More than 25 Years of History in International Certification for Industrial Low Voltage Equipment
Summary: Background and steps for setting up of LOVAG are presented. An important support was given by the manufacturer‘s trade organisation in some European countries. Today LOVAG is supported by recognized European certification bodies and it offers a competent certification scheme for low voltage industrial and similar equipment based on harmonized test instructions and test reports for IEC- and EN- standards. The uniform LOVAG Certificates are recognized in the international market.
In 1989 there were in existence in Europe two mutual recognition agreements (MRA´s), the CENELEC Certification Agreement (CCA) and the Short-circuit Testing Liaison (STL) which created the STL Agreement. The CCA was an agreement with a scope covering the domestic electrical equipment sectors and the STLA covered the high voltage (above 1000V) electrical equipment sectors. It was realised that there was no agreement for the low voltage industrial electrical equipment sectors which form a major part of the electro technical equipment manufacturing in Europe.
A number of European certification bodies discussed if there was a need for an agreement in this sector and in late 1989 an Agreement Group of low voltage industrial equipment was begun.
Testing for LOVAG certification is now performed in about 30 LOVAG registered Laboratories, being supervised by one of the LOVAG members and being accredited by the national accreditation bodies or qualified by the responsible LOVAG member according to EN ISO/IEC 17025.
To this day the LOVAG Certification Bodies have issued more than 3000 Certificates, which have a common format and which are increasingly recognised in the market and accepted in the European Economic Area and elsewhere in the world.
In 2007 the LOVAG Management Committee started to extend the LOVAG Scheme to offer the licences for a voluntary LOVAG Mark, which is specially adapted to the needs of industrial low voltage area. LOVAG Mark Certification rules were set up covering the requirements for testing, granting the licenses, for factory inspections and surveillance measures.
On the basis of the LOVAG certification scheme of today with its high competence for low voltage equipment, and the gained high integrity and quality supported by well known certification bodies in Europe the future objectives of LOVAG are a worldwide activity of the LOVAG and a world wide acceptance of LOVAG Certificates and of the LOVAG Mark.
LOVAG would welcome new members to support these objectives.