Two Stork laboratories merge in Houston

HOUSTON, TX - August 18, 2008

Monday, August 18 will be the first official day of business for the new, merged laboratory on Cavalcade Street in Houston. Stork SwL and Stork MC will be under one remodeled roof and modifications to the main building are nearly finished—including a new metallurgical laboratory to be shared by both teams. The only exception is the corrosion laboratory; although the design has been finalized and SwL has applied for permits with the City of Houston, the projected completion date will be late December. Until then, corrosion lab activities will continue at the former Stork MC location.

Regional Manager Arnout Lijesen said, "The Stork SwL team is very excited to welcome Stork MC employees to their new home at Cavalcade. After the dust from the physical move has settled, we will start working together to integrate both companies into one. Our goal is to eliminate or minimize any negative impact from this move on our customers and their projects; the construction and remodeling phase of the merger is nearly over and went very smoothly—we think customers will be impressed with the new and improved facility. We also believe that the integration of capabilities—Stork MC's strong failure analysis and corrosion consulting group with Stork SwL's metals and nondestructive testing team—will benefit our customers with better, broader, and more seamless service."

Plans are underway to throw an Open House for friends and customers. The event, tentatively scheduled for mid-October, will feature food, music, entertainment, and tours of the combined laboratories. Visit the SMT website for updates on the Open House or contact info.mc@stork.com or info.swl@stork.com for more information.