HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - October 11,2018 - Southco Asia Ltd., a subsidiary of Southco Inc., anda key supplier of enclosure accessories, has recently collaborated with UL tocomplete testing of a select portfolio of its hinge and latch products accordingto the newly released FTTA2/FTTA8 Recognition Certification, which evaluatesthese components' resistance to corrosion and performance degradation due toenvironmental conditions and usage over time. 。

Southcois the first access hardware component supplier to earn the FTTA2/ FTTA8 Recognition Certification for selectproduct classes tested by UL, which includes a selection of products fromSouthco's E5 Cam Latch and E3 VISE ACTION® Compression Latch series, TL and V7Draw Latch series, ST Constant Torque Positioning Hinges and M3 Multi-PointCompression Latching System, spanning over 100k product configurations based onfinishes, materials and panel preps.

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

Releasedin 2015, UL FTTA2/FTTA8 is a new Recognition certification for the U.S. andCanada. This new Recognition certification for enclosure accessories assists manufacturerswho wish to utilize Type rated hinging and latching accessories in enclosurescomplying with UL 50E.

Manyof Southco's products already meet Type ratings for electrical enclosures. Withthe new certification, UL is testing to the same standards, but also addsimportant environmental factors. This will make it much easier for enclosuremanufacturers to create solutions that fully satisfy the requirements of UL50E.

UL 50applies to enclosures for electrical equipment intended to be installed andused in non-hazardous locations in accordance with the Canadian ElectricalCode, Part I, CSA C22.1, the provisions of the National Electrical Code, NFPA70 and the provisions of Mexico's Electrical Installations. UL 50 is a tri-nationalstandard harmonized with CSA C22.2 No. 94.1-07 and NMX-J-235/1--ANCE-2007. UL 50E covers additional environmental construction andperformance requirements for these types of enclosures.

With the new FTTA2/FTTA8 certification, enclosuremanufacturers may be able to reduce significant time and costs associated withhaving to put their enclosure through all facets of UL 50E testing, whichincludes solid and water ingress, corrosion resistance, gasket integrity, andplastic concerns such as UV resistance, water exposure and immersion, andflammability requirements.

Byproperly and pre-emptively selecting registered components under FTTA2/FTTA8and leveraging exemptions for other materials used to construct the enclosure,enclosure designers can achieve their desired Type Rating with a final hosedowntest of the end-item. 

"Southco'swork with UL will allow us to provide greater value to our customers, byhelping them to bring their products to market faster with our FTTA2/FTTA8Recognized products," said Chris Waite, Engineer, Diversified Technologies,Southco, Inc. "By pre-qualifying the enclosure access hardware for indoor and outdoorapplications, it's been estimated the manufacturer will save at least 50 daysof testing time, including fees associated with testing, and the cost of testsamples."

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

"ULworks with manufacturers from the outset to help them address challenges andachieve compliance," said JohnKovacik, Principal Engineer, UL. "Not only do we excel in research and science,but we understand our customers' market needs. So, we are uniquely skilled tohelp 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."

ULposts information about products that have received the FTTA2/FTTA8 RecognitionCertification in the ULOnline Certifications Directory. Products that have receivedthe Recognition are listed by company and categorized by product category, andthe Type rating for which the components can be used. Once an enclosuremanufacturer establishes a need for a UL 50E Type rated access hardware accessory,they can review the available options in the online directory by searchingFTTA2 or FTTA8 in the UL Category Code field.

About Southco

Southco, Inc. is the leading globaldesigner and manufacturer of engineered access solutions. From quality andperformance to aesthetics and ergonomics, we understand that first impressionsare lasting impressions in product design. For over 70 years, Southco hashelped the world's most recognized brands create value for their customers withinnovative access solutions designed to enhance the touch points of theirproducts in transportation and industrial applications, medical equipment, datacenters and more. With unrivalled engineering resources, innovative productsand a dedicated global team, Southco delivers the broadest portfolio of premiumaccess solutions available to equipment designers throughout the world.