HISTORY
OUR JOURNEY
50 years ISQ
50 years at the service of companies
Created in 1965 and focusing initially on the sector of welded construction, an innovative technology at the time which was critical for the development of the Portuguese industry, we diversified our activity in the early 1980’s to other sectors such as environment, safety and metrology, inspection of premises and electrical and construction equipment, safety testing of goods and equipment, always having as common denominators Innovation, Quality and Safety.
1965 to 1975
From Welding to Technical Inspection
- 1965Creation of IS – Instituto de Soldadura, a private non-profit association specialized in welding and related techniques.
- 1966-1967Preparation for the start of the company and beginning of IS activities.
- 1968Technical assistance and hosting of training actions in the areas of welded construction.
- 1969100% increase in operations in the areas of technical assistance and training.
- 1970IS changes headquarters, leaving Escola Marquês de Pombal and moving to new premises in Benfica, opening also offices in Oporto. Around 100% activity growth.
- 1971Development of training actions for welders, expert technical work, technical and inspection assistance and control of tanks.
- 1972Development of technical inspections and non-destructive testing.
IS significantly increases Professional Training and Improvement sessions during manufacturing.
- 1973Start of the Northern Delegation, now with proper installations, in the city of Oporto.
Applied research works, expert technical work for industrial companies, predominantly in the field of mechanical and metallurgic behavior.
- 1974Start of the intervention in the construction work of the refinery and petrochemical complex of SINES.
Increasing inspection activities, standardization, qualifications and procedures for the Portuguese industry.
- 1975-1976IS becomes the Recognized Entity by the Secretary of State for industry in charge of carrying out actions of approval of building controls schemes, building control and construction approval.
Signing of Permanent Technical Assistance contracts with industrial companies.
1975 to 1985
Quality
- 1977Start of R&D activity.
Development of the intervention in major industrial units construction works, in the Industrial Complex of Sines and the regions of Oporto, Lisbon and Setúbal.
Establishment of an agreement with Vinçotte International, which allowed for the extension of services to new technological fields.
- 1978Launching of the first Advanced Internships on Welding Engineering.
Launching of design review and engineering consultancy department.
Consolidation of the activity of R&D and establishment of a research contract-program with Junta Nacional de Investigação Cientifica e Tecnológica.
- 1979Technical assistance to SMEs in Portugal, within the framework of a cooperation plan with IAPMEI.
- 1980IS – Instituto de Soldadura, is recognized as collective legal person of public utility.
Creation of LABEL – the first Portuguese national laboratory of electric low tension testing.
Post graduation in Welding Engineering – now part of the Masters in Welding at Universidade Nova in Lisbon.
Organization of 33rd Annual Meeting of IIW- international Institute of Weld.
- 1981Start of the internationalization process.
- 1983Creation of LABMETRO – First laboratory of autonomous Dimensional Metrology of companies.
- 1984Launching of Post graduation in Engineering of Quality.
Design of the first prototype of microprocessor guided welding machine in the world.
- 1985Becomes ISQ – Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade.
Great diversification of skills, new areas, increase in both R&D activities and qualification of technical staff.
1985 to 1995
Focus on Knowledge
- 1986First Course for Entrepreneurs.
First Portuguese entity to participate in a European R&D project.
- 1987Automation of the Autosill battery assembly line.
- Desde 198825 of April bridge – global inspection and maintenance monitoring.
- 1988Launching of the Post graduation in Hygiene and Safety Engineering at the Workplace.
Launching of the Post graduation in Maintenance Engineering.
Creation of first spin-off companies: Intersis and Lasindústria – first laser job shop in Portugal.
- 1991Car inspection – first Portuguese independent entity performing safety car inspections
- 1992Creation of SAF – pioneer companie in the introduction of E-Learning in Portugal.
- Desde 1992Founding member of EWF – European Welding Federation, ensuring since August 1992 its international secretariat.
1995 to 2005
Internationalization
- 1996-199925 of April bridge – widening and installation of the railway on this bridge: planning, cost control, supervision, quality control, security and environment.
First time in the world where similar works where done without interruption of traffic on the bridge during the project.
- 1997-2000Training of 6.000 technicians for the start-up of Natural Gas industry in Portugal
Inspection of high, average and low pressure Natural Gas Premises.
- 2001-2007Inspection and quality control of the Large Hadron Collider – CERN
- 2005ISQ Capital Fund – First European ASBL entity to set up a Venture Capital Investment Fund.
2005 to 2015
Strategic Diversification
- 2006Portuguese System of Digital Tacography for lorries – design and set up.
- 2008ISQ was awarded by His Excellency, the President of the Portuguese Republic, the title of Honorary Member of the Order of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Merit (Class of Industrial Merit).
- 2010Creation of ECOTERMOLAB – laboratory of professional training in energy.
Creation of ISQ USA, with headquarters in Ohio.
- 2011Creation of ISQ Al Sultan International, in Abu Dhabi and formal start of the ISQ Qatar delegation.
- 2012Three new companies: Labmetro – Servicios de Metrologia SL in Spain, ISQ EG in Equatorial Guinea and Q3A in Brazil.
- 2013Creation of 3S Bluestabil – Stability Studies Services in Portugal and a new Lab – QCPharma, in pharmaceutical area.
- 2014Creation of DBWave.i and participation on Sondar.i in the Noise Assessment and Gas Emissions Treatment market.
