The Peterson / Control Union Group

Royal Peterson Control Union Group B.V. (RPCU) traces its roots back to a family-owned business that began inspecting grain in Rotterdam in 1920. Later, the family joined with partners to establish Control Union, an independent international inspection company. Today, the group has evolved into a global network of autonomous companies operating under the names Peterson or Control Union, with hundreds of offices and laboratories in over 70 to 80 countries.

While companies within the group operate independently, they share core values such as integrity, customer focus, safety, and a long-term vision.

Core Activities:

• Logistics, consultancy and risk management (via Peterson)
• Testing, Inspection & Certification (TIC) services (via Control Union)
• Sector specialisations including agriculture, energy, textiles and sustainability

Active in the TIC Sector

TIC stands for Testing, Inspection and Certification, encompassing:

• Testing: laboratory analysis (chemical, microbiological, DNA, etc.)
• Inspection: physical inspections in factories, logistics or asset chains
• Certification: verification of systems, processes or products against standards (e.g. HACCP, ISO, GMP+, QS, GlobalGAP)

Companies in the TIC sector ensure that products and processes meet legal requirements, quality standards and sustainability criteria. The sector plays a vital role in global supply chains by safeguarding trust, safety and compliance.

TLR International Laboratories

TLR International Laboratories is a high-tech laboratory specialised in the analysis of food, animal feed, (bio)fuels and biomass. It is part of the RPCU group.

Originally established as Technisch Laboratorium Rotterdam in the 1950s, the lab has operated under the name TLR since 1977. It benefits from the global Peterson/Control Union network.

TLR is ISO/IEC 17025-accredited by the Dutch Accreditation Council (RvA-L059) and is recognised by industry bodies such as FOSFA, GAFTA, GMP+, QS, GlobalGAP, among others. Thanks to the Peterson/Control Union network, TLR can sample globally, receive materials for testing and provide consultancy across borders.

TLR forms the laboratory division within the group's TIC activities, with a dedicated focus on analytical services and expert advice.

Summary

• Peterson / Control Union: International network for logistics, inspection and certification (TIC)
• TIC sector: Sector for testing, inspection and certification of products/processes
• TLR: High-tech laboratory (analysis + consultancy) within RPCU, ISO-accredited, globally active