National Press Release

ARNHEM, The Netherlands and STUTTGART, Germany, September 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The European leading expert organisation DEKRA and globally active energy consulting, testing & certification firm KEMA from the Netherlands agreed on the sale of a part of KEMA's testing and certification business. KEMA Quality tests and certifies low voltage equipment and electrical components, electronical and medical products as well as management systems. KEMA Quality has about 600 employees and generated annual revenues of 60 million Euro in 2008. The company operates testing laboratories in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and China. 19 locations on three continents highlight KEMA Quality's strong international presence. Dr. h.c. Klaus Schmidt, Chairman of the Management Board of DEKRA e.V. and DEKRA AG, says: "With this acquisition we are setting a strong signal in the growing market of product testing & certification." Pier Nabuurs, Chairman of the Executive Board of KEMA: "With this divestiture, KEMA will now focus even stronger on growth in its core activities in the energy value chain."

Through this acquisition DEKRA, leading testing organisation in Europe, is significantly expanding its position in the area of product testing and certification. For instance, DEKRA is acquiring an internationally recognised testing brand: KEMA-KEUR. KEMA Quality holds a big variety of accreditations that cover all relevant standards. With the acquisition DEKRA significantly strengthens its business unit DEKRA Industrial, which currently employs 4,500 people.

With this transaction, KEMA is emphasising its strategy of focusing on business, technical & operational energy consulting, as well as quality assurance, inspections and operational support in the energy sector, including the testing & certification of high-voltage equipment and components. The company has a leading position worldwide in several fields in the energy value chain and has shown a strong growth of its business in the last number of years. KEMA sells its subsidiary to DEKRA, a company that is pursuing a sustainable growth strategy in the industrial and product testing business, and that offers KEMA Quality ideal development opportunities. The portfolios of KEMA Quality and DEKRA complement each other perfectly with respect to the range of services and geographical coverage.

About DEKRA

DEKRA is an internationally focused expert organisation committed to safety and quality in the everyday relationship between human beings and technology, the environment and mobility. Around 180 subsidiaries and affiliated companies work under the strategic umbrella of DEKRA AG in Stuttgart in the four business units Automotive, Automotive International, Industrial and Personnel. These business units provide competent and innovative services in the fields of vehicle testing, expert appraisals, industrial services, certification, environmental and building monitoring, qualification, temporary work, out- and new placement, consulting as well as international claims settlement.

DEKRA is a market leader in Europe and among the top three worldwide. In 2008 DEKRA generated revenues of 1.6 billion Euro and currently employs more than 20,000 people. The company operates in 35 countries around the world. For some years now, DEKRA has pursued a consistent growth and internationalization strategy. As a result, the group increased its revenues by 60 percent in the period from 2004 to 2008.

About KEMA

Established in 1927, KEMA is an independent knowledge leader and a global provider of high-level services to the energy value chain, including business & technical consultancy, operational support, measurements & inspection, and testing & certification. KEMA provides impartial advice and support to the producers, suppliers and end users of electricity, gas and heat, as well as to governmental bodies. In addition, the company also certifies products, systems and individuals for a wide range of clients. Technical innovation lies at the heart of much of what we do. Our team of more than 2,000 professionals based in twenty countries around the world is dedicated to the provision of customized solutions. This encompasses everything from the origination of innovative, yet practical, answers to the energy-related problems of the future, to the development and implementation of cutting-edge quality assurance services for electrical and other high-risk equipment and processes. For more than eighty years, quality, integrity, reliability and expertise have been KEMA's core values. Expertise in the fields of energy-related strategic and policy consultancy combines uniquely with comprehensive technical and technological know-how to distinguish KEMA from other service providers. These qualities enable KEMA to help its clients optimize their business and activities.

    Contact:

    DEKRA
    Stephan Heigl
    Director Communication & Marketing
    Phone: +49-711-78612875
    E-Mail: stephan.heigl@dekra.com

    KEMA
    Rolf van Stenus
    Corporate Press Officer
    +31-26-356-2607
    rolf.vanstenus@kema.com

SOURCE DEKRA and KEMA