Applus RTD Strengthens Commitment to North America with Two Further Acquisitions

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The Applus RTD Group (Rotterdam, Netherlands), the world's leading multinational company in non-destructive testing & inspection (NDT&I) and asset integrity management, today announced the acquisition of two companies specializing in NDT&I: Quality Inspection Services Incorporated (QISI), headquartered in Buffalo, New York, and Staveley Services Canada Incorporated, located in Burlington, Ontario. These operations, together with the acquisition of U.S.-based JanX Integrity Group in 2008 and New Brunswick-based Technico in 2009, reinforce the company's commitment to the North American market, where the company has been present for two decades with a large workforce.

The Applus RTD Group is strengthening its geographical position in the U.S. and Canada, as well as in different application fields such as oil & gas, power plants, refineries, storage terminals, and the petrochemical industry. In the U.S., Applus RTD's head office is in Houston, Texas, and Applus RTD Canada is headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta.

Non-destructive testing & inspection is part of the full-service approach that Applus RTD brings to the market as asset integrity services. Applus RTD has been the technological world leader in NDT&I since 1937. The acquisitions in the U.S. and Canada strengthen Applus RTD's position in North America.

Quality Inspection Services Incorporated (QISI)

With over 20 years of experience and a workforce of more than 300, QISI provides inspection, testing and engineering services, specializing in conventional and nuclear power plants. With a strong presence in the state of New York (where it is headquartered), QISI has 14 branches distributed throughout the U.S. QISI is one of the five leading companies operating in the U.S. in the field of power plant inspections.

Staveley Services Canada Incorporated

Headquartered in Ontario, Staveley Services Canada specializes in NDT&I in the power industry, the aerospace sector and infrastructures. The company has a workforce composed of 30 highly qualified employees with ample experience. The acquisition of this company will allow Applus RTD to increase its turnover, appealing to a large customer portfolio and bringing under its fold professionals with proven management abilities and remarkable reputations. These resources will strengthen the presence of Applus RTD as the leading company in its sector on the eastern coast of Canada.

The World Leader in Asset Integrity Services

QISI and Staveley Services Canada will be part of the Applus RTD Group, headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Applus RTD has more than 3,500 specialized employees and works for the main oil & gas, petrochemical, tank-farm and power companies in the world. With more than 2,000 customers, the company's 2010 turnover will exceed 350 million euros.

Applus+ acquired the Dutch group RTD in April 2006, which gave birth to Applus RTD, the division specializing in asset integrity services. In 2008, Applus+ purchased the companies MB Inspection and JanX, market leaders in the United Kingdom and the United States, respectively, making the company the world leader in this business area. The expansion of this division continued in 2009, with new acquisitions in France, Poland and Canada.

Applus+, a Global Company in the Field of Conformity Assessment

Applus+ (Barcelona, Spain) is a leading company in testing, inspection, certification and technological services. It is also one of the world's 10 largest companies in the conformity-assessment sector, and the largest Spanish multinational in the field. Applus+ is a global leader in the fields of vehicle inspection and non-destructive testing and is among the top companies in Europe in the inspection, technical assistance and laboratory sectors.

The company, whose CEO is Joaquim Coello, has a workforce of more than 10,000 people and had a turnover of 837 million euros in 2008. Applus+, part of the company portfolio of The Carlyle Group since 2007, has operations on all five continents and provides services to more than 25 industrial sectors.

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