UL Solutions Breaks Ground on Global Fire Science Center of Excellence in Illinois

NORTHBROOK, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 26, 2025--

UL Solutions Inc. (NYSE: ULS), a global leader in applied safety science, today announced the beginning of construction on its state-of-the-art Global Fire Science Center of Excellence, one of the company’s largest laboratory investments to date, helping to reduce fire risks globally.

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Designed to identify, test and evaluate fire risks associated with both established and emerging building technologies, the innovative center will be situated on the company’s 110-acre global headquarters campus in Northbrook, just north of Chicago. The multi-building complex will integrate applied research laboratories with leading-edge testing capabilities, including the modernization of existing fire science laboratories and new construction.

“Fire safety is fundamental to our mission of working for a safer world,” said Jennifer Scanlon, president and CEO of UL Solutions. “By merging more than a century of fire science expertise with cutting-edge facilities, we are championing our commitment to protect lives, safeguard property and strengthen the resilience of communities globally.”

The extensive build-out will help UL Solutions meet its customers’ needs as building technologies evolve. The facility will be equipped to test the next generation of innovative products and systems that consider the environmental impacts within the built environment, including water-saving extinguishing systems, energy-saving ventilation products, energy-efficient exterior wall design and fluorine-free extinguishing foam systems reformulated to remove PFAS, known as forever chemicals.

A central feature of the facility will be its dedicated applied research and development (R&D) hub, where UL Solutions’ safety science experts will collaborate directly with manufacturers, consultants, trade associations and standards committees. By providing proactive, science-based guidance in design and development phases, UL Solutions helps stakeholders identify fire risks earlier, which can help accelerate innovation cycles and ultimately reduce time to market. The facility’s R&D space will include modeling and simulation capabilities to help analyze how fires behave in real-world situations.

“As a global leader in applied safety science, UL Solutions is at the forefront of forging the future of fire safety right here in Illinois. That’s why I am so thrilled to join them as they break ground on their new Global Fire Science Center of Excellence in Northbrook, Illinois,” said U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL). “UL Solutions’ work in fire safety is critically important to protecting our communities, and I’m proud to recognize their longstanding investments in our state. I look forward to continuing the partnership with UL Solutions to grow talent, support economic development and uphold Illinois’ legacy of innovation.”

Construction will roll out in carefully phased stages, with full project completion expected by mid-2027. Once operational, the facility is expected to serve as a pivotal resource for products originating in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America, reinforcing UL Solutions’ role as the trusted benchmark for safety compliance and performance.

The facility will cover the full spectrum of certification services critical to commercial and residential construction, including:

About UL Solutions

UL Solutions Inc. is a global leader in applied safety science, transforming safety, security and sustainability challenges into growth opportunities for customers in more than 110 countries. The company offers comprehensive testing, inspection and certification services, along with software solutions and advisory expertise that drive product innovation and business success. The UL Mark is recognized worldwide as a symbol of trust and commitment to safety excellence. For more information, visit www.ul.com.

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 statements regarding future lab features and capabilities, as well as anticipated construction timelines. 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 be differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements made in this press release, including the risks discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, 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 has announced the beginning of construction on its state-of-the-art Global Fire Science Center of Excellence, one of the company’s largest laboratory investments to date, helping to reduce fire risks globally. From left: Dr. Robert Slone, senior vice president and chief scientist and innovation officer, UL Solutions; Kathi Quinn, president, Northbrook Chamber of Commerce; U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., 10th District; Jeffrey Smidt, senior vice president, Testing, Inspection and Certification – Industrial, UL Solutions; Jennifer Scanlon, president and CEO, UL Solutions; State Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl, D-Ill., 57th District; Karine Johnfroe, vice president and general manager, Built Environment, UL Solutions; State Sen. Julie Morrison, D-Ill., 29th District; Weifang Zhou, executive vice president and president, Testing, Inspection and Certification, UL Solutions; Cara Pavlicek, village manager, Village of Northbrook; and Heather Ross, trustee, Village of Northbrook.

NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand (AP) — A construction crane collapsed onto an elevated road near Bangkok, killing two people on Thursday, a day after another crane fell on a moving passenger train in northeastern Thailand and killed 32 people.

The work on an extension of the Rama 2 Road expressway — a major artery leading from Bangkok — has become notorious for construction accidents, some of them fatal.

The crane collapsed at part of the road project in Samut Sakhon province, trapping two vehicles in the wreckage, according to the government’s Public Relations Department.

Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Thai TV Channel 7 that two people had died. It was unclear if anyone else had been trapped in the wreckage.

There was uncertainty about the number of victims because the site is still considered too dangerous for search teams to enter, said Suchart Tongteng, a rescue worker with the Ruamkatanyu Foundation.

“At this moment, we still can’t say whether another collapse could happen,” he said, citing dangling steel plates. “That’s why there are no rescue personnel inside the scene, only teams conducting on-site safety assessments.”

At the site of Wednesday's train derailment, the search for survivors ended, Nakhon Ratchasima Gov. Anuphong Suksomnit said. Three passengers listed as missing were presumed to have gotten off the train earlier, but that was still being investigated.

Officials believed 171 people had been aboard the train’s three carriages, which were being removed from the scene Thursday.

The crane that fell, crushing part of the train, was a launching gantry crane, a mobile piece of equipment often used in building elevated roadways.

Police were still collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses and have not pressed charges, provincial Police Chief Narongsak Promta told reporters.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry reported a South Korean man in his late 30s, was among the dead.

The high-speed rail project where the accident occurred is associated with the plan to connect China with Southeast Asia under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

In August 2024, a railway tunnel on the planned route, also in Nakhon Ratchasima, collapsed, killing three workers.

Anan Phonimdaeng, acting governor of the State Railway of Thailand, said the project’s contractor is Italian-Thai Development, with a Chinese company responsible for design and construction supervision.

A statement posted on the website of the company, also known as Italthai, expressed condolences to the victims and said the company would pay compensation to the families of the dead and hospitalization expenses for the injured.

Transport Minister Phiphat said Italthai was also the lead contractor on the highway project where Thursday's accident took place, though several other companies are also involved.

The rail accident had already sparked outrage because Italthai was also the co-lead contractor for the State Audit Building in Bangkok that collapsed during construction last March during a major earthquake centered in Myanmar. The building's collapse was the worst quake damage in Thailand and about 100 people were killed.

Twenty-three individuals and companies have been indicted, including Italthai's president and the local director for the company China Railway No. 10, the project’s joint venture partner. The charges in the case include professional negligence and document forgery, and Thailand's Department of Special Investigation has recommended more indictments.

The involvement of Chinese companies in both projects has also drawn attention, as has Italthai and Chinese companies’ involvement in the construction of several expressway extensions in and around Bangkok where several accidents, some fatal, have occurred.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Wednesday the government was aware of the rail accident and had expressed condolences.

Associated Press writers Wasamon Audjarint in Bangkok and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.

Relatives of victims and others wait at a hospital, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Relatives wait at a hospital to receive bodies of victims, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Forensic workers inspect the site of a train accident, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A cuddly toy lies on the ground at the site of a train accident, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)

A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)

A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)