Intertek’s SATELLITE Program gives manufacturers control of product certification – delivering speed, market access, and flexibility. Under the program, which includes on-site training, quarterly inspections, and annual auditing from Intertek, manufacturers can qualify to use test results from their own laboratories as part of the compliance process. The ETL mark is North America’s fastest growing certification mark for products entering the U.S. and Canadian markets. ASTA certificates and reports are only available through testing at rigorously-assessed recognized testing facilities, and therefore have international recognition, including a high profile in Asia and the Middle East, and are often specified by major end users.

The co-operation between ABB and Intertek offers ABB a unique opportunity to obtain certification from a single service provider for the North American market (ETL for North American standards) as well as the rest of the world (ASTA for IEC/EN standards), with the speed and flexibility gained by using ABB´s own laboratory.

Stefan Goettlich, ABB’s Global Testing Manager EPMV (Electrification Products Medium Voltage) commented “ABB is thrilled to have been granted this certificate under the Intertek SATELLITE Program for ETL and ASTA and to deepen our relationship with the company. Through this partnership, we will be able to streamline our operations and bring our products to market faster in several key regions around the world, including Europe and North America and we look forward to continuing our efforts as part of the program. This co-operation will also strengthen ABB´s relationships with its OEM manufacturers”.

Pierrick Balaire, Intertek’s Global Business Leader for Transmission and Distribution Equipment said “I am very pleased to congratulate ABB Ratingen on becoming both ETL and ASTA Recognized under our SATELLITE Program. ABB’s journey to achieving third-party recognition, with an outstanding in-house quality system demonstrating impartiality and integrity for all MV and LV testing, is a major milestone towards ABB’s commitment to meet testing and certification requirements internally for major global markets".

The ABB and Intertek co-operation is a successful model for the Transmission and Distribution Equipment industry. Intertek, as an independent third party assures the impartiality of testing, and offers recognition through the ETL and ASTA certification marks for global markets. Participation in Intertek’s SATELLITE Program guarantees access to global markets for ABB’s innovative products”.