Bombay Test House Pvt Ltd – formerly known as Italab Salem Pvt Ltd – is a pioneer in the field of testing and inspection services.

Inspection, testing and certification are important processes associated with products sold in the market. While these are mandated by law and regulated by various agencies with respected to some product groups, manufacturers of many others also submit theirs for such scrutiny voluntarily so as to assure customers of the quality of their produce.

Bombay Test House Pvt Ltd (BTH) was established with an objective of providing accurate, impartial and reliable services with promptness and efficiency to customers.

BTH was set up with the assistance of grant-in-aid from Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Government of India, New Delhi, under the scheme of Setting-Up/Up Gradation of Quality Control/Food Testing Laboratories during the 12th Plan period through the implementing agency, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture & Education (DARE) Govt of India, New Delhi.

BTH is a state-of-the-art highly sophisticated commercial and public testing laboratory, having accreditations, recognitions and approvals from various national and international bodies. It is entirely independent and is not associated with any corporation, industry, importer or exporter or any of the government bodies. Its clientele is extensive, which includes major corporations, multinational companies, public sector as well as private sector companies and other government agencies.

As a full-fledged laboratory, BTH offers full physical, chemical, instrumental and microbiological testing and analyse products from a wide variety of Industries. The BTH testing team comprises of competent professionals, viz., geologists, engineers, chemists and microbiologists, many with doctorates, and decades of experience, who are experts in AOAC, ASTM, ISO, IS, USFDA and other national and international methods of analysis.

BTH provides impeccable chemical, instrumental and microbiological testing and inspection services in the field of food products, agri commodities, water, waste water and effluents, ores and minerals, industrial oils and petroleum products, metals and alloys, coal, coke and solid fuels, plastic, polymer and rubber products, pigments, varnish, resins, glass and ink, textiles, dyes, acids, chemical and solvents, soaps and detergents, cement, concrete and building materials, gold and silver assaying and hallmarking (BIS approved), microbiological analysis and environmental studies.

Bombay Test House was promoted by Mr S Nandakumar, Managing Director, and a self-made first generation entrepreneur. A graduate of Madras University with a post graduate diploma in Business Administration from Annamalai University, he has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for nearly 10 years before becoming an entrepreneur during the year 1992. Initially engaged with the starch industry at Salem in Tamilnadu, in the year 2002 Nandakumar promoted Italab Salem Private Limited, along with Ms Suzanne Nanji, the daughter of Dr H R Nanji, pioneer in the field of testing and inspection, who had founded Italab Private Limited at Mumbai in 1948. He also served as Executive Director of Italab Private Limited, Mumbai between 2005 to 2011 and instrumental for achieving ISO 9001, CPCESA, MoEF, EIC, FDA and other approvals and is currently running a web portal, viz., www.testing-needs.com, India’s first B2B portal dedicated to laboratory network at Mumbai.

The mission statement of BTH underlines the very purpose for which the organisation was set-up. “We understand the challenges presented by a changing market place and our commitment to our customers is to ensure that all of our services reflect our dedication to safe and successful products,” says Nandakumar. “We are determined to produce accurate, impartial and reliable results with the quickest turnaround time. We strive to establish our long term business relationships by providing clients with the cost effective services of outstanding quality, and we seek to maintain our image of professionalism, which we are recognised as the service leader in the market we serve,” he adds.

Mr S Nandakumar is IRCA certified Lead Auditor of Quality Management System, according to ISO: 9001: 2008 and ISO 19011: 2002, and has attended various training programmes and workshops under the auspices of various government ministries and other regulatory agencies.