National Technical Systems Authorized to Perform Certification for Wireless Power Consortium's Qi Wireless Battery Charging Standard

CALABASAS, Calif., Aug. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --  National Technical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTSC) (NTS), a leading provider of testing and engineering services, announced today that it has completed verification by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) and is now authorized to perform certification testing for the Qi (pronounced "chee") wireless charging standard. Certification testing will be offered out of NTS' Advanced Technology Lab in Culver City, California starting today.

Qi is the global, open standard for wireless charging. Qi makes it easy to power devices without the charging cable: to charge, you just place any Qi-enabled device on any Qi charging surface, regardless of brand. Qi is backed by more than 100 industry-leading companies.  

The WPC has established the Qi standard as a common interface to allow for wireless battery charging, while supporting interoperability across various vendors. Devices are separated into two categories - mobile devices (e.g., mobile phones, cameras, MP3 players, etc.) and base stations (e.g., charging stations). Magnetic induction coils allow the transfer of up to 5W of power wirelessly from the base station to the mobile device. In addition, the mobile device and base stations feature communications, so the mobile device is able to instruct the base station when it is fully charged.

"NTS has worked for more than a decade in the wireless market, and wireless power is a natural extension of the work we already are performing for many standards bodies and manufacturers," said NTS CEO William McGinnis. "We feel the advancement towards wireless charging of the multitude of mobile devices in our everyday life will be instrumental in moving away from the chains of power bricks and charger cables. We're looking forward to helping WPC and its member companies define a brand new market in the wireless powering of devices, and assisting them in quickly bringing their products to the consumer."

NTS will perform testing based on the compliance specification outlined by WPC. Depending on the product type, testing includes validation of the power transmitter/receiver design, verification of system control requirements, and conformance to system performance requirements.

"NTS is well known in the industry for its wireless product testing and certification capabilities," said WPC Chairman Menno Treffers. "Companies want to quickly introduce Qi products so they can compete in the rapidly growing wireless charging industry. We look forward to NTS's support to certify Qi products and help speed their time to market."

About Qi and the Wireless Power Consortium

Established in December 2008, the Wireless Power Consortium's mission is to establish Qi as the global standard for powering rechargeable electronic products. The more than 100 members of WPC include industry leaders in mobile phones, consumer electronics, batteries, semiconductors, components, wireless power technology and infrastructure such as wireless operators, furniture and automotive parts companies. Qi products are available in the United States, Asia Pacific, and Europe. Find more information about Qi and the Wireless Power Consortium at: www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com.

About National Technical Systems

National Technical Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of testing and engineering services to the aerospace, defense, telecommunications, automotive and high technology markets. Through a world-wide network of resources, NTS provides full product life-cycle support, offering world class design engineering, compliance, testing, certification, quality registration and program management. For additional information about NTS, visit the Company's website at www.nts.com or call 800-270-2516.

Forward-Looking Statements
The statements in this press release that relate to future plans, events or performance, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with uncertainties pertaining to customer orders, demand for services and products, development of markets for the companies' services and products and other risks identified in the companies' SEC filings. Actual results, events and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The companies undertake no obligation to release publicly the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding National Technical Systems' business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year.

SOURCE National Technical Systems, Inc.