Thule Group, best known for its automobile accessory solutions for bike, equipment and storage attachments, said that it had invested $2.3 million in improvements to its global testing center in Hillerstorp, Sweden. 

With the recent expansion of the Thule Test Center — doubling the space to 13,000 square feet — Thule claims it now has the industry's largest and most advanced testing center.  

“With this expansion, Thule has increased technical testing levels, fit expertise, as well as expanding the testing capabilities for newly launched categories such as strollers and mobile handheld device cases,” company officials said. “As the global leader in the carriers and racks category, Thule not only adheres to all global safety standards set forth by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and German Institute for Standardization (DIN), but also goes above and beyond the required criteria.” 

Thule has developed its own “Thule Test Program” with over 25 custom Thule standards that surpass ISO and DIN standards by a considerable margin. In conjunction with the North American Thule Test Center, located at its Americas headquarters in Connecticut, the team of product development, design and test engineers subject all Thule products, as well as competitors, to these rigorous tests. They are able to simulate an entire of year of driving on the road, in a single day in the lab.  In addition, Thule carrier and rack products are also tested by an impartial external organization at the SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden.  At the Institute, Thule carrier and rack products are subjected to the City Crash Test; the most rigorous test within the ISO standard where the test product is subjected to a minimum crash impulse of 8g, simulating a vehicle collision in an urban setting.