Intertek Addresses the Changing Landscape of the Personal Protective Equipment Industry with New Center of Excellence
06 Sep 2011
Intertek continues to invest in its customers through new facilities and enhanced market entry
Cortland, NY – Intertek (LSE: ITRK) a leading international provider of testing, inspection and certification services, today announced the expansion and upgrade of their Center of Excellence (COE) specializing in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in Cortland, NY. The expansion of this facility supports Intertek’s objective to further meet the growing demands of its customers to provide a faster testing and certification process. Key features of this new Center of Excellence include new chemical lab, eyewear lab and expansion of the existing helmet lab. All three labs, along with the current physical clothing lab on site, will all be getting state of the art equipment.
The expansion of this new COE will not only allow for safety products to be tested faster, but this lab also will increase the amount of certifications that can be achieved for the Safety Equipment Institute – a private, non-profit organization that administers a non-governmental, third-party certification program and tests and certifies a broad range of safety and protective products used occupationally and recreationally. For the last several years, Intertek has remained the laboratory of choice for all third party certifications for the SEI. The expansion of facilities and equipment upgrades in the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Center of Excellence offer a much more diverse and specialized level of testing and certification that will further shape this market and increased customer service, collectively.
“SEI continues to experience growth in the variety of products and range of certification services we are providing to manufacturers. We recognize Intertek’s unique testing expertise, and see this expansion as a commitment to the industry and a reinforcement of the need to provide outstanding customer service,” said Patricia A. Gleason, President, Safety Equipment Institute.
The overall expansion project for the Personal Protective Equipment Center of Excellence will not interfere with current testing. The project is currently scheduled to be completed in fourth quarter of 2011.
“Organic industry growth combined with our commitment to helping manufacturers achieve an even faster market drives increased demand for our testing and SEI certification services and is necessary to the success of this expansion,” said Thomas Connaughton, Intertek’s Global Director of Life Safety and Security Services.
For Media Inquiries:
Cassie Biscanin
Public Relations Manager, Intertek
Direct: 713.543.3775
E-mail: Cassandra.Biscanin@intertek.com
For Market Inquires:
Roy Strunin
Senior Marketing Manager
Direct: 978.263.2662
Email: Roy.Strunin@intertek.com
About Intertek
Intertek is a leading provider of quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries around the world. From auditing and inspection, to testing, quality assurance and certification, Intertek people are dedicated to adding value to customers' products and processes, supporting their success in the global marketplace. Intertek has the expertise, resources and global reach to support its customers through its network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and 30,000 people in over 100 countries around the world. Intertek Group plc (LSE: ITRK) is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Visit: www.intertek.com
Intertek’s Life Safety and Security services cover an expansive range of products and industries within the Life Safety umbrella. From fire and burglar alarm testing to central station certification and personal protective equipment inspection, we provide complete solutions for manufacturers seeking local and international approvals to numerous association standards. For further information, visit www.intertek.com/LifeSafety
About SEI
The Safety Equipment Institute (SEI) is an independent, non-profit certification organization that certifies over 1000 different types of safety and protective equipment used to protect industrial workers, emergency responders & fire service personnel, and general consumers. Celebrating its 30th year anniversary, SEI remains committed to providing exemplary certification services as a service to those in need of personal protection on and off the job.
The SEI mark is recognized as the “seal of approval” for safety and protective equipment. SEI maintains its accreditation to ISO Guide 65, an internationally recognized standard used to accredit product certification bodies, by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC).
A list of certified products may be found at www.SEInet.org.