broader component acceptance Agreements in the future." Carter expressed CSA's appreciation for "the efforts of NEMA and EFC as well as manufacturers who made their voices heard to help bring about this Agreement." He also commended UL for its cooperation.

Electrical manufacturers whose products are covered by the Agreement will benefit because UL will no longer retest specified CSA certified electrical components used in Low Voltage Distribution and Control Equipment. Previously, UL had required retesting and recertification of CSA-certified components, leading to delays in certification and increasing component manufacturers' testing and certification expenses. The Agreement does not apply to components used in other types of electrical products.

"The Agreement is strategically important and a step in the right direction as selected electrical manufacturers now have a choice. However, I want to emphasize that our work is not yet complete," said Carter. "The Agreement covers specific components and many electrical components are used in product classes not covered under the new Agreement. As we have communicated over the past 24 months, CSA believes electrical manufacturers should have the freedom to choose among qualified certification organizations based upon criteria important to manufacturers and not based on arbitrary barriers put in place by certification organizations. CSA will continue its leadership on this issue to gain acceptance by UL of all CSA certified components. Only with that acceptance will all manufacturers be relieved of redundant testing costs and gain faster access to the marketplace."

CSA International has been actively working on behalf of electrical component manufacturers and customers for the past two years to resolve these issues. The North American Electrical Component Forum, which was held in December 2002, was organized and hosted by CSA International. Attendees from more than 50 electrical manufacturers, certification & testing agencies, and industry associations were present at the forum. "We hosted the forum to provide electrical component manufacturers and OEMs an opportunity to voice their concerns," stated Carter. "The Agreement on Acceptance of Components is the first tangible result of their efforts, and CSA will continue to pursue component acceptance in other product categories on behalf of lighting manufacturers, appliance manufacturers and others who are not served by the current Agreement."

About CSA International

CSA International is a provider of product testing and certification services for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas and a variety of other products. Recognized in the U.S., Canada and around the world, CSA's marks appear on billions of products worldwide. CSA International is a division of CSA Group, which also includes CSA, a developer of standards and codes, and QMI, a leading North American management systems registrar. CSA International can be found online at www.csa-international.org.

Contact Information:
Contact: Anthony Toderian
Media Relations Officer
CSA Group
T: 416-747-2620
E: anthony.toderian@csagroup.org