History
Recognising the need for a testing laboratory in the northern part of South Africa, we established NviroTek in April 2008, with our first official lab results released in August of that year. We initially worked from a rented premises outside Brits and focused mainly on soil, water, leaf and animal feed testing. As we rapidly outgrew the building, we relocated in 2014 to a more expansive premises in Hartbeespoort, which currently is a SANAS certified testing facility. Here we conduct a wider variety of tests on more matrices and have the scope to continually add to our skilled staff and testing capabilities. Recent expansions include a chromatography division which focuses on agricultural residue (MRL) testing and biological tests, which include screening and counting of nematodes in soil.
On 1 August 2018, NviroTek acquired 100% of the shares in Wynland Laboratoriums (PTY) Ltd in Wellington. This independent laboratory was established more than a decade ago and focuses on accredited microbiological and hygiene testing services for the food-processing industries. Other analysis includes chemical evaluation of water, soil and plants.
As from April 2020, the staff and services offered over the past 20 years by Quantum Analytical Services in Malmesbury, mainly to the animal feeds industry in the region, have been incorporated in the group. These two laboratories in the Western Cape are known as NviroTek Wynland Laboratories. The NviroTek Wynland Group has recently moved into a newly renovated building in Wellington.
The strategy of NviroTek remains that of fostering long term relations with our broad base of customers throughout southern Africa, to ensure that we earn the privilege of being a trusted partner in their business.
There is no culture like agriculture
Who We Are
We are “The Other Lab.”
NviroTek’s vision is to be the preferred laboratory partner in the Agri and Food Industries by creating lasting partnerships through certainty.
Our technicians jointly have more than 90 years of experience in agricultural analyses. Staff members are multi-skilled and empowered by understanding the impact of their work on the industry.
The founding members are:
Dailena Pienaar is the Managing Director of NviroTek Laboratories and co-piloted the initial business plan and establishment of the company. Having worked in various industries backed by her B.Sc.Agric degree, she has pioneered her way from microbiologist, quality specialist, and laboratory executive.
Francois Reeders is the Operations Manager at NviroTek Laboratories and had a hand in the planning and implementation of the laboratory. Francois has 30 years’ experience in laboratory work and was involved in multiple mainstream agriculture laboratories. With a qualification in Analytical Chemistry, he specialises in the analysis of soil, water, fertilizer, liming material, and plants.
Georgene Johnson is the Laboratory Manager and her expertise is in plant material, feeds, and organic material. Her in-depth knowledge and experience drive quality results within record turnaround times. Georgene has previous laboratory management experience which also contributed to the setting up of NviroTek Laboratories.
With the recent acquisitions in the Western Cape and expansion into new analytical fields, the pool of expertise has grown significantly.
Quality & Accreditation
The NviroTek Laboratories group adheres to strict quality management principles and follows recognised analytical methods.
The facility in Hartbeespoort was granted ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation in August 2019 by SANAS and the facility accreditation number is: T0822. The scope of accreditation involves various departments and includes a multitude of matrices.
NviroTek Wynland Laboratory was also granted ISO/IEC 17025:2017 with facility accreditation number T0978.
To ensure accurate results, the laboratories regularly participate in several proficiency test schemes. These proficiency test schemes include:
- AgriLASA (Agri-Laboratory Association of Southern Africa)
- North American ALP (coordinated by CTS Incorporated in Colorado, USA)
- NLA (National Laboratory Association South Africa)
- SABS (South African Bureau of Standards)
- FAPAS (Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme)
- BIPEA (Interprofessional Bureau of Analytical Studies)
- NMISA (National Metrology Institute of South Africa)
