Dekra, the largest inspection company in Germany and the third-largest in the world, has opened the region's first testing laboratory for electrical components in the Jebel Ali Free Zone Area (Jafza) in Dubai, UAE.

The new facilities are also the first point of contact for Middle Eastern manufacturers of low-, medium- and high-voltage equipment and components, serving all their needs relating to type testing, inspection and certification, said a statement from the company.

With the help of the knowledge and personal attention of Dekra's local experts, customers can develop, test and launch new products faster than ever, it stated.

The new laboratory seamlessly fits the ambition to provide local testing, inspection and certification facilities for manufacturers, stakeholders and end users as much as possible, said a top official.

"We are continuously expanding our activities," remarked Bert Zoetbrood, responsible for the global business unit Product Testing & Certification.

"In 2015 we added ten product testing laboratories through strategic acquisitions, and we will be opening several additional labs in the course of this year. The Internet of Things megatrend is driving an increasingly connected world. By continually broadening our solutions offering in dynamic, growing markets, we are helping customers to meet the demand for safe products," he added.

The German company said the facility in Dubai is initially designed to serve the switchgear, cable and transformer industries in the Middle East and to perform tests for products like switchgear assemblies, cables, busbar trunking systems, transformers and packaged substations in line with national and international standards and/or client-specific requirements.

In addition, preliminary testing can be performed during the design phase of products, it added.-TradeArabia News Service