BSI Shaping the future in Greater China

Press release: 15th March 2003

The BSI Group today announced its acquisition of 100 per cent ownership of BSI Pacific Ltd, formerly run as a 50:50 joint-venture with Intertek Testing Services (ITS), a well-known product testing and inspection company.

BSI Pacific Ltd (BSIP) was established in 1995 and now registers 3,000 companies against the internationally recognised management systems standards, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. The company operates across the Greater China region from eight locations and has a staff of 170.

The acquisition of BSIP enhances BSI's capability within Asia and provides an enhanced platform, which opens the way for concerted investment and a long-term commitment to growth. BSI plans to do this through the delivery of Management Systems' entire portfolio of products within the quality, environmental and risk arenas across multiple industry sectors.

BSI Management Systems managing director, Nick Moy, says: "The BSI Group is delighted with the purchase. Greater China is a key region in the world economy and, as such, represents a crucial growth opportunity for us.

"It is our intention, now that BSI Pacific is wholly owned, to step up our commitment to growing this business even further over the long term, so that BSI will be the first choice of international registrar for businesses throughout Greater China and the entire Asia region."

China has the world's second largest GDP with a 700 million strong workforce and around 8 million industrial enterprises. With this background and with the accelerated investment of international manufacturers in China, management systems registration is a booming business, having grown 65 per cent over the last three years to around 70,000 registered sites. The level of growth, if sustained, would make China the world's largest certification market within the next five to ten years.

As a result of this acquisition, BSI has great expectations for its continued success in this region and now operates directly within the key Asia markets of Japan, Korea, Greater China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and India - managed through an Asia regional head office in Hong Kong.