Bureau Veritas has successful opera-
tions in Russia. What is the role of the
Russian subsidiary in the development
of the Group?
Bureau Veritas benefits from its
significant historical presence in
Russia, where we opened our first
office in 1858. With our thousand five
hundred staff members in fourteen
offices and eleven laboratories in
Russia, we today mainly offer certifi-
cation services for the various ISO
standards – we are the international
leader in Russia in this field and in
services for the independent analysis
of raw materials and inspection and
control services in the field of cons-
truction and infrastructure as well as
inspection and project management
services in the oil and gas industry.
We have especially acquired solid
experience about major infrastructu-
re and industrial projects.
For a few years now, we have been
investing to enhance our portfolio of
expertise and independent inspection
services in the nuclear field. This
enables us to respond to the needs of
Russian industrial companies that must
ensure the compliance of their produc-
tion for foreign countries and we can
also respond to the needs of European
manufacturers that wish to comply with
the Russian standards to be able to
export their products to Russia.
The Russian industrial sector offers
French companies many opportuni-
ties, but the country will not receive
these investments without conditions.
What obligations are imposed on foreign
companies?
Like in many countries, the key to
success is to show that you have deci-
ded to make long-term investments
locally, so as to earn the trust of the
various industrial discussion partners
and authorities. This requires recrui-
ting mainly local staff, including at
the management level, as well as
partnerships with Russian companies.
For example, in the nuclear field we
have built close partnerships with the
two companies that are authorized
by the authorities to carry out the
regulatory assessment of nuclear
equipment in Russia: VO ‘Safety’
(technical support for the Russian
nuclear safety authority) and ZAES
(Rosatom Group). We do not intend to
compete with them domestically but
rather work with them to carry out the
inspection of Russian facilities with
regard to foreign regulations. As an
example, we are currently working
together to carry out inspections
and statutory certifications for the
Russian reactor export projects
that have been launched in Turkey
(Akkuyu project) and in Finland
(Hanhikivi project).
By getting closer to major players
in the field in Russia, we have
demonstrated our willingness to
become part of the Russian industrial
and institutional landscape and our
ability to make the right connections
and reach the best possible skill
levels. Thanks to these partnerships,
Bureau Veritas was recently bench-
marked as the technical support for
the Finnish Nuclear Safety Authority
(STUK) in the design review and
inspection of the manufacturing in
Russia of nuclear equipment for the
Hanhikivi reactor.
The organic growth of the Group
accelerated in the first half of 2018
compared to the same period in 2017.
What are your ambitions for 2020?
The role of Bureau Veritas is to
support its 400,000 customers around
the world, fostering a climate of trust
and guaranteeing compliance and
transparency. Bureau Veritas is now
taking on a new dimension to face the
new risks and opportunities of the
digitization of the economy. Beyond
statutory compliance, the Testing,
Inspection and Certification (TIC)
industry is today based on innovation,
in order to adapt to the changes in
paradigms that are affecting world
markets.
In line with our 2015-2020 strategic
plan, we wish to continue to diversify
our portfolio of activities in sectors
such as automotive, agri-food, building
and infrastructure as well as in facility
management services. We are already
the leader in compliance in the
connected world and we have the
ambition to bolster our advance in
this field still further. The expansion
of our service offer also requires
a targeted acquisition strategy in
markets and geographical areas that
are considered as strategic.
Our Group had revenues of 4.7 billion
euros in 2017. Our current growth
dynamic is strengthening our trust in
our ability to reach our ambition for
2020 and attain 5 to 7% of organic
growth by then.
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Bureau Veritas
Le Triangle de l'Arche - 8, Cours du Triangle - 92937 Paris La Défense
Tél : 01.55.24.70.00
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Russia - France
