GregorySmith

The MET UL 48 Sign Shop Program is absolutely for real, I work out of our regional office in North Carolina, and can tell you we have some very happy customers after they get up and running. Outside of our (Southeast Office) factory inspection territory, there is still some work to be done - these new programs never get up to 100% right away, but our office is ahead of many others. Our factory inspection territory, for example, does not include Texas, that is handled by our Austin office, and I'm not sure exactly where they are at on the whole process. We certainly can't blame anyone for shopping price on these services either, the investment needed can make the entire decision. In some cases, UL is the best choice. UL is huge and they have many many regional offices and resources. We originally started this program because some companies desperately needed an alternative. We have some flexibility here in our SE office, but the further we get away from here, the more expensive it will be, (Travel time, etc). Time will tell how long it takes the other regional MET offices to come up to speed. Intertek / ETL is also a great choice for signs, but to my knowledge they do not have the "open" program which allows you to to make any sign as long as it complies to UL 48, UL 8750, etc. The ETL program is a standard "Listing" which is a descriptive report detailing which models you are producing. (Please somebody correct me if I'm wrong). So..if you produce the same models of sign over and over again, they can be a great choice. In our office, Karen Best is the contact for sales and program information, 800-321-4655. If you have a question she can't answer, email me: gsmith@metlabs.com. We appreciate all your comments on this, as we strive to make this program improve. A monopoly is never good for an industry, and I imagine there will be some other testing labs starting this program also, which will be a great thing for the electric sign industry. Thanks! Greg Smith, MET Southeast

Yes, our program can include certification for Canada. Call Karen Best at our office 800-321-4655. Thanks! Greg

We always appreciate these conversations - a little background on MET's invlovement. For years, we listened to complaints from Sign Shops because UL was a monopoly. It took us a few years to get our program going, now at least there is one other choice. This is also happening in other areas besides Signs, where UL still has a stranglehold / monopoly. We've worked hard to provide an alternative, and our philosophy is to help insure electrical safety, while not requiring anything unnecessary. We're not always the "cheapest" (Especially depending on what part of the country you are in), but we think our service and approach is superior. Competition really IS good, I would like to see even more choices for this service. With regards to electrical safety being unnecessary, well of course I disagree with that. We have had the eye-opening experience of seeing equipment made with no knowledge of electrical safety or product Standards, and it's not pretty. Electrical Inspectors have also seen this, so its important to remember that when they are suspicious, even though you may know your product is great and complies with all the safety regulations. Thanks again to Sign Syndicate for hosting this forum, hopefully together we can help improve the industry, help each other. - Greg

Since our UL 48 Sign Shop program started up a few years ago, I have had the pleasure of getting to know quite a few of you, and getting to know your business. Now, we have a growing number of sign shops that have converted from UL, and also many who are entering this program for the first time. Thanks to all of you for your friendship and for making us feel welcome as the "new guy on the block". I hope our upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are great for each of you, and that you get to spend more time with friends and family. Please contact me anytime, by e-mail: gsmith@metlabs.com, phone 800-321-4655. Thanks again, hope to hear from you sometime! Best regards, Greg

Try this - 1). Go to www.osha.gov 2). In the top header, you'll see a link in whit lettering that says "A to Z Index". Click on that 3). Click on "N", then click on the "Nationally Recognized Testing Labs" link. From there you can see MET, UL and the rest of the NRTL organizations. Note: although some other labs have "UL 48 on their scope, only MET and UL have a UL 48 "Sign Shop Program".

To show US acceptance, the best list to use in the National (OSHA Department of Labor) list. Here is a link that show us on this list - equivalent to UL: http://www.osha.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/index.html Here is the link that shows MET's specific scope of accreditation: http://www.osha.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/met.html You can see "UL 48" on the list. The other reason acceptance is usually not a problem is that the MET label actually says "UL 48" on the label. UL is the Standards writing body for the US, so they cannot stop other labs from using the name and number of the Standard. Same for UL 8750 (LED's). We have had a few questions over the years from Inspectors in various jurisdictions, but in the end we are always recognized as equivalent to UL. We look at any question by an Inspector as an opportunity, and we also spend a great deal of time attending Inspector and Contractor meetings across the US.

I call them a few weeks ago to get Information sent or email to me but nothing yet.. did recieve a call back but no information was sent. I might try again Mike NSW Hi Mike, what kind of information are you looking for? E-mail me: gsmith@metlabs.com. Thanks! Greg

Thanks to all our new UL 48 Sign Companies! We'll be continually responding to your input for positive changes to our program. As many of you know, we implemented some adjustments that made our inspection prices very competitive. For those of you who are considering switching over to MET from your current program, keep in mind it takes a few weeks to get everything in place. If you have to make a choice soon, consider joining up now so you will have uninterrupted UL 48 labeling ability. LED Sign shop programs and LED Retrofit programs have been very popular also. For questions, or to get started with MET, call Karen Haselman or Luke Young at 800-321-4655, or e-mail gsmith@metlabs.com. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope your week has gone well! We've heard some differing stories about UL 48 factory inspections. If you have a moment, we would really appreciate your feedback. - How often does your testing laboratory come for inspections? - Is your inspection frequency based on how many labels you have used? - Is your inspector friendly and cooperative? - Is your inspector knowledgeable? - If you get "Variation notices" does your price go up? - Do any of you have 2 inspections per year? Thanks for your help - this information will help us improve and stay on the right track. I will follow up with an explanation of how MET factory inspections work.

(Just added as a response to Kirstie's welcome posting - I wanted to include it here for those viewing this posting). I just received this testimonial from Brian Terry at Star Signs (Lawrence KS). Brian says: "We moved to MET Labs because they come across as a very engineering based, common sense organization dedicated to helping us build safer and higher quality products. When we have questions regarding a practice or idea, I can get a prompt response to either email or voicemail. My MET representative is collaborative, professional and consistent which I find valuable for our planning and design. Inconsistencies in the past have always left open the door to surprises regarding the interpretation of UL-48 and related subjects". Brian can be contacted by e-mail at: BrianT@starsignsllc.com We'll be posting more testimonials and contacts soon. Have a great weekend! Greg

Thanks Kirstie for the warm welcome! I just received this testimonial from Brian Terry at Star Signs (Lawrence KS). Brian says: "We moved to MET Labs because they come across as a very engineering based, common sense organization dedicated to helping us build safer and higher quality products. When we have questions regarding a practice or idea, I can get a prompt response to either email or voicemail. My MET representative is collaborative, professional and consistent which I find valuable for our planning and design. Inconsistencies in the past have always left open the door to surprises regarding the interpretation of UL-48 and related subjects". Brian can be contacted by e-mail at: BrianT@starsignsllc.com We'll be posting more testimonials and contacts soon. Have a great weekend! Greg

Thanks Gary, we're starting a blog for our regional office, I'll post it when we have it up. See you in Chicago sometime!

This is my first posting on Sign Syndicate - thanks for taking the time to read and respond! MET Laboratories now has a UL 48 Sign Shop program. Our first year has been very interesting - we have learned allot about what you folks are designing and buliding in the electric sign business. We now have several shops who have starting using our program, and are happy with the results. As one of the Factory Inspectors, I'm very interested in your experiences, and what you would like to see in our program. This represents a unique opportunity to tailor this program to your needs, and I will do everything possible to serve your industry. If you have a moment, please let me know: - What you expect in a Factory Inspector and the un-announced inspections. - Share some experiences from your current program, good and bad. - Your thoughts on new products and how the UL 48 Standard applies (Or is interpreted) - Anything new you would like to see. Thanks again! Greg Smith MET Laboratories