Competitive control panels for the North American market

The North American electrical market is predicted to grow by

0 %
  • in 2018. According to the German Zentralverband Elektrotechnik- und Elektronikindustrie (central association for the electrical engineering and electronics industry) it ranks second in the worldwide country comparison. We support you in safely and successfully accessing the North American market.

USA and Canada

A very special market

Are you facing the challenge of designing a control panel for the USA or Canada? You’ll need some background knowledge, since standards, regulations and practices differ fundamentally from those in markets using the IEC standards.

Key US regulations

The following standards are of vital importance for machine and panel builders:

  • UL508A for Industrial Control Panels
  • NFPA 79 (Electrical Standard for Industrial Machinery) 
  • NEC (National Electrical Code, NFPA 70) for on-site electrical installation

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Key Canadian regulations

The most important Canadian standards and regulations

The following standards are of essential importance to electrical engineers and panel builders:

  • C22.2 No. 286-17 (Industrial Control Panels and Assemblies) – released for certification since May 10, 2018. The transition period is limited and ends in January 2022. See  ↗︎CSA Certification Notice

  • C22.2 No. 301-16 (Industrial Electrical Machinery) – released for certification since December 6, 2017. The transition period is limited and ends in January 2022. See ↗︎CSA Certification Notice
  • CEC – Canadian Electrical Code. The current edition 2018 already refers to the mandatory compliance with the two standards in Appendix A of the Code. 

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Reliable product and system portfolio

You can rely on our extensive and reliable portfolio of products and systems that takes all North American requirements into account.

Special aspects when selecting products

To build a control panel that will comply with standards in the USA and Canada, it is not sufficient to simply use components that are certified in accordance with UL or CSA. Right from the start it’s important to include products with the correct certification for the application in the design process. 

Whether a component can be used can be determined from the CCN codes (USA) or the Class Number (Canada). These may be found on the UL and CSA websites, and are also bundled in the Annex to our catalog LV 16.

We will help with the acceptance process by providing certificates that you can download easily using the CAx Download Manager, for example, which can be used to download bundled documents for multiple products.

More information

Find out more from our brochure “The Secrets of UL and NFPA.”

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References

Satisfied users in the North American market

Sample applications and industry-specific solutions that you may also find of interest.

Comprehensive benefits

Staying safe on the North American market

The USA and Canada have stringent product liability laws: anyone seeking to export to those countries is well advised to do thorough research first. We provide you with the right tools: expert knowledge, tools and data, and a portfolio of products and systems designed for an attractive market.