Market Overview
The testing, inspection and certification (TIC) industry comprises conformity assessment organizations offering various services, including testing, validation, quality assurance and certification. The process of ensuring that manufactured goods, individual components and multi-component systems are suitable for their intended use is referred to as testing.
The most crucial factor in the success of a manufacturing organization is quality control, which includes operational features such as inspection and testing. Quality control has a direct impact on cost, productivity and on-time delivery. Companies that offer TIC services cooperate with numerous industry sectors and follow several standards and laws. Some sectors that need testing, inspection and certification services are raw materials, IT and electronics, agriculture, automotive, environmental protection, food testing and oil and gas.
Testing Inspection and Certification Market Dynamics and Trends
The rising instances of counterfeiting and adulteration are the major market driver for global testing, inspection and certification. However, the high cost of testing procedures could be a major market restraint.
Rising instances of counterfeiting and adulteration
The rise of global trade has opened new frontiers as businesses try and expand to overseas markets. However, it has also led to high competition between businesses with low margins to gather market share. Manufacturing products that comply with all the required testing standards and certifications are expensive and affects profit margins. It leads to increasing temptation for counterfeiting and adulteration.
Counterfeiting and adulteration are mainly done to increase profits while delivering products of substandard quality that are relatively cheaper to manufacture. Many reputed companies have been caught forging quality certifications to bypass regulations. In 2018, Kobe Steel Ltd was caught falsifying the quality and strength data of manufactured steel used by various automotive manufacturers. Similarly, adulteration of pharmaceuticals is also common due to lax manufacturing processes. In 2018, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalled all generic blood pressure medication called valsartan due to its contamination with the carcinogen NDMA. In 2013, Takata Industries started recalling airbags fitted in all cars. The defective airbags were known to cause injury and death due to faulty deployment in case of an accident. The stringent enforcement of testing, inspection and certification processes by governments and regulatory bodies is the only way to safeguard consumers from counterfeiting, adulteration and defective manufacturing. The aforementioned fact will be a key driver for the global testing, inspection and certification market.
High cost of testing procedures
As enterprises aim to enter international markets, global trade growth has widened previously unexplored territories. In order to grow and gain market share, businesses are entering new markets. To enter new markets, however, considerable regulatory obstacles must be removed. Developed markets such as U.S. and E.U. have strict laws and rules governing the importation and production of goods for their markets.
In order to obtain market access certification, extremely stringent and thorough testing, inspection and certification procedures must be performed. Legal review can follow lengthy procedures that take weeks or months to complete. The cost, which can total several thousand dollars, must be covered in full by the business. Therefore, the capital investment necessary to enter new markets can only be afforded by large global multinational companies. The expenses are totally out of reach for small and medium-sized businesses. The high procedural costs are a major obstacle to expanding the global testing, inspection and certification business.
COVID-19 Impact Analysis Testing Inspection and Certification Market Growth
The global COVID-19 pandemic has unevenly impacted the revenue stream of testing, inspection and certification companies. The scaling back and a partial shutdown of manufacturing operations, research and developmental activities severely affected the companies’ revenues in the second and third quarters of 2020. The eventual lifting of lockdowns and increasing testing, inspection and certification toward pre-pandemic levels showed encouraging signs in 2021.
However, India was hit with a massive wave of the Delta variant in mid-March 2021, although the second pandemic wave peaked relatively quickly. Normality was achieved by June 2021 and the automotive testing industry, once again, resumed operations. The biggest hit to the revenue stream of testing, inspection and certification companies came from the decline of manufacturing sectors, such as automotive, industrial goods and construction. However, increased demand was seen in the healthcare sector, particularly due to the rising demand for medical goods during the pandemic. The lockdowns caused massive declines in automotive and industrial production in 2020. Automotive, construction and industrial production is showing promising growth in 2021 and will provide a major revenue boost for testing, inspection and certification companies.
The global testing inspection and certification market has been resilient in response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The demand for these services is expected to increase significantly in the coming years, driving the growth of the global testing inspection and certification market.
Testing Inspection and Certification Market Segment Analysis
The global testing, inspection and certification market is classified based on service, sourcing, application and region.
The high use of testing procedures in the automotive, energy & utilities, oil & gas, petroleum and manufacturing industries
