Applus+ acquires IMA Dresden, a leading testing laboratory in Europe

Applus+, the global testing, inspection and certification company, is pleased to announce the acquisition of IMA Materialforschung und Anwendungstechnik GmbH (IMA Dresden) from the owner managers. IMA Dresden will form part of the Laboratories division.

IMA Dresden was established in the 1950s as a Government testing laboratory in Germany focused on the aerospace industry and was privatised in 1993. It is now a well diversified structural and materials testing laboratory, with a good reputation for excellence and a European leader in most of its key markets of railway, aerospace & defence, wind power, building products, medical devices and automotive. It has a comprehensive list of accreditations from its large industrial clients, as well as from key accreditation bodies.

From its well-equipped and strategically-located laboratories in Dresden, the company employs more than 200 full-time experts in their fields and can handle a wide range of projects, from small components to full-scale products, including aeroplanes. Its customers are from Europe and other continents, with an increasing focus on China.

The expected revenue in 2021 is approximately €25 million. The combination of the IMA Dresden business, operations and customers with Applus+’ capabilities and global scale, confirms Applus+ Laboratories as a leading global provider of testing services for product development.

Jordi Brufau, Executive Vice President of the Laboratories Division, said: "I am pleased to see IMA Dresden join us. We are convinced that, together, we can build a bigger and stronger service offering to our respective industrial clients. In this increasingly challenging and environmentally responsible period, where all transportation systems need to be more efficient, IMA Dresden is a significant contribution to Applus+ Laboratories’ capabilities to help our clients throughout this evolution, by testing and developing best-in-class components and final- products which meet the highest standards.”

Fernando Basabe, Chief Executive Officer of the Applus+ Group, said: “We are delighted to welcome the people of IMA Dresden. We can see a very good fit with our Laboratories division, and it takes us further into industries where we are looking to expand.”

Applus+ Laboratories in the field

Applus+ Laboratories provides testing, certification and development engineering services to improve the competitiveness of its clients’ products and foster innovation. The division has a network of multidisciplinary laboratories across Europe, Asia and North America and an engineering department. Applus+ Laboratories is very well specialised in electrical, mechanical and electronic systems.

In the field of structural and materials testing, the Laboratories division offers high added-value services to a wide range of industries such as aerospace, automotive, rail, maritime, construction and civil infrastructure, thanks to its state- of-the-art facilities and the technical knowledge of its experts.

Applus+ Laboratories is a strategic provider of testing and engineering solutions for the aerospace industry. Over the last decade, Applus+ Laboratories has become a benchmark for testing large carbon-fibre panels, engine parts and other critical aircraft components, and has provided unique turnkey test systems for leading aerospace companies.