Acquisition

STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE

Thursday 18 May, 2017

Exova Group plc

Exova acquires Defire

Exova Group plc ("Exova") EXO.L, a leading global provider of testing, calibration and advisory services, announces that it has acquired Defire Holdings Pty Ltd (Defire), a Sydney-based fire safety engineering consultancy business that provides fire safety expertise to Australia's building and infrastructure sectors.

Since the company's foundation over 15 years ago, Defire's award winning team of experienced specialists has served a diverse customer base, delivering fire safety solutions that ensure compliance with regulations while retaining building design integrity. The business, which also has offices in Brisbane, Canberra and Perth, has a team of 26 experts and achieved revenues of around A$6m in 2016. The provision of fire safety consultancy is a key component of the Fire, Building Products and Certification sector's strategy of offering an integrated suite of services that also includes testing, certification and inspection.

Ian El-Mokadem, Chief Executive Officer at Exova Group plc, commented: "Acquiring Defire complements our current operations in Australia and adds significantly to our existing technical depth, providing the foundation for further growth in the region. This addition to our portfolio demonstrates our commitment to extending our service range and global reach by growing our capabilities and increasing market share through carefully considered strategic acquisitions."  

ENDS

Enquiries:

Andy Jones

Powerscourt

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7549 0747

E: [email protected] 

Diana Milford

External Communications Manager, Exova

T: +44 131 335 4373

E: [email protected]

Exova

Exova is one of the world's leading laboratory-based testing groups, trusted by organisations to test and advise on the safety, quality and performance of their products and operations. Headquartered in Edinburgh, UK, Exova operates 136 laboratories and offices in 33 countries and employs around 4,200 people throughout Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Asia/Asia Pacific and Africa.

Exova's capabilities help to extend asset life, bring predictability to applications, and shorten the time to market for customers' products, processes and materials. With over 90 years' experience, Exova specialises in testing across a number of key sectors ranging from Aerospace to Fire & Building Products; Oil & Gas and Industrials; Infrastructure & Environment; Transportation; and Health Sciences.

Exova Group plc is registered in England (registration number 08907086). Its legal entity identifier ('LEI') number is 213800BFE317FGSYMZ19.