Known as Prospector, UL News reported that the search engine made it easier “to find and compare materials and suppliers in the plastics industry.”
Pam Walker, director of supply chain and product insights at UL Solutions, said they had implemented “substantial updates” to the software “to empower manufacturers with the information and technical specifications they need to make critical decisions when selecting materials that can affect their products, the environment and their bottom line.”
The new updates come at a time when many companies are taking stock of the materials they use as they try to balance environmental impact on with rising costs.
“The rising expectations and demands for environmental, social and governance reporting combined with the impacts of inflation throughout the global supply chain are driving manufacturers to consider all potential options when it comes to plastics and other materials,” said Walker.
The Prospector search engine combines date from two different platforms. The first is Innovadex, a specialized chemicals and food ingredient search engine, and the second is Integrated Design Engineering Systems (IDES), an online resource for plastics and metals.
Prospector features technical information for tens of thousands of products and gives manufacturers the ability to connect with suppliers around the world.