The IFTS’s income has grown by around 15% in average over the last 10 years to reach €3 million in 2011.This continuous growth of both income and team has made the current building, extended in 1999, too small.
Built with the financial support of Europe, Aquitaine Region, General Council of Lot-et-Garonne and Agen City Agglomeration, the two new buildings will hold offices, meeting rooms, laboratories and pilot hall over a total area of 680m2. According to the organisation, the move will allow the team to give each of its services (sales and marketing, accountant and secretary, design office, studies, R&D, testing and measurements, and mechanical workshop) the space required for development over the next 10 or 20 years.
The IFTS was created in1981 as a not-for-profit organisation and comprises a team of 32 PhD engineers and technicians. It offers particles, suspensions and porous media sampling, analysis and characterisation, filters and other separation equipment testing, including wear and tear tests of mechanical components, technical studies to evaluate feasibility of a new process or to optimise an operating machine in an existing process, research and development on separation machines and processes, including pre-conditioning of sludges and pulps prior to the separation, training and information and last, design and manufacture of filter test benches and suspension/pulp characterisation machines.
