SGS has signed a long-term agreement with OMV, Central Europe's leading oil and gas group, to operate OMV's engine test bed facility in Schwechat, Vienna.
Under the outsourcing agreement SGS will operate the facility which provides engine, gear and injector testing; evaluation of new engines for durability, wear properties, fuel consumption, lubricants and emissions studies. The facility will also provide evaluations of new fuels, lubricants and fuel additive packages using CEC or manufacturer methods; nozzle coking, valve sticking, piston wear and fuel economy. In the facility's climate chamber tests for driveability, durability and functionality of fuels, lubricants and vehicle parts are performed under variable climatic conditions.
SGS has given a commitment to invest in the facility and will make services available to other potential customers in the region. The addition of this facility to the SGS network of laboratories places SGS in a unique position, complimenting both its Fuels Technology Center in Speyer, Germany from where SGS performs global fuel studies, and SGS' Vernolab in France which specializes in lubricating oil analysis and predictive maintenance testing. SGS is now able to offer a comprehensive package of engine performance and fuel testing services.
Anna Theil-Gangl, Managing Director, SGS Austria said "SGS is honoured to have been chosen by OMV for this joint project. This is a real outsourcing project based on SGS' model called Up*Sourcing® - outsourcing with upgrading - which helps our client to maximize operational efficiency whilst minimizing cost."
Klaus-Jürgen Schneider, OMV's Senior Vice President Retail said "Thanks to the know-how of the industry leader SGS it will be possible to tailor the test bed facility's services still more closely to the automotive industry's requirements. This move will mean that OMV is able to take a still more innovative approach to fuel development."
About OMV Aktiengesellschaft
With Group sales of EUR 7.64 billion and a workforce of 6,137 employees in 2003, as well as market capitalization of about EUR 6 billion, OMV Aktiengesellschaft is Austria's largest listed industrial company. As the leading oil and gas group in Central Europe, OMV is active in Refining and Marketing (R&M) in 13 countries and has set the goal of doubling its 2001 market share to 20% by 2008. In Exploration and Production (E&P) OMV is active in 17 countries on five continents. In the Gas business segment OMV has storage facilities and a 2,000 km long pipeline system, transporting 41 billion m³ of natural gas annually to countries such as Germany and Italy. OMV owns integrated chemical and petrochemical plants, and has a 25% stake in Borealis A/S, one of the world's leading producers of polyolefin. Other important holdings are: 51% of Petrom SA, 50% of Econgas GmbH, 45% of the BAYERNOIL refining network and 10% of the Hungarian company MOL.
With the closing of its acquisition of a majority stake in Petrom in December 2004, OMV has become the largest oil and gas group in Central Europe, with oil and gas reserves of over 1.4 billion boe, daily production of around 340,000 boe and an annual refining capacity of 26.4 million metric tons. OMV now has over 2,394 filling stations in 13 countries. The market share of the group in the R&M business segment in the Danube Region is now approximately 18%. Petrom will be consolidated in the 2004 balance sheet and in 2005 it should already contribute to OMV's financial results.
The SGS Group is the global leader and innovator in inspection, verification, testing and certification services. Founded in 1878, SGS is recognized as the global benchmark in quality and integrity.
With 39'000 employees, SGS operates a network of almost 1'000 offices and laboratories around the world.
For further information on Up*Sourcing (Outsourcing with Upgrading see our website at www.sgs.com or contact Anna Theil-Gangl email anna_theil-gangl@sgs.com Tel.: 01-512 25 67-0)
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