Acquisition of the British process safety specialist Chilworth Global / DEKRA expands in the process industry

Stuttgart/Southampton (ots) - The international expert
organisation DEKRA is acquiring Chilworth Global, the explosion
protection and process safety service company based in Southampton,
UK. With nearly 160 employees, Chilworth Global has annual sales of
around EUR 15 million and is specialised in safety solutions for the
process industry. As a result, DEKRA will become a leading
international provider in this area.

Chilworth Global operates testing laboratories in the UK, in the
US and has branch offices in India and in continental Europe (France,
Italy and Spain). The range of services includes material testing,
consulting and training services for the process industries with a
current emphasis on the chemical, pharmaceutical and food industry
sectors.

Through the acquisition, DEKRA strengthens its leading role as a
provider of quality and safety services. From an organisational
standpoint, Chilworth Global will be assigned to the DEKRA service
line "Product Testing and Certification" and will work in close
co-operation with the laboratories of the DEKRA Certification Group
in Arnhem, the Netherlands, and DEKRA EXAM in Bochum, Germany, in
which DEKRA?s explosion protection activities are based.

"The pairing of Chilworth Global and DEKRA is a decisive step in
DEKRA's strategy to expand the industrial business with high-quality
expert services in the process industries on a global scale", says
Stefan Kölbl, Chairman of the Board of DEKRA e.V. and DEKRA SE. "We
are decisively expanding our position in the UK and the important
markets in India and North America and are establishing a further
strategic platform for the development of markets in Asia and the
American continent."

"Chilworth Global contributes outstanding expertise to our
organisation and will enable us to develop great synergy potential",
comments Mark Thomä, Member of the Management Board of DEKRA SE and
Head of the Business Unit DEKRA Industrial. "DEKRA and Chilworth
Global are positioning themselves as a full service provider for
process safety for multinational companies, in both process plant
construction and operations."

"DEKRA is the ideal partner for Chilworth Global in order to
further develop the company within the worldwide DEKRA network and to
provide exciting opportunities for our highly skilled and valued
staff", says Dr Paul Cartwright, CEO and one of the founders of
Chilworth Global. "DEKRA stands for values such as openness, customer
satisfaction and innovation, which we have also extolled from the
beginning as the foundations of our corporate activities and which
are also practiced by our employees."

DEKRA is acquiring a 100 percent share of the privately held
company founded in 1986 from Chilworth Global. In the future, the
company will be headed by Bert Zoetbrood, CEO of the DEKRA
Certification Group in Arnhem, the Netherlands, as well as the
co-founder and CEO Dr Paul Cartwright.

About DEKRA

DEKRA SE is one of the world's leading expert organisations. The
company currently runs activities in more than 50 countries. Around
25,000 employees are committed to ensuring long-term safety, quality
and environmental protection. The DEKRA Business Units "Automotive",
"Industrial" and "Personnel" provide professional and innovative
services in the fields of vehicle inspections, expert appraisals,
international claims management, consulting, industrial testing,
product testing, certification, environmental protection,
qualification, temporary work and out- and new placement. In 2010
DEKRA generated sales totalling around EUR 1.8 billion.

Contacts:
UK:
Mr. Dr Paul Cartwright, Tel.+44 2380 760722,
pcartwright@chilworthglobal.com

Netherlands:
Mr. Bert Zoetbrood, Tel.+31 26 356 3071, bert.zoetbrood@dekra.com

Germany:
Mr. Jochen Titze, Tel.+49 234 3696 -100, jochen.titze@dekra.com

France, Italy, Spain:
Mr. Hervé Vaudrey, Tel.+33 6 76 47 15 65,
hvaudrey@chilworthglobal.com

USA:
Mr. Dr Vahid Ebadat, Tel.+1 609 7994449, vebadat@chilworthglobal.com

India:
Mr. Dr Sampuran Singh, Tel.+44 2380 760722,
ssingh@chilworthglobal.com

Media Contact:
DEKRA e.V.
Presse & Information
Tilman Vögele-Ebering
Tel.: (0711) 7861-2122
E-Mail: tilman.voegele-ebering@dekra.com