National Technical Systems NQA USA Subsidiary and NCS International Form Partnership to Offer Wide Range of Food Safety Registrations

CALABASAS, Calif. and ACTON, Mass., June 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- National Technical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTSC) (NTS), a leading provider of testing and engineering services, announced today that its National Quality Assurance, USA, (NQA, USA), joint venture subsidiary has formed a partnership with global food safety leader NCS International (NCSI) to offer a wide range of food safety registrations for customers in North America and Europe.  NQA, USA, a leading global provider of quality and environmental management systems registration services, is a joint venture between NTS and London-based National Quality Assurance, Limited.

NCSI is one of the largest providers of food safety registrations for Global Food Safety Initiative-approved food safety schemes throughout North America, Europe and the Middle East. NCSI Americas, the North American division of NCSI, is already well known on the West Coast of the USA for its work in the produce, seafood and bottled water industries and works closely with key retailers such as Wal-Mart and Costco.

NCSI, NTS and NQA, USA anticipate significant growth in certifications to these important standards on the East Coast and in additional manufacturing markets.

"We believe food safety is a rapidly growing global concern and an area in which we should establish a presence," said NTS Chief Executive Officer William McGinnis. "This partnership provides us the opportunity to expand our expertise and outreach into food safety throughout a large part of the world. Because of the growth in this sector, we are confident this will prove to be an important venture for both NTS and NQA, USA."

With rapid growth anticipated, NTS and NQA, USA expect to recruit and train a number of full time and contract employees for roles as food safety experts and technical experts.

ISO 22000.2005 and FSSC 22000.2010 are two of the primary certification standards applicable to the food industry. NQA, USA was one of the first certification bodies to achieve ISO 22000.2005 approval and carry out an FSSC 22000.2010 audit in North America. With this partnership, NQA, USA will now also be able to offer registration for SQF (Safe Quality Food Initiative), BRC British Retail Consortium), GlobalG.A.P. (Good Agricultural Practices) and other food safety certifications.

About NCSI, Americas

NCSI Americas, a division of NCS International, is a provider of auditing & certification services in North America.  NCSI also provides training, specialist consulting & testing in support of their core business.  Services include Certification, Training, Online publications, Testing and Consulting.  NCS International, established in 1991 as a subsidiary of the National Association of Testing Authorities, is a well-known name globally providing a variety of certifications.

About NQA, USA

NQA, USA, headquartered in Acton, MA, was established in 1992 as a joint venture between National Quality Assurance, Limited (headquartered in London, England) and National Technical Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTSC, located in Calabasas, CA). NQA, USA is a world-renowned ISO 9001, ISO 14001, TS 16949 and AS9100 registrar. NQA, USA's single point of contact saves clients time, while its well-trained, efficient staff, located nationwide, provides local attention. NQA's worldwide operations are accredited to perform management systems registrations by ANSI – ANAB (American National Accreditation Board) and UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service). NQA, USA has expertise in many diverse industries including aerospace, transportation and distribution, printing, professional services, automotive, foods, electronics, computers and software.

About National Technical Systems

National Technical Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of testing and engineering services to the aerospace, defense, telecommunications, automotive, energy 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 our 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 Company's services and products and other risks identified in the Company's 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 Company 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.