Swiss Quality Assurance Services Company Ramps Up Hong Kong Operation to Meet Growing Demand

Veteran testing and inspection company SGS enables clients to enter Mainland China with confidence in their products and services.

With over 140 years of history, the Swiss-based company SGS is a leading testing, inspection and certification service provider. Setting the global benchmark for quality and integrity, the company operates a network of 2,700 offices and laboratories worldwide. Its Hong Kong office, established in 1959, offers one-stop quality assurance services for a wide range of industries to meet different supply chain needs. In keeping with the city’s on-going construction and infrastructure development, SGS recently acquired construction material testing company The Lab (Asia) Limited (TLA) to complement its services. In recent years, SGS has also developed green finance validation services and web-based applications on supply chain carbon management to support its clients’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives.

Dominant Gateway to Mainland China

Steven Du, Chief Operating Officer for SGS Northeast Asia, explained that construction material testing is part of his company’s strategy for the industry: “TLA supports diversification of our service offerings in Hong Kong. Since fully owning TLA in 2021, we opened a new construction material testing facility for Hong Kong International Airport’s three-runway system project. Due to new air and rail infrastructure projects, we are in the process of recruiting more than 200 professionals, some of which are already on board.”

In addition, one of the biggest revenue streams for SGS in recent years is omnichannel retailing: it positions itself as an enabler assisting clients crossing the border. “The Hong Kong office plays an important role to bridge overseas companies with Mainland Chinese import requirements,” Du stated. “We have evolved with the market’s new players through offering our services via eCommerce platforms and target small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that want to ensure quality while building their brands.”

Du believes Hong Kong is a gateway into Mainland China as well as a conduit to the rest of the world. “Hong Kong plays the role of a regional technical competency centre to support our clients and affiliates,” he explained. “Based on our more than 60 years of experience, our colleagues either play a global or regional role in Hong Kong. The city is well-positioned as an international business hub and a regional trendsetter both for consumer experience and research and development (R&D). Our Hong Kong office supports local and foreign companies planning to penetrate the Chinese and ASEAN markets. There is increasing interest because China is a major world economy with positive economic growth forecasted.”

Business in Hong Kong Made Easy

According to Du, Hong Kong has all the right components for SGS to continue prospering. Its central location in Asia with close proximity to Mainland China already makes it home to many multinationals and sourcing offices from overseas buyers. Yet as a service-oriented company, SGS is only as good as its people. “One of our core assets is the integrity of Hong Kong staff members,” Du said. “We see Hong Kong as leading the way in integrity. It is a trusted hub — a place where companies and consumers can do business with confidence. Hong Kong matches well with SGS’s business principles.”

Du sees Hong Kong as a special place to live and work, as it enjoys the advantages of being an international metropolis. “Its legal, finance, education system, highly efficient government, multiculturalism and well-developed infrastructure make the city an ideal place to work and live,” he concluded.