The provision of non-destructive testing (NDT) services is an especially saturated market.
Indeed, it is estimated that there are 60+ companies in the Aberdeen area who can provide varying levels of NDT support.
With this in mind – and the current pressures that face the service sector within the oil and gas industry – it makes it imperative for service companies to strive to offer the most innovative and fit-for-purpose of solutions that offer true value to clients.
APAVE Inspection UK Ltd (APAVE UK), a global provider of inspection, rope access and NDT services, is an example of just that.
APAVE UK is part of the wider APAVE Group which was formed in 1867 in France. The APAVE UK subsidiary was formed in 2012 at their headquarters in Dyce, Aberdeen. APAVE UK can provide the full suite of conventional NDT services; however, they recognised from a very early stage that ‘standing out from the crowd’ was vital.
For APAVE UK, this meant developing a well-informed suite of specialist/advanced NDT services.
APAVE UK search out, verify and then apply the smartest technologies on the market in order to help solve asset integrity issues in the most accurate manner. A recent example of this was in March 2016; APAVE UK acquired a brand new, innovative pulsed eddy current (PEC) system called LyftTM. The six-figure acquisition was made after APAVE UK worked with the system’s manufacturers, Eddyfi, to accurately qualify and trial LyftTM using a range of previously in-service pipework.
LyftTM is a high-performance PEC system that has the capability to detect, measure and report corrosion under insulation and non-conductive layers (e.g. through insulations, engineered composite repairs, fireproof coatings and beneath scabs).
Kevin McGrath, managing director of APAVE UK states: “We are proud to be early embracers of LyftTM.
"After working with Eddyfi we believe we have a system that surpasses all previous PEC alternatives, which will be of real benefit to energy sector clients.
"LyftTM helps tackle age-old NDT issues in a highly efficient and cost-effective manner. APAVE UK has developed detailed procedures, method statements and training materials – and we have already run several successful onshore and offshore campaigns."