A Conversation with Lin Xing, Director of Standards and Institute of Testing Technology, Shanghai Electrical Apparatus Research Institute
We recently spoke with Lin Xing, executive director of our MOU partner organization, the Shanghai Electrical Apparatus Research Institute (SEARI), on how our organizations are collaborating on standards to help improve safety, security, and sustainability in China. Read the full interview below:
Q: Would you please provide an introduction of the Shanghai Electrical Apparatus Research Institute (SEARI) and the organization’s mission and vision?
Lin Xing: Located in Shanghai, SEARI is a third-party testing and certification organization for Chinese companies in the apparatus industry. Our mission is to become a domestic, first-class, internationally known, intelligent, electrical and industrialization enterprise group in science and technology. Industry development, creating customer value, creating happy employee groups and helping them grow is our mission. Our testing mission is to create a safe, reliable, green, and friendly electricity environment and create a better future.
Q: Why did SEARI decide to become a partner with UL Standards & Engagement by signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU)?
Lin Xing: UL Standards & Engagement is focused on safety with more than 120 years of standards development, and the UL enterprise has become world renowned by integrating safety science research, standards, and certification. UL certification is widely accepted worldwide. SEARI has many similarities with UL Standards & Engagement in standards development.
SEARI was a designer and developer of low voltage motors in the beginning, and then became an institution of research and development testing, as well as a third-party testing and certification institution. As standards require knowledge research, we found a partner in UL Standards & Engagement. We share the same concept of technology development, and at the same time, the development of technology is diversified, and through cooperation, we can promote each other. We have a similar research field, and some UL standards can help our employees to quickly know which part we need to consider when it comes to testing. We think standards need discussion. More discussion means standards are more suitable to the market. We think we can learn and gain knowledge from UL Standards & Engagement. Hence, we decided to become an MOU partner.
Q: What positive impact has resulted from your organization's association with UL Standards & Engagement, especially in terms of adoption and adaptation of safety standards?
Lin Xing: We have learned from UL Standards & Engagement that controlling the proportion of experts in different parties during standards formulation makes us all more operable in the acceptance degree of all parties.
Secondly, the value of standards lies in their use in society, which is the technical language of world trade. The combination of standards and certification can impact social safety and the healthy development of the industry. Therefore, SEARI has also set up a certification company, TILVA, as we learned from the valuable experience of UL Standards & Engagement.
Q: Which UL Standards & Engagement resources do you find beneficial?
Lin Xing: I think TC 3300, the Technical Committee for Service, Communication, Information, Entertainment and Education Robots, General Requirements, and TC 1740, the Technical Committee for Robots and Robotic Equipment, which we are currently involved in, and our reference role for the development of related standards are beneficial. As you know, in China there are many companies researching on robots, and they also need the standards.
Q: How important is diversity and inclusion in standards development? What is your take on the role of women in the field of standards?
Lin Xing: We have learned that no matter how strong our technical organization is, there is still a blind spot in knowledge, especially in our area – robot and cargo e-transporters – as they are a complex category, differing in function and varying in size. Therefore, diversity and inclusion are particularly important.
Q: What is your take on the role of women in the field of standardization?
Lin Xing: In China, female standardization participation and male standardization participation is equal. What is indispensable is not gender but technical and knowledge contribution.
Q: UL Standards & Engagement recently launched a new brand and identity, expanding its scope to include both standards and engagement. Have you seen or heard about this, and do you have any initial reactions?
Lin Xing: The UL Standards & Engagement regional manager in China informed me about the launch of the new brands. I would like to congratulate UL Standards & Engagement on the implementation of the new branding strategy. It was a little surprising to hear about the three-color [UL enterprise] logo at first because the red color of UL Solutions is very popular. But I have heard that [these organizations are] now clearly separated from each other. However, there will be some questions about whether the standards come first in line of requirements. I look forward to further information.
