French environmental testing group buys PARC laboratory

Devon-based PARC specialises in vibration, shock, climatic, salt spray, ingress protection, altitude and highly accelerated life testing (HALT).

Its laboratory in Bideford includes five electrodynamic vibration tables, 24 controlled environment chambers and the company employs a total of 17 staff.

Commenting on the purchase, Sopemea chairman Stéphane Torrez said: “This acquisition is a great opportunity to establish a base outside our borders for the first time and in a territory with a huge potential. PARC gives us the opportunity to support our customers’ international activities by being present locally and offering them a full range of testing and maintenance services.”

Much of the French group’s work is focused on sectors including aerospace, automotive, defence, electronics, marine, medical, oil and gas, rail, telecoms, highways, power generation and renewables.

This acquisition is a great opportunity to establish a base outside our borders for the first time and in a territory with a huge potential

Stéphane Torrez, chairman, Sopemea Group

PARC’s clients are drawn from a wide variety of sectors including several of Sopemea’s specialist areas of energy, defence, air and land transportation sectors.

Sopemea – a subsidiary of the global provider of inspection services for construction, oil and gas, renewables and marine energy sectors, Apave – operates three environmental testing laboratories in France and employs 130 people.

The acquisition will increase the UK lab’s exposure to a wider range of potential customers.

Sopemea’s clients include such market leaders as Airbus, Boeing, Alstom, Thalès, Eurotunnel, SNCF, RATP, Volvo, Renault-Nissan and EDF.

PARC general manager Richard Tabor welcomed the acquisition, saying it would enable the UK laboratory “to pursue its development by providing its British customers with the full range of services from a renowned leader”.