As the 2026 interim reports and earnings forecasts are successively released, the operational landscape of the inspection and testing industry for the first half of the year is becoming clear.
Companies focusing on technological innovation and high-end manufacturing-such as Centre Testing International (CTI), GRG Metrology & Test, and Suzhou Sushi Test-have maintained rapid growth, with increases in both revenue and net profit. In contrast, the China National Inspection Group (CNIG), whose core business centers on traditional building construction and infrastructure testing, reported a loss for the half-year.
The industry is currently at a critical juncture, transitioning from scale-based expansion to a focus on quality and efficiency. An increasing share of "technology-driven" testing services and an optimized downstream client mix have become key variables determining corporate performance. Furthermore, differentiated choices regarding accounts receivable management, lean operations, and international expansion will further widen the gap in operational quality and efficiency among enterprises.
**Technological Focus Determines Growth Trajectory**
Data released so far indicates that leading industry players are generally maintaining steady growth. CTI's interim report shows that in the first half of 2026, the company achieved operating revenue of RMB 3.429 billion (up 15.86% year-on-year) and a net profit of RMB 564 million (up 20.63% year-on-year). CTI noted that business segments established through earlier investments-including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, aerospace materials, semiconductor chips, the low-altitude economy, PCB testing, new energy vehicles, and the Internet of Vehicles-have continued to grow. The returns on these investments are gradually materializing, serving as a major driver of performance growth.
GRG Metrology & Test's earnings forecast projects a net profit of RMB 115 million to RMB 125 million for the first half of 2026, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.17% to 28.45%. The company highlighted that its net profit growth rate consistently outpaced its revenue growth rate, signaling a marked improvement in profitability quality.
Suzhou Sushi Test's interim report shows operating revenue of RMB 1.079 billion for the first half of 2026 (up 8.93% year-on-year) and a net profit attributable to the parent company of RMB 129 million (up 10.37% year-on-year). During the reporting period, the company achieved positive results in expanding into emerging application fields, with steady revenue growth in sectors such as aerospace and electronic appliances; however, intensified competition for market share in certain traditional sectors placed pressure on overall performance growth. Notably, the earnings forecast for CTC Group (China National Inspection Group)-a company deeply rooted in the traditional real estate and construction engineering testing sectors-indicates a projected net loss of RMB 20.5944 million for the first half of the year, representing a year-on-year decline of RMB 26.4065 million. The company acknowledged that its traditional business segments faced pressure on both volume and pricing due to sluggish conditions in upstream and downstream industries and intensified market competition. Additionally, a lengthening accounts receivable collection cycle led to increased credit impairment losses year-on-year, serving as a primary factor dragging down overall performance.
**Expanding into High-Growth Sectors**
It is worth noting that semi-annual reports and investor communications from multiple companies convey a similar signal: testing services are rapidly shifting from cyclical sectors-such as traditional construction and real estate-toward high-growth areas like semiconductors, new energy, aerospace, and integrated circuits.
CTC Group disclosed that the share of its traditional real estate testing business has dropped below 40%, while the proportion of corporate clients in its environmental, food, and agricultural testing segments has risen to approximately 50%. Simultaneously, the company has achieved significant breakthroughs in fields such as nuclear power, new materials, and digital testing, and is accelerating its strategic layout in new materials, new energy, and international markets to establish a "second growth curve."
GRG Metrology explicitly noted that R&D activities in sectors such as specialized industries, new energy vehicles, and integrated circuits have driven business growth. In the first half of the year, the company established a new integrated circuit testing and analysis laboratory to boost capacity; the scale of its data science analysis and evaluation business continued to expand; its life sciences business showed gradual improvement; and the revenue share of technology-innovation services increased further.
The business restructuring of Suzhou Test (Sushi Test) offers a particularly representative example. Recent institutional research records indicate that in the first half of the year, the company's revenue from environmental and reliability testing services grew by 16% year-on-year, and revenue from integrated circuit verification and analysis services rose by 10.61%, whereas revenue from traditional testing equipment declined by 5.30%.
Suzhou Test revealed that downstream demand from sectors such as aviation, aerospace, new energy, and shipbuilding continues to grow. Its subsidiary, Suzhou iTest (Sushi Yite), is closely tracking key application areas-including automotive-grade electronics, AI computing power, and silicon photonics-and expanding into testing fields for optical chips and computing chips. Meanwhile, the Hangzhou laboratory project is proceeding in an orderly manner following the successful acquisition of land-use rights through auction. This project represents a strategic deepening of the company's presence within the aerospace industry cluster, aiming to establish a public service platform for the development of high-end space environment simulation equipment and comprehensive testing services. Focusing on Quality Improvement and Efficiency Enhancement
Facing the widespread challenges of intensifying price competition and pressure on gross margins in traditional business sectors, testing institutions are generally adopting quality improvement and efficiency enhancement as their strategic response.
During industry exchanges, Suzhou Test (Su Shi Test) noted that its environmental testing services are facing margin pressure and equipment segment revenue has declined-primarily due to fierce market competition and falling prices in certain traditional sectors. The company plans to optimize its profitability structure by focusing on high-value-added emerging markets such as aerospace and new energy, while simultaneously implementing cost-reduction and efficiency-boosting strategies to improve the performance of its equipment business.
Meanwhile, China National Inspection Group (CNIG) is taking measures to alleviate short-term operational pressures by strengthening the management and recovery of accounts receivable, adopting lean management practices, and accelerating digital and intelligent transformation; at the same time, it is ramping up investment in new materials, new energy, and international expansion.
Overall, the divergent performance observed in the inspection and testing industry during the first half of the year essentially mirrors the sector's transition from "scale expansion" to "structural upgrading." There is a consensus within the industry that-driven by the continued emphasis on technological innovation and the "Quality-Strong Nation" strategy in the "15th Five-Year Plan"-institutions possessing high-barrier capabilities (such as semiconductor testing, integrated circuit verification, and aerospace testing) are likely to command a premium in both valuation and performance. Conversely, enterprises that rely on traditional, cyclical downstream markets and lag behind in their transformation efforts will face greater operational pressure.
