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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Intertek Expands Operations Centers In Plano, Texas And West Palm Beach, Florida

03/17/2015
Intertek, a leading provider of quality and safety services to a wide range of industries around the world, plans to expand operations facilities in Plano, Texas, and West Palm Beach, Florida. The expansion will enhance its industry-leading breadth of services in support of building products manufacturers.

“The expansion of the Plano and West Palm Beach facilities, new regional offices, and CAN/ULC testing capabilities are just some of the latest advancements we’ve made since the acquisition of Architectural Testing,” said Gavin Campbell, Senior Global Vice President for Intertek's Building Products Business Line. “These recent developments are part of the ‘Building Better Together’ mantra we’ve adopted in order to provide more viable solutions to the market through testing innovations, greater flexibility, and a customer-focused staff dedicated to meet and exceed the high standards expected of us as a leader in building performance testing.”

A new facility allows for expanded mock-up testing with more space, updated equipment, new services and room for future expansion in Plano, Texas. Mock-up testing allows architects, designers, and contractors to confirm curtain walls are properly designed and will function as required, thus ensuring the integrity of a building, company officials said. The new Plano facility allows for exterior mock-up testing of up to 50 feet wide by 40 feet tall, with 100 feet of total linear chamber space. Additionally, interior mock-up space will give 30 feel of overhead clearance and full dynamic capabilities.

The company has also doubled the size of its mock-up facility in West Palm Beach, Florida and added four new regional offices in Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Denver and Los Angeles to accommodate the growth of the business and be closer to its customer base.

The existing fire-testing facility in Elmendorf, Texas has also expanded to provide verification and certification to Canada’s CAN/ULC S134 standard, the counterpart to the U.S.’s NFPA 285. These regulations require wall assemblies incorporating combustible components that are intended for use in non-combustible construction. With the new testing apparatus, Intertek’s first in the U.S. and only the second one in the industry, the company can now conduct the outdoor evaluations for both standards year-round and in one location, as opposed to subcontracting the service, which required more time, company officials said.

“Intertek remains committed to expanding our North American service offerings to better help customers bring products to market and respond to relevant regulations and requirements,” said Gregg Tiemann, Chief Executive of Products at Intertek. “We see robust growth over the next three years in the Building Products sector and these investments are just a few of the latest that illustrate our continued commitment to the building products industry in the United States.”

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