TUV Rheinland acquires Sonovation B.V.
20/09/2011
TÜV Rheinland is acquiring the highly specialised service provider Sonovation B.V. in the Netherlands. Founded in 1988, the company has a staff of 50 and provides services in the area of advanced non-destructive testing, particularly for companies in the oil & gas industry.This includes ultrasonic weld examination and corrosion inspections for pipe systems or pressure equipment, for example. As a leader in its field, Sonovation invests heavily in R&D and also operates an accredited training school for advanced NDT.
Dieter Hesel, Executive Vice President Industrial, told NDT News: “High-tech solutions for NDT represent an important growth area, and one in which TÜV is making strategic investments.”
With the acquisition of Sonovation, TÜV Rheinland is targeting a large-scale regional expansion of international NDT services beyond the USA and Germany, along with a considerable increase in the market share in the oil & gas sector.
“With the integration of Sonovation, we are significantly expanding our worldwide network of experts for the energy sector and safety inspections of industrial plants,” comments Thomas Biedermann, Chief Regional Director for Western Europe at TÜV Rheinland.
In 2010, Sonovation B.V. achieved sales of nearly €12 million with a growth rate of around 15%. In future, the company, which has locations in the Netherlands, the UK, Belgium and Germany, will do business as TÜV Rheinland Sonovation.
With the integration of the special service provider, TÜV Rheinland is expanding its international specialist team for NDT in industrial and systems engineering. With specialised processes, TÜV Rheinland is already successful in the market, particularly in the USA and Germany, and is also active in further European and Asian countries. “As part of the global network of TÜV Rheinland, we can enter new markets. For us, as the TÜV Rheinland competence centre for advanced non-destructive testing, this opens up completely new prospects for all our employees, which we have never experienced at this pace before,” says Jan Verkooijen, CEO of TÜV Rheinland Sonovation.
TÜV Rheinland has nearly 200 employees in the Netherlands in the areas of product testing, passive vehicle safety – with an ultra-modern crash centre – and the certification of management systems. The company operates locations and test centres in Apeldoorn, Enschede, Helmond and Niekerk.
Founded 140 years ago, the TÜV Rheinland Group maintains a presence at around 500 locations in 61 countries with 16,000 employees.
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