The global Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) industry continues to experience steady growth, driven by increasing regulatory requirements, the expansion of global trade, and growing consumer focus on safety and quality. North America remains the most commercially significant region, supported by high consumer spending and the presence of major multinational corporations. Europe and Asia-Pacific also make substantial contributions, with growth supported by region-specific regulatory frameworks and expanding trade networks.
Despite its scale, the TIC market remains highly fragmented. Local and mid-size companies continue to represent a majority share of outsourced services, creating ongoing opportunities for consolidation. Larger TIC companies are actively exploring large-scale M&A opportunities, while also reviewing their portfolios, leading to some of them to sell off part of their business. Furthermore, deal activity in the market is increasing, as consolidation by private equity-based platforms within the industry continues at a rapid pace.
Kiwa aims to strengthen its position as a leading global TIC provider by focusing on a clearly defined set selected dimensions: geographies, end-markets, and types of services. This ambition is supported by a robust and scalable infrastructure, the ability to provide integrated full-service offerings to major international customers, and a strong local presence in markets where proximity and rapid decision-making remain essential.
In 2025, Kiwa’s strategic priorities centred on executing its long-term growth strategy, improving operational performance across Business Units, leveraging M&A opportunities, and integrating NQA – a management system certification business acquired last year.
Operationally, Kiwa continued to sharpen performance within the existing business, while building a strong foundation for further growth. Further efforts were also made to harmonise and simplify business processes. The roll-out of Flow!, the company’s ERP backbone, progressed in the Netherlands, UK and Germany; optimization initiatives are being implemented in other European countries; and in Portugal, a pilot version tailored to small and mid-sized units was launched. In parallel, a harmonization program was initiated in North America to design a unified operating model, which will form the basis for a dedicated regional IT solution.
The Refresh program, designed to realign underperforming units through targeted action plans and close performance monitoring, continued to deliver tangible improvements across most in-scope Business Units. Restructuring or divestment actions for loss-making entities also proceeded according to plan.
M&A integration remained a key focus throughout the year. The NQA integration efforts are on track, with full completion expected in 2026. The coming period will prioritize the integration of NQA within broader Kiwa operations, as well as capturing identified commercial and operational synergies.
As part of its M&A strategy, Kiwa strengthened its North American footprint through the acquisitions of SequoiaConsultants and Square One Consultants. Several smaller acquisitions – including Odion and Schouten in the Netherlands, NQA Korea in South Korea, and ZER-QMS and TAWCert in Germany – further expanded the portfolio, adding € 52 million of full-year revenues. The Group also increased its stakes in several existing businesses in Germany, China, South Korea and North America through shareholder buyouts.
2025 represented a major step forward in Kiwa’s development. Revenues reached € 1.7 billion, a 14% increase compared to the previous year, driven by strong organic growth of 5% and an active inorganic growth agenda. Profitability also improved, supported by enhancements in pricing, productivity and cost efficiencies across the organization.
Kiwa’s outlook remains positive, supported by robust market dynamics and sustained demand for high-quality TIC services. The company is steadily reinforcing its contribution to creating a safer and more sustainable world, while advancing its goal of becoming a top-10 player in the global TIC market by executing its growth strategy, driving operational improvements across the organization, and pursuing targeted M&A to strengthen its market position. Concurrently, the company will intensify its exploration of digital and AI opportunities, leveraging these capabilities to improve efficiency, support innovation and strengthen its service offering.
Geopolitical uncertainty is expected to sustain regulatory attention on safety, compliance and supply chains. Kiwa is well positioned to support customers as these requirements evolve.
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