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TenCate and Roctest Create Geotextile Monitoring System

March 17, 2010

Under the collaboration, the two companies will combine their fiber-optic sensor and geosynthetics expertise to develop a geotextile monitoring system.


ALMELO, NETHERLANDS--(Marketwire) - The world's largest manufacturer of fiber optic sensors for civil engineering applications and the world's leading provider of geosynthetics are collaborating in the development of a unique geotextile monitoring solution—TenCate GeoDetect—that will provide unprecedented detail about the properties of embankments, slopes, walls, levees, roads, rails and other earth structures. Customers will benefit from the real-time monitoring of every square meter of land for ground movement, soil erosion, settlement and other changes.

Roctest Ltd—through its subsidiary SMARTEC SA—and TenCate Geosynthetics have begun work on the technical and commercial development of geotextiles instrumented with optical fiber sensors and the related monitoring services. The relationship will capitalize on the strengths of both companies. TenCate Geosynthetics has a global reputation for innovative products and solutions for complex civil engineering and geotechnical problems while Roctest / SMARTEC provides expertise and innovation in data acquisition devices, instrumentation equipment and software.

TenCate started several years ago with the development of geosynthetics with monitoring capabilities. Since then several pilot projects have been initiated, amongst others with the French Railways (SNCF) and Dutch Government funded water management projects. The combination of TenCate GeoDetect, the first sensor-enabled geotextile to provide soil reinforcement, structural health monitoring and an early warning system in one package, with Roctest / SMARTEC's wide range of sensors (fiber optic, vibrating wire and conventional), data acquisition systems and software for data management and analysis, provides an unparalleled package of data analysis tools for structural engineering and geotechnical applications.

These technologies may be incorporated into a single user interface developed by Roctest / SMARTEC called SHMLive. The SHMLive platform is designed for continuous monitoring through real-time data transfer via a secure online database and can be used to store and share all documents related to a monitoring project, including reports, plans and other useful information. SHMLive is offered for a fixed monthly fee that includes all the sensors, data acquisition units, aggregation device, upload transmission link, secure database storage, real-time analysis, web-based data access and reporting, with performance levels guaranteed for the contract duration.

"For Roctest, the TenCate Geosynthetics relationship increases our ability to provide customers with the most integrated and innovative products for Structural Health Monitoring, and reinforces our strategy of offering the most complete toolbox of solutions to our customers", said Francois Cordeau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Roctest Ltd.

"The future of TenCate Geosynthetics is less about products and more about providing solutions for geotechnical challenges through a systems approach. Coupling our application expertise with Roctest's sensoring technology gives an innovative and differentiated approach to detecting potential failures and / or problems for civil engineers", said Dave Clarke, Group Director for TenCate Geosynthetics.

About TenCate Geosynthetics
TenCate Geosynthetics develops and produces synthetics fabrics, non-wovens and grids, and designs solutions and systems for infrastructure and civil engineering. TenCate Geosynthetics has plants in Europe, North America and Asia. Royal Ten Cate (TenCate) is a multinational company which combines textile technology with related chemical processes and material technology in the development and production of functional materials with distinctive characteristics. Products of TenCate are sold worldwide. Systems and materials from TenCate come under four areas of application: safety & protection, space & aerospace, infrastructure & the environment, and sport & recreation. TenCate occupies leading positions in protective fabrics, composites for space and aerospace, antiballistics, geosynthetics and synthetic turf. TenCate is listed on the NYSE Euronext (AMX).

Roctest Ltd.
Roctest designs, manufactures and markets sensors and high-precision measuring instruments for the civil engineering market and applications in the energy, healthcare and process control industries. The Company is recognized for its leading-edge technology, the quality of its technical expertise and its product development capabilities for challenging and demanding environments. Its products are mainly sold internationally. The shares of the Company are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol RTT.






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