Testing ensures that produced goods, individual components and multi-component systems fit their intended purpose. In 2021, the testing sector was predicted to have the largest market share. The high use of testing procedures in the automotive, energy & utilities, oil & gas, petroleum and manufacturing industries is behind it. Businesses can uphold the standards and meet customer expectations by testing their products. It motivates businesses from various industries to boost overall spending on testing equipment, hence promoting market expansion. The market is anticipated to expand independently of industrial seasonality due to the emergence of technological innovations and the considerable demand for testing at frequent intervals within a few sectors, such as oil and gas.
Furthermore, new testing standards are being adopted due to environmental activities aided by modern technologies. One example is detox programs, such as Greenpeace’s ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) campaign in Europe and America. The respective effort aimed to limit the use of hazardous chemicals in the textile industry. The epidemic of COVID-19 has prompted a shift from on-site testing to remote testing. TIC Council Americas, the TIC Council’s affiliate in the Americas, is one of the groups supporting the transition.
Businesses in various industries rely on testing services, including life sciences, utilities and the public sector. The corporations rely on strategic cooperation projects to grow their market share and profitability. Bureau Veritas, for example, bought AET France, a laboratory testing, product development & sustainability testing company, in September 2021. AET France specializes in consumer experience testing, using collaborative robotics solutions & fully automated aging procedures for life testing and a thorough understanding of human-machine interfaces & ergonomics.
Testing Inspection and Certification Market Geographical Share
Growth of domestic industries, rising product standards and subsequent acceleration of exports are anticipated to create profitable growth prospects for the testing, inspection and certification market in the region
The Asia-Pacific area dominates the regional market due to developing economies like China, Japan, India and South Korea, which attracted consumers due to the growth of domestic industries, rising product standards and subsequent acceleration of exports. On the industrial front, the government of South Korea aims to make robot technology a US$ 25 million sector by 2023 to become the fourth-largest player, aiding the emergence of robotic companies. However, organizations must obtain industrial robot product safety certification based on global and local requirements to bring such robots into service and manufacturing.
In the automobile chip arena, key industry participants in China have highlighted time-consuming yet costly testing and certification services. It was also mentioned that to achieve AEC-Q100 automobile-level certification, the allied procedure is overseen by European and US agencies and takes approximately 12 to 18 months to complete. A domestic standard will soon imply a total shift in adherence for global TIC enterprises operating in China.
In addition, promoting cleaner fuels, improving emission standards for vehicular pollution, putting in place standards for fuel economy performance and transitioning to electric mobility are central to successfully transitioning to a more sustainable, less emission-intensive transport system is also projected to boost the testing inspection and certification market during the forecast period in the region. Moreover, the region’s vast expenditures have been made to expand transportation infrastructure. As the working class’s purchasing power grows, there is a greater need for better public transportation options, influencing construction and restoration projects in the public sector. TUV India, for example, was chosen as the independent Inspection and Certification body to conduct an independent safety assessment on the Pune Metro Rail Project’s Rolling Stock Metro Coaches in India. As cities grow, TIC sellers will have a bigger market to explore.
Testing Inspection and Certification Companies and Competitive Landscape
Though the global testing, inspection and certification market is a growing market and it is extremely competitive and filled with several major players such as MISTRAS Group, DNV, ALS Limited, Eurofins Scientific, SGS SA, Intertek Group plc, Bureau Veritas, DEKRA, BSI Group and Element Materials Technology. The market stakeholders use market tactics such as mergers, acquisitions, product launches, contributions and collaborations to gain a competitive advantage and recognition in their respective markets.
For instance, On January 25, 2022, Temasek from Bridgepoint completed the acquisition of Element Materials Technology Group. The transaction value for the agreement has not been disclosed and remains subject to customary regulatory approvals.
DSM
Overview: Element is a major provider of Testing, Inspection and Certification services on a wide range of materials, products, processes and products for diverse end markets. The company operates from over 200 locations across five continents, delivering a vast range of solutions to customers in critical industries, including connected technologies, aerospace, construction, defense, digital engineering, environmental, energy and life sciences.
The company has unrivaled expertise in testing, with personnel holding certification from Levels 1 - 3 across acknowledged schemes, including SNT-TC-1-A (ASNT), BS EN 4179, ISO 9712 PCN and NAS 410. Element delivers a complete range of certification services to all the significant management systems standards as an independent certification body.
Product Portfolio:


    • Environmental Testing: The Company offers various types of environmental testing services, including the following: Soil Testing, Water Testing Services, Air Quality, Environmental Compliance & Safety, Hazardous Material and VOC Testing.


Key Development:


  • • On February 08, 2022, Element Materials Technology opened an environmental testing laboratory in Doha, Qatar, to enhance its capability and capacity to customers in the region.


The global testing, inspection and certification market report would provide approximately 64 tables, 61 figures and almost 199 pages.
Target Audience 2023


  • • Manufacturers/ Buyers
    • Industry Investors/Investment Bankers
    • Research Professionals
    • Emerging Companies