DEKRA Expands to Australia

STUTTGART, Germany and MELBOURNE, Australia, January 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

- Acquisition of Russell Consulting International in Melbourne

The global expert organisation DEKRA steadily continues on an international path to success and now has a presence in Australia.  DEKRA is acquiring the consulting company Russell Consulting International (RCI) in Melbourne. RCI is a market leader for consulting services in safety, occupational health and safety, and sustainability in Australia. With this purchase, DEKRA is represented on all continents with its own subsidiaries.

"DEKRA now covers the entire globe. DEKRA's presence on the fifth continent is a significant step for us in our global growth strategy", said Stefan Kölbl, Chairman of the Management Boards of DEKRA e.V. and DEKRA SE. "Australia and the Pacific region are a very interesting growth market with a huge demand for our high-quality safety, testing, inspection and consulting services".

Russell Consulting International employs over 30 persons and generates an annual turnover equivalent to approximately €12 million. Its customers are primarily companies from the raw material extraction, oil, gas and process industries. Companies such as BHP Billiton, ExxonMobil and Chevron implement safety, occupational health and safety, and environmental protection concepts from RCI to prevent risks.

"The acquisition of RCI positions DEKRA to advise our global industry customers in safety issues on site on all continents", explained Ivo Rauh, Member of the Management Board of DEKRA SE and Head of the DEKRA Industrial business unit. "With the acquisition of the US consulting company BST last year and the purchase of RCI, we are establishing our new DEKRA Consulting business unit around the globe as an important building block for our overall industrial business".  

"Russell Consulting International is an excellent fit for our consulting portfolio and the DEKRA family," said Dr Gesa Koeberle, Head of DEKRA Consulting GmbH. "RCI had already collaborated very successfully with BST in the past. Both companies are proven specialists in establishing an uncompromising safety culture from top management to the employees".

"The transition to the DEKRA Consulting Group is an important step for RCI", stated Dr. Richard Russell, Managing Director of the company. "I am convinced that our employees and customers will benefit enormously from the company's integration into the DEKRA Group". The current owners and management will continue to head the company.  

The DEKRA Group bundles its premium consulting services in the DEKRA Consulting service unit. In addition to BST and RCI, the British Chilworth Global Group - a specialist in explosion protection and process safety - as well as the German, Italian and Swedish DEKRA Consulting units - specialists in performance excellence and sustainability - are integral parts of the service unit.

About DEKRA

DEKRA SE is one of the world's leading expert organisations. The company currently runs activities in more than 50 countries. About 28,600 employees are committed to ensuring long-term safety, quality and environmental protection. The DEKRA Business Units "Automotive", "Industrial" and "Personnel" provide professional and innovative services in the fields of vehicle testing, expert appraisals, international claims settlement, consulting, industrial testing, product testing, certification, environmental protection, qualification as well as temporary work. In 2012, DEKRA generated preliminary sales totalling approximately 2.15 billion euros.

Stuttgart, 31.01.2013 / Nr. 010
Tilman Vögele-Ebering
++49(0)711-7861-2122
++49(07 11)78-61-27-00
[email protected]

SOURCE Dekra SE