Plastic Industry

Posted:  14 Jan 2010 21:35
We have been asked by a customer to become a UL Certified molder. On investigation, the cost is $2,200 to get started and an annual maitenance fee of around $2,000 per year to maintain. Does anyone have experience with this and if so, does carrying the UL label help in your Marketing Strategy?

Bob Holbrook
Posted:  14 Jan 2010 23:27
Bob, DeKALB Molded Plastics is recognized as a molder for our customers that have UL listings. In our circumstance the UL listing is part specific and our customer is the "Owner" of the UL file and pays all fees associated with the cost of the UL file.
Our responsibility is to purchase the raw materials from the suppliers listed in the UL file along with maintaining our systems for the traceability of the raw materials and final product produced. To confirm, UL conducts routine inspections to ensure we are in compliance. We have performed this service for our customer for over 30 years and find it a valuable service in our ongoing business.  I would be happy to discuss in more detail with you if needed. 260-868-6718.

James Burns
Posted:  15 Jan 2010 14:35
Bob, our experience is precisely the same as DeKalb's regarding UL LIstings. It is product specific for our customers.
We do tend to use it as a tool with prospective customers to help demonstrate our ability to maintain quality programs.

Mike Dorsey
Posted:  15 Jan 2010 18:26
Bob,

Our experience is identical to both DeKalb and Meese Orbitron Dunne. Other than the auditor coming in to our plant once a month to verify materials, look at part prints, and some identification via labels on the boxed parts it is a painless process. As a company PCPI states that we are a UL "Recognized" Molder.

Chris Kerg
Posted:  18 Jan 2010 20:27
Bob,

Our experience is the same.  Our customer pays the UL fees, we mold their product with the required materials.   UL comes in monthly to review records and audit production.



Gale Miller
Posted:  19 Jan 2010 17:58
Bob,

We are a UL recognized molder and comply with the standard for Polymeric Materials - Fabricated Parts, UL 746D.  Bruin Manufacturing has been a UL Recognized Plastics Molder (QMMY2) under number E237366 for several years.  We pursued registration for the benefit of our current customers and the marketing potential to obtain new clients.

In our marketing efforts, we have found this certification to be a useful tool.  Many of our new/potential clients have had negative experiences with suppliers substituting materials on critical components or not being able to trace finish product back to a raw material lot number.  Being audited and certified by UL on a regular basis for material traceability has reassured a number of new clients that they won’t run into the same issues with us.

We have also been a UL recognized molder for several Components for our customers for over 30 years.  Like mentioned in the other posts, this was requested by the customer and they paid all fees associated with certifying those components.

With that experience and a good handle on material traceability and documentation, adding the QMMY2 certification to the company as a whole was an easy task and made sense with our business plan.  We can place the UL trademark on every product produced and shipped from our plant.

If you have any questions about the process you can call 641-752-7116.

Lynnette Liston

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