In 2025, Labbe Process Equipment achieved a strategic milestone by obtaining the ASME U (U Stamp) certification for the manufacturing of pressure vessels. This international recognition attests to the compliance of our equipment with the requirements of the ASME Section VIII code and strengthens our ability to support our industrial clients on demanding projects, both in France and for export.
A major milestone reached in 2025
This accreditation, issued by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), marks a decisive turning point in our industrial history. More than just a label, the “U Stamp” constitutes a genuine international passport for our stainless steel fabricated equipment.
It now guarantees that every reactor, heat exchanger or vessel stamped with the “U” has been designed and manufactured according to the strictest safety and quality protocols on the global market. For our partners and clients, this is the assurance of total technical mastery, aligned with the highest industry standards, paving the way for projects of global scale.
“With the ASME U, we offer our clients the ultimate guarantee of safety and traceability. It was a natural step for Labbe: our manufacturing standards were already very high; this certification officially formalizes our capacity to meet the most demanding codes on the market.”
What is the ASME “U” certification?
The ASME U certification (often referred to as the “U Stamp”) is an internationally recognized quality mark for pressure vessels. Concretely, the “U” stamp applied to a nameplate signifies that the equipment has been designed and built in compliance with the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section VIII (Division 1 or 2), which establishes strict requirements for the design, fabrication, inspection, testing, and certification of pressure vessels. The ASME U marking stands for “Unfired Pressure Vessel”, meaning a pressure vessel not heated by a flame. It concerns tanks, reactors, heat exchangers, and equipment subject to internal pressure, whose main function is not steam generation by direct combustion.
The scope of the ASME U is truly international. While this certification is historically prevalent in North America, it is now recognized in many global markets as a high-level benchmark for pressure equipment. To obtain the ASME U, it is necessary to implement a robust quality system, adhere to manufacturing requirements, and validate through inspection according to the applicable rules.
📥 Download our official ASME U certificate (PDF)
A strategic asset for Labbe and its clients
Opening up to new international markets
This certification broadens the commercial horizon of Labbe Process Equipment. Many international projects require that tanks, heat exchangers, and other pressure vessels be ASME compliant to be operated. Thanks to the U Stamp, Labbe can meet these requirements and position itself on regulated projects on a global scale.
For our clients, this means a smoother integration of our equipment into international facilities, with a level of compliance recognized and expected by industry stakeholders.
Increased requirements synonymous with enhanced reliability
The ASME standard imposes a high level of requirements throughout the entire design and manufacturing cycle. For our clients, this translates into reinforced confidence in the operational safety of the equipment: sizing, material selection, welding, inspections, and testing are framed by recognized practices.
By choosing an ASME U certified manufacturer, contracting parties secure their projects, facilitate audits, and consolidate their own quality approach, particularly on critical installations.
Concrete technical implications throughout the process
Design and calculations
ASME compliance implies applying the design rules of the code, with clearly defined calculation methods and criteria: thicknesses, reinforcements, joints, allowable stresses, tolerances, and service conditions. Our engineers integrate these requirements right from the design phase and document the hypotheses, results, and associated verifications in a structured calculation note.
This approach relies on an in-house design office, equipped with calculation tools (mechanical, thermal, thermodynamic) and materials expertise, to optimize designs while respecting safety requirements.
Materials and manufacturing processes
The ASME standard requires rigorous material traceability, as well as total consistency between selected grades, certificates, production allocation, and marking. At Labbe, material selection, certificate management, and part identification are part of a proven quality approach.
Welding is a major point: qualified procedures, qualified operators, parameter monitoring, and associated controls. Our organization integrates high standards regarding the preparation, execution, and inspection of welded joints, particularly when they contribute to pressure resistance.
Controls, testing, and traceability
ASME also structures the inspection plan: dimensional checks, visual inspections, non-destructive testing as required (PT, UT, RT), and regulatory testing (hydrostatic/pneumatic according to applicable rules). The associated documentation is gathered in a complete manufacturer’s data book, handed over to the client: drawings, calculations, material certificates, welding qualifications, inspection reports, test reports, etc.
Technical and human resources matching ASME excellence
Obtaining the ASME U certification relies on long-term investments in our industrial facilities and in the skills of our teams. Labbe relies on a 15,000 m² integrated workshop, where all critical operations are mastered in-house: cutting, forming, machining, rolling, welding, surface treatments, and testing. This total integration guarantees strict control over quality and deadlines, which is indispensable for meeting ASME requirements.
On the human side, our in-house design office brings together experts in mechanics, thermal engineering, and processes, working in close collaboration with the quality department. In production, our qualified boilermakers and welders work on demanding materials, within a structured and supervised welding organization, guaranteeing process qualification, parameter mastery, and joint compliance. Comprehensive control and testing facilities secure every unit delivered, with a constant objective: total compliance with normative requirements and the manufacturer’s data book.
Continuing a proven strategy of excellence
The ASME U certification is part of a long-term quality approach. Labbe has been ISO 9001 certified since 1993 and relies on robust traceability and control procedures. Our clients thus benefit from complete documentation and a level of mastery adapted to the most sensitive equipment.
This approach reinforces our position as a reliable and sustainable industrial partner, capable of meeting international normative requirements in sectors such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food & beverage, energy, or petrochemicals.
Towards new industrial and geographical horizons
Obtaining the ASME U certification in 2025 opens a new chapter for Labbe Process Equipment. This recognition confirms our capacity to design and manufacture pressure equipment according to demanding international standards.
Labbe is ready to support the most ambitious projects, both in France and for export, with custom-made equipment in stainless steel and nickel alloys, designed to last, documented, inspected, and aligned with the standards expected on international markets.
Is your equipment intended for export or does it require the U Stamp? Contact our sales engineers now to validate the technical and regulatory feasibility of your project: info@labbe-france.fr or call +33 (0)1.64.42.53.53
