| RSK BVBA acquires majority shareholding in EMN BV |
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February 4 2008
New joint venture bolsters Benelux business RSK Benelux BVBA has acquired a majority shareholding in 15-strong Dutch contaminated land assessment specialists EMN BV, making it one of the leading multi-disciplinary environmental consultancies in the Benelux region. The deal, which swells RSK Benelux BVBA's ranks to 32, forms a part of a strategic expansion drive by RSK Group to increase its presence in fertile business markets across Europe, particularly within the Netherlands and Belgium. Last year, it signalled its ambition in the region by acquiring pioneering remediation specialists ESA shortly after the company had itself acquired the consultancy arm of Lisec, one of Belgium’s oldest and most respected companies in the contaminated land sector. Founded in 1992, Ridderkerk-based EMN is a highly respected consultancy specialising in contaminated land assessment for businesses such as big-hitting blue-chip companies (Shell, Total, Q8 and Texaco) as well as private and public sector clients across Holland, Belgium, France and Germany. Its experience and contacts are set to broaden RSK Benelux BVBA’s client base to encompass the industrial, brownfield and local authority sectors. Significantly, the company is accredited to ISO 9001 and the BRL soil investigation fieldwork standards 1000 and 2000 that are often a pre-requisite to operate in Holland’s procedurally strict environmental market. It is currently working toward attaining BRL standards 6001, 6002 and 6003 for site supervision and, when it becomes a legal requirement next year, the BRL 5000 standard for report writing. “This deal will allow us to scale up our business by becoming involved in more remediation projects,” said EMN joint managing director Jeroen Meisters. “The benefit for RSK is that we have a huge amount of experience in the Netherlands and a great client base. We are a similar company to RSK and we already have a good working relationship, so we look forward to the future.” RSK has a long-standing relationship with EMN, having used it as a subcontractor on high-profile projects such as Shell’s retail facility-based European Environmental Services (ESIS) contract (which was recently renamed to Global Environmental Services Strategy (GESS)).
“Teaming up with EMN will make RSK Benelux BVBA a major force in the Benelux countries, particularly in Holland,” said director “They are highly regarded by our key clients out here and their experience and accreditations will open new doors for us, particularly in the contaminated land sector.” Moving forward, it is hoped that the enhanced RSK Benelux BVBA business will be pivotal to a concerted business drive into mainland European countries like Germany and France. “A firm base with many employees in the Netherlands will definitely help RSK and EMN expand into Europe and bring many new opportunities for both companies,” observed EMN joint managing director Mats Vermeer.  Left to right: EMN joint managing directors Mats Vermeer and Jeroen Meisters, RSK Group director David Taylor and RSK BVBA managing director Stefan Bangels drink to the joint venture's success. Notes for editors About RSK RSK Group is one of Europe’s fastest growing environmental consultancies with 900 staff across 40 strategic locations in the UK, Europe, The Gulf and Caspian regions. RSK offers clients a one-stop-shop for environmental services and a peerless dedication to best practice (RSK remains one of the few companies of its kind to have achieved certification to the ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards for quality, environmental and health and safety management). www.rsk.co.uk
About EMN BV EMN is a highly respected Dutch consultancy specialising in contaminated land assessment for blue-chip companies as well as private and public sector clients across Holland, Belgium, France and Germany. It is accredited to the ISO 9001 and the BRL soil investigation fieldwork standards 1000 and 2000 that are often a pre-requisite to operate in Holland’s procedurally strict environmental market. It is also working toward attaining BRL standards 6001, 6002 and 6003 for site supervision and, when it becomes law next year, the BRL 5000 standard for report writing. |