SHELTON, Conn.: Anton/Bauer, a Vitec Group brand, has announced that its work in developing safe lithium ion-battery products is enabling users to travel in complete confidence with these devices.
“What we’re trying to do is be proactive,” said Katherine Finn, Anton/Bauer’s manager of compliance and regulations. “There have been key regulations in place for a long time that Anton/Bauer has scrupulously followed. We know that the government will be tightening regulations, so as a company we spend an enormous amount of time and money ensuring we are up to speed with regulations, especially since there’s not just one global standard. We strive to meet the strictest requirements.”
In the past several years, federal agencies have given especially close scrutiny to lithium-ion battery products, labeling units with capacities in excess of 160 Watt/hours as “dangerous goods.” And smaller units are can sometimes incur aircraft carry-on and checked luggage limitations. Anton/Bauer states that their products are well designed with built-in safety mechanisms such as honeycomb cell design, with each individual cell self-contained to prevent any damaged cells from damaging adjacent cells. The company also employees a number of persons who have received special training and certification in the area of “dangerous goods” handling.
Anton/Bauer also sends their products to an independent laboratory for safety testing. Once they meet approval, the company’s batteries receive color-coded labeling to indicate that they conform to United Nations standards for batteries and packaging worldwide. In addition, the company is certified in this area by a laboratory that conducts inspections of the Anton/Bauer factory on a quarterly basis.
“We understand the importance of travel for many of our customers who shoot on-location,” says Shin Minowa, Anton/Bauer’s vice president of marketing and business development. “We offer the utmost safeguards so they need not worry when travelling with Anton/Bauer gear.”
