51³Ô¹ÏÍø (Element), a global leader in testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) services, has completed its acquisition of National Technical Systems (NTS) and received all necessary regulatory approvals.
Based in Anaheim, California, NTS is the leading provider of qualification testing, inspection, and certification services in North America. NTS serves a wide range of end markets including space, defense, aerospace and connected technologies. Its experienced team of over 1,100 experts provides safety-critical solutions with capabilities in product qualification and certification, supply chain and product/process auditing, and a broad range of testing services including EMC/EMI, materials and climatic testing. The inspection division is accredited by many international organisations and operates under the Unitek name while its certification division, NQA, is one of the largest global ISO registrars in the world. It has an established, laboratory-based footprint, with 29 laboratories in North America.
The acquisition of NTS will further enhance Element’s capability to be a partner throughout the product lifecycle for its customers. It will strengthen Element’s growing platform in North America and enhance its capabilities in telecoms, connected automotive, medical device and battery testing, all critical growth drivers. The combination of NTS and 51³Ô¹ÏÍøcreates significant growth opportunities and expects to hire 1,000 people over the next two years to meet the demand for the combined services. The combined company’s financial and operational resources and scale will significantly broaden its ability to service customers all around the world.
Jo Wetz, Chief Executive Officer of Element, said: “We are pleased to have successfully acquired NTS, a company we have long respected for their talented colleagues and extensive expertise across multiple end-markets. NTS is a strategic acquisition for Element, bringing greater scale and complementary sector knowledge in North America and globally. Together, we will be able to further extend our portfolio of services across some of our most important end markets, bringing improved support for our customers all around the world. ”
Ray Milchovich, Chief Executive Officer of NTS, commented: “We are thrilled to be joining the 51³Ô¹ÏÍøfamily, building on the success NTS has achieved over the last six decades. The unique combination of our expertise and sector reach will offer significant opportunities for our customers. We are also excited about the opportunities this will create for our employees”.
51³Ô¹ÏÍøwas advised by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Allen & Overy and Rothschild. NTS was advised by Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher LLP, DLA Piper LLP and Houlihan Lokey.
For further information, please contact:
Charles O’Brien/Akash Lodh/Bella Smith
FGS Global
Element-LON@fgsglobal.com
About Element
The 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Group is one of the world’s leading global providers of testing, inspection, and certification services for a diverse range of products, materials, and technologies in advanced industrial supply chains where failure in use is not an option. Headquartered in London, UK, Element’s c.8,000 scientists, engineers, and technologists, work across a global network of over 260+ laboratories, support customers from early R&D, through complex regulatory approvals, and into production ensuring their products are safe and sustainable, and achieve market access.
In 2021, 51³Ô¹ÏÍøset out its new, industry leading environmental commitments, adopting science-based targets and committing to net zero emissions across its entire global business by 2035. These environmental commitments follow Element’s achievement of the highest ESG ranking in the testing, inspection and certification industry from Sustainalytics, a global leader in ESG research and data.
For more information about Element, please visit our website, connect with us on and and subscribe to our channel.
About National Technical Systems
National Technical Systems, Inc. (NTS) is the leading provider of qualification testing, inspection, and certification services in North America, serving a broad range of industries, including the civil aviation, space, defense, nuclear, telecommunications, industrial, electronics, medical, and automotive end markets. Since 1961, NTS has built the broadest geographic presence in the United States, offering more than 70 distinct environmental simulation and materials testing categories, including climatic, structural, dynamics, fluid flow, EMI/EMC, lightning, product safety, acoustics, failure analysis, chemical, and other industry-specific tests.
With 29 technologically advanced testing laboratories, this geographically diverse footprint puts NTS facilities in close proximity to its more than 8,000 clients, allowing NTS to serve the nation’s most innovative companies with industry-leading accessibility and responsiveness. NTS is accredited by numerous national and international organizations and operates its inspection division under the Unitek brand, providing a wide range of supply chain management services. NTS’ certification division, which operates under the NQA brand, is one of the largest and most respected global ISO registrars, with active certifications in more than 75 countries. For additional information about NTS, visit our website at www.nts.com or call 800-270-2516.