Intertek traces its origins from a marine surveying business formed by Caleb Brett in the 1890s, a testing laboratory formed by Milton Hersey in Montreal in 1888 and a lamp testing centre established by Thomas Edison in 1896.[4] These businesses were all acquired by Inchcape plc during the 1980s and early 1990s.[4]
In 2000, the Company was divested by Charterhouse and was listed in 2002 on the London Stock Exchange.[5] In April 2010, Intertek acquired Ciba Expert Services’ Environmental, Safety, & Testing and Regulatory businesses, including Cantox Health Sciences (Cantox) and Ashuren Health Sciences (Ashuren).[6]
In May 2021, Intertek acquired SAI Global's Assurance and Standards Business units.[11]
Operations
Intertek Consumer Goods and Retail is the largest tester of consumer goods in the world and has a network of more than 1,000 laboratories across around 100 countries.[12]
The company has more than 44,000 employees across 100 countries in over 1,000 locations including large-scaled offices and testing facilities in New York City, London and Hong Kong.[3] Centered around its laboratory testing services, the company provides quality and safety assurance to industries such as construction, healthcare, food and transport. Products tested include batteries, accessories, apparel and chemicals.[13]