Frequently asked questions
KEMA is a company with a broad range of activities in many countries around the globe. Originally starting as a Dutch testing house for the Dutch energy utility sector, the company nowadays has offices and representatives in more than 20 countries and has developed itself into a leading authority in Business & Technical Consulting and Testing & Certification. We hope that this section helps understand what KEMA does and stands for.
Wasn’t KEMA only active with KEMA-KEUR?
KEMA started life in 1927 as the Dutch electricity industry’s Arnhem-based test house. Originally just an abbreviation of the company’s full Dutch name, the letters K-E-M-A have since come to stand for much more than the testing of electrical equipment. As per November 1, 2009, KEMA sold part of its testing and certification activities to the German safety expertise concern DEKRA. These activities are clustered in KEMA Quality B.V. KEMA still owns the KEMA-KEUR quality mark, but licenses it to KEMA Quality B.V. With this divestiture, KEMA is focusing itself even stronger on its energy-related activities. While electrical safety testing and certification are still among KEMA’s core activities, today’s globally active company provides a host of independent applied research and consultancy services via an international network of subsidiaries and agencies.
What are the main areas that KEMA is engaged in?
KEMA’s core activities are Business & Technical Consultancy and Testing & Certification. These activities are centered throughout the entire energy value-chain: from strategy, generation, transport & distribution up to the end use of energy. The focus of our services is on quality-, performance- and risk management. For a detailed overview of our services, please see the Services section of our website.
Who are the owners of KEMA?
KEMA is a commercial company, owned by several Dutch utilities.
31.0% Eneco B.V.
25.3% Essent Nederland B.V.
24.9% n.v. Nuon
10.0% E.ON Benelux N.V.
7.6% DELTA N.V.
0.5% NRE Holding N.V.
0.3% Cogas Infra en Beheer B.V.
0.2% N.V. RENDO Regionaal Nutsbedrijf voor Z-Drenthe en N-Overijssel
0.2% N.V. Holding Westand Infra
Is KEMA independent?
Although KEMA is owned by utility companies, KEMA is definitely independent. This has also been officially laid down in the statutes of the company. The nature of the activities of KEMA require independency and impartiality. This is crucial. Also within our company, we maintain strict discipline an functional separation to ensure confidentiality and objectivity in all our business operations.
What kind of clients is KEMA working for?
Since our activities are global and centered throughout the entire energy value-chain, KEMA is working for a broad range of clients with a broad product portfolio. As it comes to our Business & Technical Consultancy activities, our clients are, among other things, energy utilities, governments and government related organizations, financial institutions, railways companies, research institutes, Transmission System Operators and industrial bulk-users of electricity, such as steel and (petro) chemical companies. As for our Testing & Certification activities, important clients are manufacturers of transmission -, distribution - and other energy equipment.