UL, a global safety science leader, has acquired Emergo, an Austin, Texas-based privately held firm that provides regulatory value-added services and market access services to medical device manufacturers worldwide.

The acquisition positions UL as the premier service provider to the medical device industry by combining UL’s leadership in providing a range of services to support global regulatory approvals for the health sciences industry with Emergo’s global medical device registration expertise. As an independent third party, UL’s goal is to provide safe and effective devices to patients globally. UL believes that products which comply with regulations and standards have the best-managed risk profiles and deliver the most effective treatments.

Device manufacturers continue to expand into new markets, chasing industry growth driven by aging populations in markets such as Japan and Europe, and growing wealth in emerging markets such as China and Brazil. These trends, combined with constantly evolving regulatory requirements, are driving continued demand for regulatory services. “Many small-to-mid size manufacturers simply lack the resources and expertise to navigate complex regulatory issues, on a global basis,” notes Emergo president and CEO Rene van de Zande.

“Both UL and Emergo share a common goal to positively impact medical device compliance and safety,” said Upayan Sengupta, Vice President and General Manager of UL’s Health Sciences business. “This acquisition provides us with an opportunity to provide medical device manufacturers with value added services as they introduce devices into new markets.”

The integration of UL and Emergo’s services will increase efficiencies, widen global access and move products to markets more quickly for medical device manufacturers.

UL plans to retain Emergo’s Austin headquarters and its global offices. Emergo’s president and CEO, Rene Van De Zande, as well as its more than 200 employees will remain with the company.

The transaction closed on April 21, 2017. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

UL fosters safe living and working conditions for people everywhere through the application of science to solve safety, security and sustainability challenges. The UL Mark engenders trust enabling the safe adoption of innovative new products and technologies. Everyone at UL shares a passion to make the world a safer place.