Cotecna Expands in South Africa with the Integration of CoalLab Pty Ltd

- GENEVA, April 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Cotecna, one of the world's leading inspection, testing and certification companies, is pleased to announce the integration of CoalLab Pty Ltd, a leader in South Africa in the field of coal and other materials testing, sampling systems design and management, and consulting. CoalLab, a privately owned company, was founded in 2007, and operates several on-site sampling and testing facilities, in addition to its own laboratory in Middleburg (province of Mpumalanga).   Robert Massey, Cotecna Group CEO, said; "The acquisition and integration of CoalLab into the Cotecna group significantly enhances our capabilities to service our customers in the coal and minerals industry globally. It also represents an important step in the expansion of our footprint in the commodities sector in Southern Africa, and on the continent as a whole, where we see a significant growth potential." For Johan Bekker, co-founder and Managing Director of CoalLab, "The integration into the Cotecna Group provides CoalLab and its team with the support and global network of a strategic investor, and the opportunity to grow to its full potential in South Africa and beyond." Johan Bekker will remain as Managing Director of the Company. About Cotecna   Founded in Switzerland in 1974, the Cotecna group offers a wide range of testing, inspection and certification (TIC) services. Cotecna is a pioneer in areas such as risk management, destination inspection and scanner integration projects for customs administrations. Cotecna verifies contractual compliance for a wide range of commodities and consumer goods and also provides trade finance services for lenders and financiers. The Cotecna Group has a combined workforce of about 4,000 employees and agents in close to 100 offices.  For a full description of our services, please visit http://www.cotecna.com. About CoalLab  CoalLab offers a wide range of services in the field of testing, sampling systems design and management, as well as consulting, in the coal and other minerals sectors in South and southern Africa. Based in Middleburg, Mpumalanga, South Africa, CoalLab employs about 100 staff there as well as at several on-site operations. CoalLab was co-founded in 2007 by Mr. Johan Bekker and his wife. Mr. Bekker is also Chairman of South Africa's National Steering Committee on Solid Mineral Fuels and of ISO's TC27 Solid Mineral Fuels committee. Cotecna Press Haja Rajaonarivo Senior Vice-President, Corporate CommunicationsGeneva [email protected]