UL acquires Lighting Sciences, Inc.

UL, the Northbrook, IL-based product-safety testing organization, has acquired Lighting Sciences, Inc. (LSI), a provider of photometric testing services, test equipment, and advisory services in support of the growing solid-state lighting (SSL) market.

LSI will become part of UL's Verification Services business, which provides performance testing, inspection and auditing for product manufacturers and retailers worldwide.

The deal will boost UL's photometric testing capacity as the company prepares for the “transformational shift” to SSL technologies.

One year ago, UL acquired Luminaire Testing Laboratory (LTL), a testing laboratory based in Allentown, PA, that provides performance testing of lamps and luminaires.

In October 2010, UL earned approval as a third-party certification body for the federal Energy Star energy-efficiency program.

Keith Williams, president and CEO of UL, said that the acquisition of LSI allows UL to “further extend its global safety mission and better serve companies in the rapidly expanding SSL markets. The lighting industry is undergoing a technology transformation. Global regulators are placing a much greater focus on the need to develop safe and energy-efficient lighting products like LED.”

Williams also said that combining the technical expertise and market positions of UL and LSI will “allow the lighting industry to come to a single organization for testing and certification of their products to the applicable safety and energy-efficiency standards.”

Ian Lewin, president of LSI, said that the acquisition gives LSI the opportunity to be part of an organization with global reach, technical knowledge and brand reputation. “UL and LSI have a long-standing relationship providing complementary services to customers,” said Lewin. “This acquisition strengthens our value proposition to our customer base and allows us to expand offerings on a much broader scale.”