Success Case – UL969: The Key to Accessing the European Electrical & Electronics Market

Introduction

Ricoh’s customer is a German-based multinational corporation with extensive experience in the energy and electrical equipment sector. Its manufacturing facility located in Amata Industrial Park (Dong Nai) specializes in the production and assembly of sensor-based connectivity devices.

With its primary markets concentrated in European Union countries, the company faced a significant risk stemming from labels that could not demonstrate UL compliance, potentially impacting the export of finished products. Specifically, for the end product to be UL compliant, the labels themselves must also be certified to UL 969.

With more than 54% of total output exported to and consumed within the European Union, any risk of shipment rejection or temporary detention for inspection could result in substantial financial, legal, and reputational losses for the company.

Read more: Why UL969 Is the “Passport” for Vietnamese Manufacturers Entering the US–EU Market

Challenges

When transitioning to UL-compliant labels, the company faced two key challenges related to materials and procurement operations:

Printing materials:

• Non-UL-compliant ribbon: The previous supplier proposed a thermal transfer ribbon that was not listed under UL-recognized materials.
• Insufficient heat resistance: The label substrate did not meet high-temperature resistance requirements and was not included in the UL-approved label list.
• Limited specifications: No flexibility in ribbon roll sizes, with only one option available: 110 mm × 300 m.

Ordering constraints:

• MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) restrictions: Each order required a minimum of 30 rolls.
• Long lead time: Order fulfillment required a minimum waiting time of three weeks.

As a result, the factory established three key criteria for selecting a solution provider:

• UL compliance: Both ribbon and label materials must be included in UL-recommended listings.
• High heat resistance: Finished labels must withstand high temperatures of approximately 150°C–200°C, suitable for PCB applications operating across different power ranges.
• Flexible ordering model: Customizable MOQs and material dimensions based on actual demand.

Read more: 5 Smart Steps to Achieve UL969 Compliance

Solutions by Ricoh

Once the challenges were clearly identified, Ricoh began its journey of partnering with the customer to develop a solution. Starting with the most critical barrier—UL compliance of the finished label—Ricoh proposed a material combination consisting of the B110CR thermal transfer ribbon and Silver PET label MZ0104.

This material pairing is UL Recognized and certified to UL969, offering the following key advantages:

• B110CR thermal transfer ribbon is one of Ricoh’s flagship products, renowned for its superior heat resistance of up to 200°C and excellent durability under high abrasion. It should be noted that heat resistance performance primarily depends on the label substrate, with MZ0104 optimized for use at 150°C. However, in this case, both the customer and Ricoh conducted testing and confirmed that the finished label met the required performance at temperatures exceeding 150°C.
• Outstanding print image quality, especially when used with 600 dpi printheads, delivering exceptional sharpness. This enables the use of label templates featuring fine elements such as thin lines, small characters, barcodes, or miniature images.
• Printed labels maintain integrity under abrasion and exposure to cleaning chemicals, including IPA, alcohol, lubricants, and unleaded gasoline.
• Compliance with additional certifications such as MSDS, RoHS, REACH, MOAH/MOSH, PFOA/PFOS, HF, etc., providing labels with a solid “compliance foundation” for future regulatory requirements.

However, UL compliance and successful UL audits require more than UL-recognized materials alone. Labels must be printed using UL-recommended printers, and printing data and records must be accurately and comprehensively maintained.

• The compatibility of B110CR and MZ0104 with a wide range of printers from Zebra, Sato, TSC, and others was a key advantage in this project. The customer had invested in a printing system consisting of four Zebra ZT611 600 dpi industrial printers on the production line and two ZT411 printers in the factory office, with the goal of transitioning to fully in-house printing. All of these printer models are UL Listed.
• To ensure centralized storage of print data and print history, Ricoh recommended the use of BarTender Enterprise printing software.

Result

1. The combination of B110CR ribbon printed on MZ0104 labels, together with BarTender software seamlessly integrated with Zebra printers, enabled UL969-compliant label printing. The finished labels were proven to withstand temperatures of up to 150°C in industrial drying ovens, while maintaining their shape and preserving all printed information.
2. Following the Q3 report, the procurement department recorded an 18% reduction in cost per label.
3. In addition, with Ricoh’s manufacturing presence in Vietnam, the customer gained greater confidence in procurement thanks to a wider range of material size options (e.g. 60 mm × 300 m, 180 mm × 300 m, 80 mm × 300 m) and lead time optimization of up to 60%.

During Ricoh’s second visit to the factory, Mr. Ân, Deputy Head of Thermal Sensor Production, shared positive feedback. He noted that since adopting Ricoh’s integrated printing solution, the printing process has become more proactive, with a reduction of three days across the overall workflow due to software-enabled storage of multiple label design templates, significantly accelerating printing operations.

If your business is facing similar challenges related to labeling, connect with Ricoh today for a comprehensive solution—helping you optimize costs, shorten production lead times, and unlock access to the European, U.S., and Canadian electrical and electronics markets.