Geotechnical and structural engineering group ITM-Soil Ltd, based in South-east England, has recently purchased Interfels, the instrumentation division of Boart Longyear.

The acquisition increases ITM-Soil’s geotechnical manufacturing and service base, bringing not only specialist products such as Argus monitoring software and the incremental extensometer INCREX, but also experienced employees and a new factory based in Bad Bentheim, Germany.

ITM-Soil’s Managing Director, Jonathan Scott, said: “We are delighted to have acquired Interfels, with whom we already had a close working relationship. We plan not only to continue to run Interfels as a successful business, but to expand it to its fullest capabilities.” Chris Rasmussen, Technical Director, added: “Interfels’s product range will extend Soil Instrument’s already extensive capabilities as a worldwide manufacturer and installer of geotechnical instruments. Relocation back to its original country of Germany not only makes practical business sense but will also benefit the existing staff, most of whom already commute from Germany to its current location in Venlo, The Netherlands. ”

ITM-Soil, whose projects include the Channel Tunnel rail link, Heathrow Express and Terminal 5 and who are currently working on the rebuilding of the World Trade Centre in New York, has pioneered the use of state-of-the-art wireless sensors in its latest geotechnical products.

For more press information and high resolution images, please contact Jeremy Scott, Marketing Manager  on 01825 765044 or email: jeremys@soil.co.uk.

Editor’s Notes

1. Soil Instruments Ltd was formed in 1962 in Uckfield, East Sussex and grew to become a major manufacturer of geotechnical instrumentation. It was purchased in 2002 by installation specialists ITM (Instrumentation, Testing & Monitoring) Ltd, headed by directors Chris Rasmussen and Jonathan Scott. The combination of manufacturing and installation has led to a rapid company growth as new products are developed. ITM-Soil Ltd was placed sixth in the Sunday Times List of Fastest Growing Technology Companies in 2006 and now employs 62 staff both at its Uckfield headquarters and in operations in Australia and China.

2. Interfels was founded in Germany in 1961 by 32 members of the ‘Salzburg Geomechanics Circle’, based around Dr Leopold Muller. It was purchased by Boart Longyear in 1996. The firm currently has nine staff.