UL Solutions to Develop an Advanced Automotive Electromagnetic Compatibility Laboratory in Japan

NORTHBROOK, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 16, 2025--

UL Solutions Inc. (NYSE: ULS), a global leader in applied safety science, today announced plans to develop a new advanced automotive electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) laboratory in Toyota City, Japan, to provide testing to help manufacturers protect against electromagnetic interference that can cause critical systems in vehicles, like braking and engine control, to malfunction.

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Today’s vehicles are equipped with more complex electronic components and faster processing speeds, which can lead to increased electromagnetic interference. EMC testing measures performance and reliability levels and helps manufacturers demonstrate adherence to global standards, enable legal market entry worldwide, and safeguard against malfunctions caused by interference. Demand for automotive EMC testing is expected to continue to expand and, as a top automotive manufacturing hub, Japan is a key market.

“Expanding our operations in Japan enhances our capacity and ability to deliver innovative science-based, independent EMC services,” said Jennifer Scanlon, president and CEO of UL Solutions. “Our new facility is strategically positioned to support both the domestic market and the growing demands of international exports.”

The facility, formally known as the UL Solutions Automotive Technology and Innovation Center, is expected to open during the second half of 2026, and will be developed in Japan’s Tokai region, a center for the automotive industry and a key customer base. It is expected to be one of the few EMC laboratories in Japan equipped to conduct high-voltage, high-current and high-torque testing, which can help simulate real-world operating conditions for various electronic devices and systems.

The development of the new testing laboratory by UL Solutions aligns strategically with Japan’s leadership in the global automotive sector. With 2023 production at around 9 million vehicles, Japan ranks as the third largest vehicle manufacturer globally. 1 This development coincides with the rising automotive EMC testing market, which, according to Market Research Guru, was valued at an estimated $1.7 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $2.7 billion by 2030. 2 The new facility will help address this increasing demand for advanced testing capabilities to help manufacturers demonstrate compliance with evolving automotive standards and technological innovations.

The planned 25,000 square-foot facility is expected to feature extremely high-voltage chambers capable of handling a maximum of 25,000 RPM, over 3,500 torque and a power supply delivering up to 1,500 volts and 1,000 amp. High-voltage, high-current and high-torque testing can help simulate real-world operating conditions for various electronic devices and systems.

“Japan stands as a pillar of the global automotive industry,” said Weifang Zhou, executive vice president and president of Testing, Inspection and Certification, UL Solutions. “The development of our advanced EMC testing laboratory in Japan further elevates our world-class testing capabilities, serving both the automotive industry and its suppliers. This strategic investment is expected to help solidify our comprehensive support for customers, helping them to confidently plan and execute successful vehicle market launches.”

The planned advanced automotive EMC laboratory in Toyota City will complement existing UL Solutions automotive EMC testing laboratories in Japan, including the Automotive Technology Center in Miyoshi City. It will also become part of a broader network of UL Solutions facilities staffed by knowledgeable EMC experts. These facilities are located in key automotive hubs in Asia and around the world, including India, Italy, South Korea, Taiwan, the U.K. and the U.S.

About UL Solutions

A global leader in applied safety science, UL Solutions (NYSE: ULS) transforms safety, security and sustainability challenges into opportunities for customers in more than 110 countries. UL Solutions delivers testing, inspection and certification services, together with software products and advisory offerings, that support our customers’ product innovation and business growth. The UL Mark serves as a recognized symbol of trust in our customers’ products and reflects an unwavering commitment to advancing our safety mission. We help our customers innovate, launch new products and services, navigate global markets and complex supply chains, and grow sustainably and responsibly into the future. Our science is your advantage.

1 Motor vehicle production volume worldwide in 2023, by country, Statista

2Global Automotive EMC Testing Market 2024 by Company, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2030, Market Research Guru, Jan. 2024

Certain statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include, among other things, statements regarding the planned construction and opening of a new laboratory. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results or performance to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements made in this press release, including the risk of unexpected delays or impediments to completing construction of the planned facility, including finalizing any necessary land lease arrangements for the planned facility, and the risks discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as other factors described from time to time in our filings with the SEC. Such forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this press release. We do not undertake or assume any obligation to update publicly any of these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, new information or future events, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting such forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by law.

