History
Milestones
30-Aug-2005 - LGC, Quality Management and Aquacheck announce
joint venture in proficiency testing
Meet the joint venture team at Eurachem’s PT workshop,
Slovenia, 26-27 September
LGC, Europe´s leading independent analytical laboratory, has
successfully concluded negotiations to form a joint venture
focusing on proficiency testing (PT) with Quality Management
Limited (QM), and Aquacheck, both highly respected independent
providers of proficiency testing schemes. The combined operation
will encompass over 4000 participating laboratories from across the
world to become a major international provider of PT services.
Members of the joint venture will attend Eurachem´s international
workshop on proficiency testing in Portorož, Slovenia, 26 -27
September.
QM provides PT schemes in microbiology and chemistry for the
meat, dairy, food, and environmental industries, whilst Aquacheck
provides the market-leading PT scheme for the water and
environmental testing markets. LGC manages a number of PT schemes,
covering a varied industry base including brewing, distilling,
food, environment, forensic and consumer safety (e.g. toys). The
established PT schemes of the joint venture are recognised as
essential tools in demonstrating laboratory competence, and are all
accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).
PT schemes enable laboratories to monitor and improve analytical
measurements by providing an external quality assessment system to
complement their own internal quality control processes.
Participation in a PT scheme is integral to laboratory
accreditation and often supports regulatory requirements, such as
the UK Environment Agency’s Monitoring Certification Scheme
(MCERTS).
On announcing the joint venture, Dr John Mason, Director of
Corporate Development at LGC, said: "This new venture will
significantly enhance the range and scope of PT schemes available
to our customers across the world. QM and Aquacheck are experts in
their respective fields and, by combining our operations, we aim to
create a centre of excellence in this highly fragmented market,
where we will be able to exploit our joint knowledge of analytical
operations and PT schemes to provide added value and expert advice
to our customers."
Antony Meier, Chairman of QM, said: "LGC has a
long-established reputation for setting up and running successful
PT initiatives and, as the UK’s National Measurement Institute for
chemical and biochemical analysis, promotes international standards
for analytical measurement for use in trade, industry, academia and
government. We are therefore delighted to be joining forces with
LGC in providing PT schemes worldwide."
Both John Mason and Antony Meier become directors of the joint
venture holding company, which will be based in Bury, Lancashire,
at the facilities of QM and Aquacheck. Customers have been advised
that the running of current schemes will remain unchanged and
future plans for the joint venture include working closely with PT
scheme