Class Society Bureau Veritas and Swiss SGS in Merger Talks

Two of the leading testing and classification companies, France’s Bureau Veritas (BV) and Switzerland’s SGS confirmed in a brief statement that they are engaged in merger discussions. The acknowledgement came after Bloomberg first reported the deal which is said to be at an advanced stage and possibly weeks away from an agreement.

Analysts highlight the testing, inspection, and certification sector remains highly fragmented having seen little consolidation. Each of the companies has been working to refine their business strategy based on expectations of slowing …