Source Code: ULS-IR

UL Solutions plans to establish a state-of-the-art automotive electromagnetic compatibility testing laboratory in the Tokai region, co-located with Japan’s major automotive companies.

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish authorities detained 37 people for sharing “provocative” content on social media, the interior minister said Thursday, pressing ahead with a crackdown on dissenting voices that escalated with the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul, a potential challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested after a dawn raid on his residence on Wednesday as part of investigations into alleged corruption and terror links. Several other prominent figures, including two district mayors, were also detained.

The detention of a popular opposition leader and key Erdogan rival deepened concerns over democracy and sparked protests in Istanbul and elsewhere, despite a four-day ban on demonstrations in the city and road closures. On Thursday, university students in Istanbul and the capital, Ankara, held peaceful demonstrations to protest the detention.

It also caused a shockwave in the financial market, triggering temporary halts in trading on Wednesday to prevent panic selling.

Critics see the crackdown as an effort by Erdogan to extend his more then two-decade rule following significant losses by the ruling party in local elections last year. Government officials reject claims that legal actions against opposition figures are politically motivated and insist that the courts operate independently.

Omer Celik, the spokesman of Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party, disputed allegations by the opposition that the detentions were government-orchestrated and urged respect for the judicial process.

“What a politician should do is to follow the judicial process,” Celik told journalists. “None of us have any information about the content of the (criminal) file.”

He also rejected accusation leveled by the CHP that the mayor’s arrest amounted to a “coup” saying, “The name of our party, our president can only be associated with democracy — on the opposite side of a coup.”

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said authorities identified 261 social media accounts that shared provocative posts — related to the mayor's detention — that allegedly incited public hatred or crime, including 62 that are run by people based abroad. At least 37 of the suspected owners were detained and efforts to detain other suspects were continuing, he wrote on the X social media platform.

Imamoglu's arrest came just days before he was expected to be nominated as the opposition Republican People’s Party's presidential candidate in a primary scheduled for Sunday. The party’s leader has said the primary will go ahead as planned.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed concern over the mayor’s detention, saying it was a “very, very bad sign” for Turkey’s relations with the European Union.

Scholz said it was “depressing for democracy in Turkey, but certainly also depressing for the relationship between Europe and Turkey.”

“We can only call for this to end immediately and for opposition and government to stand in competition with each other, and not the opposition being brought to court,” he said.

Prosecutors accused Imamoglu of exploiting his position for financial gain, including the improper allocation of government contracts.

In a separate investigation, prosecutors also accuse Imamoglu of aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, by allegedly forming an alliance with Kurdish groups for the Istanbul municipal elections. The PKK, behind a decades-long insurgency in Turkey, is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara, Washington and other allies.

It was not clear when authorities would begin questioning the mayor, who can be detained without charges for up to four days. Analysts say Imamoglu could be removed from office and replaced by a “trustee mayor” if he is formally charged with links to the PKK.

Before his detention, Imamoglu already faced multiple criminal cases that could result in prison sentences and a political ban. He is also appealing a 2022 conviction for insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council, a case that could result in a political ban.

This week, a university nullified his diploma, citing alleged irregularities in his 1990 transfer from a private university in northern Cyprus to its business faculty, a decision Imamoglu said he would challenge. The decision effectively bars him from running for president, since the position requires candidates to be university graduates.

Imamoglu was elected mayor of Turkey’s largest city in March 2019, a historic blow to Erdogan and the president’s Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul for a quarter-century. Erdogan's party pushed to void the municipal election results in the city of 16 million, alleging irregularities.

The challenge resulted in a repeat of the election a few months later, which Imamoglu also won. The mayor retained his seat following local elections last year, during which his party made significant gains against Erdogan’s governing party.

Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Geir Moulson contributed from Berlin.

People raise their mobile phones as they gather outside the City Hall to protest the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)