LOWELL, Ark. — UL Solutions’ 100,000-square-foot "Retail Center for Excellence" is now fully operational after a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Lowell. Replacing the old facility that was located in Rogers, UL Solutions said they needed to expand to meet customer needs.
"It's one of the largest consumer product testing labs in the United States,” said Vice President of UL Solutions Josh Warren. “We relocated our lab in Rogers, and we worked with our clients for several months to understand their needs and build new capabilities."
Focused on retail product testing in areas like houseware, cookware, footwear, and toys, UL Solutions focuses on identifying potential issues with products before production.
The new facility allows the company to venture into new merchandise categories including packaging and sporting goods.
"The new facility is built around innovating and supporting our clients,” Warren said. “We get involved early in the product life cycle, and at the end of the product life cycle with testing from stores. We built a lot of new capabilities to help solve their emerging problems, like sustainability and chemistry.”
Given Northwest Arkansas's economic growth, UL Solutions sees the area for its potential and hopes to invest back in the community.
“We set this up as our retail group's headquarters,” Warren said. “So we look at a lot of expanded career development opportunities here. We look at hiring some new experts and expanding our business here, so we're plugged into the community and looking forward to growing here."
Representative Steve Womack, who was in attendance at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, reiterated this point by saying companies are coming to Northwest Arkansas with a boost for those living in the area.
“And that's what's special about Northwest Arkansas,” Womack said. “All the people that come in here and work with these Fortune 500 companies ... are committed to creating a quality place that people want to move to, and boy are they moving here.
UL Solutions also has a 60,000-square-foot soft lines laboratory in Bentonville but say the Retail Center of Excellence in Lowell is their largest investment yet in the retail and consumer products sector.
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