Mexico. UL announced plans to open a new laboratory in Queretaro, Mexico, in mid-2022. The facility, 221 kilometers (137 miles) northwest of Mexico City, will be one of the first multinational testing and engineering laboratories to open in Mexico and will test the safety and performance of the products for the Mexican market and export to the United States, Canada and Latin American countries.
Located in the Kaizen Industrial Park complex and adjacent to the Queretaro International Airport, the new laboratory is located within one of Mexico's premier manufacturing centers. It will house test facilities for engineering materials, wires and cables, appliances, lighting, refrigeration and consumer technologies. With Mexico ranked as one of the world's leading exporters in the automotive industry, the new lab will also feature dedicated UL experts and custom equipment to provide automotive material testing.
"Balancing innovation and speed to market with gaining market access and achieving product compliance approvals is crucial to customer success in dynamic and demanding markets," said Rodolfo Flores, UL's regional director for Latin America. "With the development of the Queretaro laboratory, we hope to apply science and objective authority to help manufacturers in Mexico solve these critical challenges by helping them develop and commercialize safe and compliant products and innovations, which will ultimately allow them to grow and thrive."
The lab will offer local testing for the UL mark for the U.S. and Canada. It will also offer the Mark of Official Mexican Standards (NOM) in Mexico and certification services in Latin America once accreditation is approved.
The development of the laboratory is based on UL's three decades in Mexico. UL has a well-established engineering and customer service capability in Mexico City and an engineering team in Queretaro. The lab is UL's next step in its commitment to the Mexican market.
"We are thrilled to continue building on our long legacy here in Mexico and to fulfill our mission to work to make the world a safer place," flores said. "We look forward to serving as a trusted partner with manufacturers here in Mexico to test their products near their production facilities and navigate the regulatory landscape to help ensure simplified entry into the target market."
