Manufacturers now have a viable option for placing products on the Japanese HazLoc market in a faster and cost-effective way as CSA Group has received recognition to issue certificates to Japanese requirements.

The global market for equipment required for use in hazardous locations (HazLoc) is expected to experience continued growth, with several research studies citing an $8.2 billion value by 2022. Due to political, social and economic developments, Japan represents an estimated $120 million of this market. In spite of this, the country presents significant challenges as an export destination for manufacturers of HazLoc equipment.

Historically, manufacturers wanting to export their products to Japan had only one choice in acquiring the necessary certification. This process often took months – sometimes years – for product approvals to be provided to customers based outside of Japan. This delay, coupled with limited insight into the progress or the national requirements for certifications, caused manufacturers considerable frustration. As a result of this significant barrier to trade and global export, many companies decided to abandon any plans of certifying their products for the Japanese market.

CSA Group’s recognition from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) in October 2017 enables them to independently issue certificates to Japanese requirements. The recognition is held at CSA Group’s UK location, where a large team of experienced engineers are qualified to work on Japanese approvals and can achieve this process in weeks rather than months or years. This is due in part to a reliance on IECEx test data as the basis – therefore making it possible to realize a project turnaround time much quicker than what manufacturers have historically experienced. To read more about the process, download our white paper.

About CSA Group Testing, Inspection and Certification

CSA Group is a global organization providing testing, inspection and certification services for products in many market sectors, including home and commercial, industrial, healthcare, and emerging technologies. CSA Group also provides functional safety, cybersecurity, and management systems certification. CSA Group is one of the largest providers of safety and environmental certification for Canada and the U.S., and the CSA mark appears on billions of products worldwide. For more information about CSA Group, please visit dev-www.csagroup.org.