SGS Industrial Services, a global service provider for technical verification, inspection, testing and conformity assessment, has widened its scope for nondestructive testing in the energy industry through the acquisition of Atest SA. Atest SA, founded in 2000, is a leading Swiss nondestructive testing (NDT) company based in Chatel-St-Denis in Switzerland. The company has a strong portfolio of testing services in the energy industry, covering hydro energy, penstock, refineries, both private and public pipelines and the rail transportation system. Atest SA generated revenues in excess of CHF 2.8 mio in 2010.

SGS is keen to extend its inspection and testing activities, particularly in the field of NDT. Chris Kirk, the CEO of SGS, stated that the acquisition represents 'a new milestone in SGS's strategy to target the energy sector for Industrial Services and presents a new step in the objective to develop business in Switzerland.'

Particularly of interest to SGS is the fact that with the acquisition of Atest, SGS now has the accreditation required to perform NDT as well as material testing and inspections in Switzerland. SGS already undertakes NDT in many industrial sectors, including the construction, oil, gas and petrochemical industries as well as power generation, industrial manufacturing and renewable energy. SGS has a strong team of experts who conduct NDT inspections, a valued testing method because it does not in any way alter the object under inspection. SGS has a worldwide track record with proven performance on new construction, pipeline installation, in-service inspection and expansion projects as the total NDT solution provider.