Southco Is First Access Hardware Component Supplier To Earn Ul Recognition Certification FTTA2/ FTTA8

HONG KONG, CHINA -�Media OutReach - October 11,
2018 - Southco Asia Ltd., a subsidiary of Southco Inc., and
a key supplier of enclosure accessories, has recently collaborated with UL to
complete testing of a select portfolio of its hinge and latch products according
to the newly released FTTA2/FTTA8 Recognition Certification, which evaluates
these components’ resistance to corrosion and performance degradation due to
environmental conditions and usage over time. ?

 

Southco
is the first access hardware component supplier to earn the FTTA2/ FTTA8 Recognition Certification for select
product classes tested by UL, which includes a selection of products from
Southco’s E5 Cam Latch and E3 VISE ACTION® Compression Latch series, TL and V7
Draw Latch series, ST Constant Torque Positioning Hinges and M3 Multi-Point
Compression Latching System, spanning over 100k product configurations based on
finishes, materials and panel preps.

 

UL
(www.ul.com) is recognized worldwide
for helping companies demonstrate safety, confirm compliance, deliver quality
and performance and build workplace excellence through services such as:
inspection, advisory services, education and training, testing, auditing and
analytics, certification and marketing claim verification.

 

Released
in 2015, UL FTTA2/FTTA8 is a new Recognition certification for the U.S. and
Canada. This new Recognition certification for enclosure accessories assists manufacturers
who wish to utilize Type rated hinging and latching accessories in enclosures
complying with UL 50E.

 

Many
of Southco’s products already meet Type ratings for electrical enclosures. With
the new certification, UL is testing to the same standards, but also adds
important environmental factors. This will make it much easier for enclosure
manufacturers to create solutions that fully satisfy the requirements of UL
50E.

 

UL 50
applies to enclosures for electrical equipment intended to be installed and
used in non-hazardous locations in accordance with the Canadian Electrical
Code, Part I, CSA C22.1, the provisions of the National Electrical Code, NFPA
70 and the provisions of Mexico’s Electrical Installations. UL 50 is a tri-national
standard harmonized with CSA C22.2 No. 94.1-07 and NMX-J-235/1–ANCE-2007. UL 50E covers additional environmental construction and
performance requirements for these types of enclosures.

 

With the new FTTA2/FTTA8 certification, enclosure
manufacturers may be able to reduce significant time and costs associated with
having to put their enclosure through all facets of UL 50E testing, which
includes solid and water ingress, corrosion resistance, gasket integrity, and
plastic concerns such as UV resistance, water exposure and immersion, and
flammability requirements.

 

By
properly and pre-emptively selecting registered components under FTTA2/FTTA8
and leveraging exemptions for other materials used to construct the enclosure,
enclosure designers can achieve their desired Type Rating with a final hosedown
test of the end-item. 

 

“Southco’s
work with UL will allow us to provide greater value to our customers, by
helping them to bring their products to market faster with our FTTA2/FTTA8
Recognized products,” said Chris Waite, Engineer, Diversified Technologies,
Southco, Inc. “By pre-qualifying the enclosure access hardware for indoor and outdoor
applications, it’s been estimated the manufacturer will save at least 50 days
of testing time, including fees associated with testing, and the cost of test
samples.”

 

UL
leads the research and science needed to understand complex safety issues and
brings the right stakeholders together to develop consensus-based standards,
playing a key role in developing and harmonizing national and international
standards.

 

“UL
works with manufacturers from the outset to help them address challenges and
achieve compliance,” said John
Kovacik, Principal Engineer, UL. “Not only do we excel in research and science,
but we understand our customers’ market needs. So, we are uniquely skilled to
help them with testing, certification, and analysis of the results and explain,
if needed, why there is a failure, in order to help them revise and retest.”

 

UL
posts information about products that have received the FTTA2/FTTA8 Recognition
Certification in the UL
Online Certifications Directory. Products that have received
the Recognition are listed by company and categorized by product category, and
the Type rating for which the components can be used. Once an enclosure
manufacturer establishes a need for a UL 50E Type rated access hardware accessory,
they can review the available options in the online directory by searching
FTTA2 or FTTA8 in the UL Category Code field.

 

About Southco

 

Southco, Inc. is the leading global
designer and manufacturer of engineered access solutions. From quality and
performance to aesthetics and ergonomics, we understand that first impressions
are lasting impressions in product design. For over 70 years, Southco has
helped the world’s most recognized brands create value for their customers with
innovative access solutions designed to enhance the touch points of their
products in transportation and industrial applications, medical equipment, data
centers and more. With unrivalled engineering resources, innovative products
and a dedicated global team, Southco delivers the broadest portfolio of premium
access solutions available to equipment designers throughout the world.