FM全球公司

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FM全球公司網站網址：http://www.fmglobal.com

　　FM全球公司是世界上最大的工商業保險公司之一，FM全球公司通過其所屬的FM認證（FM Approvals）機構向全球的工業及商業產品提供檢測及認證服務。FM認證的證書在全球範圍內被普遍承認，而且FM全球公司的保險客戶也更傾向於使用通過了FM認證的產品，它向消費者表明該產品或服務已經通過美國和國際最高標準的檢測。FM認證機構也是歐洲以外唯一能夠直接對消防產品頒發CE標識的機構。

　　FM全球公司是工商業保險公司，由此FM認證的經營理念也與眾不同，其結合了保險和工程技術服務，通過工程技術服務來提供資產防損的解決方案，也就是為什麼FM認證也同樣支持FM保險存在的價值理念。

　　FM始於1897年，其客戶覆蓋全球132個國家，全球共計有10多萬個保險項目。其在中國約有18年的歷史，主要服務於在中國投資的FM全球保險客戶。近幾年中國的消防行業發展迅速，FM中國消防廠商也是越來越多，於是FM成立了中國辦公室，以更好地服務於中國的FM生產廠商。

　　FM擁有：輕危險實驗室、水系統實驗室、大型火災實驗室、電器實驗室、研究實驗室、建築材料實驗室等多個專業的實驗室。FM所提供的檢測認證服務項目包括：產品認證： FM向防火器材、電子電器設備、危險場所設施、火場勘測、信號設備、建築材料等產品的生產商頒發認證證書；標準檢測：FM向生產商提供產品單一特性的標準檢測服務；ISO 9000註冊：FM是ISO 9000的註冊機構，可以為企業進行ISO 9000體系審核。

FM Global is a U.S.-based insurance company, with offices worldwide, that specializes in loss prevention services primarily to large corporations throughout the world in the Highly Protected Risk (HPR) property insurance market sector. FM Global has been named the "Best Property Insurer in the World” by Euromoney Magazine

The company employs a non-traditional business model consisting of:

• The provision of only HPR property insurance, rather than providing other types of insurance or consulting services independently.
• The provision of services either directly to their clients, or through insurance brokers.
• Mutual ownership, allowing management to take a long term approach to strategic planning. A mutual company is owned by the companies which are insured. This form of private ownership buffers monetary performance from short term impacts (i.e., unlike publicly owned companies, which may have to react quickly to quarterly or yearly stock losses).
• The belief that all property losses can be prevented or mitigated. This leads to loss research and advice to clients emphasizing the changes to operations and facilities to mitigate the effects of specific hazards. FM Global encourages clients to make improvements to their property or work practices in an attempt to reduce risks and minimize financial impact to the customer and insurance company if a loss occurs. As such, the goal of the relationship between FM Global and each company that is insured is to agree to long term risks which are commensurate with risks taken by other similar companies insured by FM Global.

History

During the depression of 1835, Zachariah Allen, a prominent textile mill owner, attempted to reduce the insurance premium on his Rhode Island, USA, mill by making property improvements that he believed would minimize the damage in case of fire. At that time, insurance premium increases for losses were shared among all insureds, regardless of individual loss history. The concept of loss prevention and control was virtually unheard of at the time. To Allen, a proactive approach to preventing losses made good economic sense.

After making considerable improvements to his mill, Allen requested a reduction in his premium, but was denied. He called upon other local textile mill owners who shared his loss prevention philosophy to create a mutual insurance company that would only insure factories with lower risks. This approach should result in fewer losses and smaller premium payments. Whatever premium remained at the end of the year would be returned to policyholders in the form of dividends. The group agreed, and by year's end, formed the Manufacturers Mutual Fire Insurance Company, the oldest predecessor of FM Global.

During the company's first 14 years, the mill owners and mutual policyholders of Manufacturers Mutual enjoyed an average 50-percent reduction in premium compared with what other insurance companies were charging. The fire prevention methods they developed, monitored by regular fire inspections for mill policyholders, resulted in fewer losses. Despite its initial success, one problem remained for the pioneer mutual insurance company: a single mutual insurance company could not withstand the financial cost of the loss of an entire plant. More insurance capacity was needed, so in 1848, Allen formed another mutual insurance company, Rhode Island Mutual.

