UL, a leading global safety science company, has announced that it officially opened its international headquarters in Singapore. Building on UL's more than 20-year presence in this nation and now serving as the international base for UL's operations and activities outside of the United States, the headquarters is an expansion of its current Solaris facility at One-North, a research and business park in Singapore which includes UL's Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. The expansion also added capabilities to UL's EMC-Wireless laboratory located at Kian Teck, an industrial estate in Singapore.
The grand opening was graced by Dr Beh Swan Gin, chairman of Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), together with Keith Williams, UL's chief executive officer, Sajeev Jesudas, president of UL International, partners and employees.
A significant driver of economic growth globally, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) continues to fuel innovation and increase manufacturing. That, combined with a growing middle class demanding more consumables, is resulting in a heightened need for additional regulatory safety and security oversight. By offering a wide breadth of capabilities in cybersecurity, interoperability, connectivity and sustainability, UL is poised to help meet the needs of organizations and businesses in the region.
UL's Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence is able to perform on-site testing and evaluation services addressing secure payments, smart card, software applications, network-related devices and systems, and cybersecurity protocols for customers across key sectors, such as governments, mobile, retail, transit and automotive. Being the only EMVCo accredited facility in the Asia Pacific region, the centre provides trusted payment expertise and security evaluation, including management of interoperability issues. EMVCo's work is overseen by six member organizations — American Express, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, UnionPay and Visa — and supported by many industry stakeholders. It exists to facilitate worldwide interoperability and acceptance of secure payment transactions.
A first for UL and for Singapore, UL's EMC-Wireless laboratory is the only facility that can fulfil the Technical Specification for the Internet of Things (TS IoT) standard of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). The newly expanded laboratory provides testing services in destination market regulatory compliance, safety, electromagnetic compatibility and radio frequency — all in one location to support wireless products, across multiple product categories such as medical devices, and information and communication technology equipment.
"Today, we celebrate a significant landmark for UL — our expanded footprint will allow us to grow our capabilities in the ASEAN region and allow us to work closely with our partners to help ensure safety, security and sustainability across products and frameworks," Jesudas said. "We look forward to partnering with governments and customers alike to foster an innovative and vibrant standards, compliance and security framework in Singapore and beyond."
"Over the past 125 years, UL has helped make the world a safer place by enabling the safe adoption of innovative technologies, and we will continue to do so with Singapore as the base for UL's international operations and activities," Williams said. "Given Singapore's stability, conducive business environment, excellent infrastructure, and vibrant ecosystem as a global innovation hub, we are honoured and proud to expand our global footprint and help our customers focus on the future, be more competitive, and have the opportunity to continue to grow and thrive."
"UL's decision to locate its international headquarters here is a vote of confidence for Singapore's position as the springboard for companies to access opportunities in the region," Dr Beh remarked. "We look forward to seeing UL's expanded capabilities and functions in Singapore contribute successfully to the company's growth and competitiveness."
UL's future expansion plans at its international headquarters also include strengthening its brand protection and anti-counterfeiting capabilities in Singapore. In addition, another area of growth is UL Ventures, the venture investment and acceleration arm of UL, which is actively seeking investment opportunities in digital manufacturing, autonomous systems, smart cities, digital health and cybersecurity and is working with SGInnovate and Entrepreneur First.
