Recently, Shanghai Institute of Instrumentation and Automation Control Systems Testing Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as SITIIAS) awarded its first "Functional Safety Assessment Certificate for Valve Terminal Subsystem" to NDV, an international valve brand, at Tianjin Taiya Valve Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Tianjin Taiya).

At the certification ceremony, Yu Lei, Deputy General Manager of SITIIAS, stated that the issuance of this certificate not only recognizes the company's product and technical capabilities but also represents a significant upgrade in the concept of functional safety. It marks a shift in the industry from the traditional "component mindset" to a "system mindset," which will bring more efficient and reliable safety assurance and value enhancement to the entire industrial chain.

Yō Ogino, General Manager of Tianjin Taiya, expressed his honor in being the first company to receive this assessment certificate. This achievement elevates Tianjin Taiya from a "component supplier" to a "safety solution partner," significantly enhancing its market competitiveness. In the future, Tianjin Taiya will continue to deepen its collaboration with SITIIAS to jointly advance the overall safety standards of valves to new heights.

A Single Certificate, Multiple Wins: Reshaping the Safety Value Chain

In the process industry, Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) serve as the last line of defense for personnel, equipment, and the environment. However, "component safety does not equal system safety." System integrators and end-users face the cumbersome, highly specialized, and high-responsibility task of SIL verification. This process not only consumes significant time and cost but also struggles to fully mitigate potential risks arising from component compatibility and common cause failures. It has become the "last mile" challenge in implementing functional safety.

To address this common industry challenge, SITIIAS, as a one-stop inspection, testing, and certification platform in the instrumentation and control field, leverages its profound expertise and forward-looking insight in functional safety certification to introduce its new "Valve Terminal Subsystem Functional Safety Assessment" service. This service conducts SIL assessments on complete systems—comprising specific valves, solenoid valves, actuators, and other components—based on the condition that the key components already possess SIL certification. Moving from functional safety product certificates to functional safety assessment certificates, the scope of functional safety services is no longer limited to individual products but extends to a service model focused on the valve terminal as an integrated whole.

New Credential, Collaborative Progress: Building an Ecosystem of Trust

I. For Manufacturers or System Integrators: Market Upgrade and Risk Optimization

1. Establishes a powerful competitive differentiator, significantly enhancing product value and market positioning.

2. Increases customer loyalty and elevates brand perception.

3. Reduces technical support costs for customers.

4. Greatly simplifies the system validation process, saving time and costs.

5. Strengthens bid competitiveness.

II. For End Users or Design Institutes: A Guarantee of Safety and Optimized Total Cost

1. Significantly improves design efficiency and accuracy.

2. Enhances the reliability and authority of design solutions.

3. Reduces safety and operational risks.

4. Lowers total cost of ownership (TCO).

Looking ahead, SITIIAS will consolidate its resources and continue collaborating with more equipment manufacturers, system integrators, and end-users to jointly promote this advanced model. It is believed that the "Valve Terminal Subsystem Functional Safety Assessment" will emerge as a new benchmark in the functional safety field, building a more solid and efficient safety foundation for the high-quality development of the process industry.