Expansion

In 1850, Boston Manufacturers Mutual Fire Insurance Company, the third-oldest FM Global predecessor, was created when Allen convinced a Boston merchant with significant cotton-mill ownership to form his own mutual insurance company with like-minded Boston mill owners. Throughout the next 20 years, other mutual insurance companies were added to the group roster. Together, these companies and the ones that later evolved soon became known as the Associated Factory Mutual Fire Insurance Companies, or the Factory Mutuals, for short.

Loss information helped identify specific industry hazards and was used in developing loss control recommendations for policyholders in similar industries. Such information was shared among all the Factory Mutual (FM) insurance companies, and was utilized by the inspection teams. As the FM companies grew, however, the inspection workload became difficult to manage. By 1878, the FM companies formed a dedicated unit to handle the collective inspection activities for all the FM policyholders. This unique group of loss control specialists initially provided only inspection services. The group later began performing appraisals and adjustments, loss analysis and research activities associated with preventing fire and other hazards in order to benefit the mutual insurance company owners and their policyholders. Today, all of these services remain components to FM Global in the form of engineering and research.

The FM companies' main interests in the late 1800s and early 1900s remained focused on researching and developing products or techniques that would help mitigate property risks and advance the efforts of property conservation. In 1874, a revolutionary form of loss control entered the loss prevention scene: the fire sprinkler. While the invention was designed and later perfected by entities outside the FM realm, FM's support and promotion of the product aided in its eventual widespread use and acceptance.

The 20th Century

The beginning of the 20th century brought significant change to the FM companies. Where once the mutual insurance companies focused primarily on the familiar business of textiles primarily within the Northeast region of the United States, new companies began to form that sought business beyond the traditional geographical boundaries. These mutuals began branching out into other industries, such as shoe and rubber manufacturers, foundries and light, gas and power companies, while still maintaining their preference for low-risk properties.

During the next 75 to 80 years, the need for more comprehensive policyholder coverage grew, forcing a series of consolidations among the FM companies. By 1987, 42 separate mutual insurance companies had become three: Allendale Mutual Insurance Company, Johnston, R.I., USA; Arkwright Mutual Insurance Company, Waltham, Mass., USA; and Protection Mutual Insurance Company, Park Ridge, Ill., USA. The three separate organizations found it difficult to deliver competitively priced, value-added engineering services in a marketplace full of increasing competition and a demand for more challenging property protection programs. The three companies were sharing the resources of an inspection group, yet were competing with one another for customers. In order to reduce competition and costs, in 1998 the CEOs announced their intent to merge the three companies to create FM Global. The merger was completed in 1999.

FM Global Today

FM Global is an international property insurance and loss prevention engineering company with US$4.3 billion of in-force premium (FY2006), US$5.2 billion in policyholders' surplus (FY2006), with clients in more than 100 countries.

Current FM Global clients do not necessarily receive lower premiums upon completion of loss prevention recommendations. Although a mutual company, FM Global charges some clients the market driven rate resulting from competitive pressures comparable to private insurance companies. However, other positive aspects may result from risk reduction, such as better insurance terms for limits or capacity, and avoidance of loss of market share, loss of workforce, and reduced production down time.

FM Global Research

FM Global’s 1,600 acre (648 ha) Research Campus[3] in West Glocester, R.I., USA, conducts testing in fire and explosion hazards, hazards detection and protection technology, natural disasters (flooding, wind damage, etc.), electrical hazards, and automatic sprinkler hydraulics. These tests range from witnessing the difference in how products burn to how construction components perform in hurricane conditions.

　　產品認證範圍包括：

　　消防部門：自動噴淋系統、閥門和消防栓、管道和管道連接件、消防泵和控制器、水噴霧系統、滅火器、防迴流裝置、可燃液體和可燃氣體防護設備。

　　建築材料部門：屋面系統、夾心板及三文治板/屋面板、潔凈室建築材料、冷卻塔及空氣處理設備、管道和風管、電線電纜、防火堵材、泄爆閥和泄爆牆、防火門和門框、阻燃液壓油。

　　電器部門：危險環境中使用的防爆電器、電伴熱系統、應急安全切斷閥門、燃氣燃油安全控制裝置、探測器和報警系統、電氣報警設備、功能性安全設備。

　　商家選擇FM認證，就等於進入了FM全球保險項目的市場，進入全球市場，同時使自己的產品有別於沒有經過認證的產品，即增加了產品的實力，又節省了進入市場的時間。FM認證為商家減少了認證成本，減少了內部成本，減少了審核次數，把審核結合起來（FM Approvals，CPD，ATEX，IECEx，ISO），容易修改產品設計；減少產品生產周期的成本。

• FM認證