LONDON, UK: Intertek Group plc has acquired PlayerLync Holdings Inc., a leading SaaS-based platform which combines mobile learning, operational support and compliance, content management and people engagement in a single application.

Post-Covid, corporations around the world have intensified their focus on quality, health, safety and wellbeing, resulting in growing demand for bespoke People Assurance solutions and mobile-based learning, driven by increasing regulation and heightened end-customer expectations.

With approximately 2.7 billion people, or 80% of the global workforce operating in deskless roles today, the demand for bespoke People Assurance solutions and mobile-based learning delivered at the point of need continues to grow, driven by increasing regulation and heightened end-customer expectations.

For businesses with large frontline workforces, including within the restaurant, hospitality and retail industries, delivering intuitive technology-enabled training, learning and development content to employees via mobile devices has therefore become mission critical.

PlayerLync’s unique value proposition addresses the critical gaps that currently exist for corporates in meeting the demands of a fast-evolving workforce, harnessing its innovative, tech-enabled mobile management platform to connect deskless and mobile workers to high-quality, engaging content.

Its mobile workforce enablement platform combines mobile learning, operational support and compliance, content management, and communications in a single native app which is used predominantly by customers in the food retail, restaurant and hospitality sectors in North America.

PlayerLync will become part of Intertek’s People Assurance business, building on the Group’s earlier pioneering acquisition of Alchemy/Wisetail by adding robust mobile content management, communication, and offline synchronization capabilities.

The acquisition creates compelling additional growth opportunities for Intertek to strengthen its existing People Assurance service offering, further enhancing the Group’s differentiated Total Quality Assurance proposition and Science-based Customer Excellence advantage.

Founded in 2012 and based in Denver, Colorado, PlayerLync employs 35 people and generated revenues of £6.1m in 2022.

André Lacroix, Chief Executive Officer of Intertek, said: “The acquisition of PlayerLync, a leading provider of high-quality mobile-first training and learning content to frontline workforces at some of the world’s leading consumer brands, strengthens our position as a leader in SaaS-based, technology-enabled People Assurance services. Post-Covid, companies realise that as customer and stakeholder expectations surrounding health, safety and the environment reach new heights, delivering meaningful engagement with their frontline employees is mission critical for business success.

We step-changed our People Assurance with the acquisition of Alchemy/Wisetail in 2018 and PlayerLync provides a compelling opportunity to further enhance our differentiated TQA proposition and customer excellence advantage in what is a fast-evolving landscape. As the deskless frontline workforce continues to grow, software-based technology solutions that deliver learning, communications and engagement are ever more important and the combination of Wisetail and PlayerLync will be exceptionally well-placed to address those needs”.