SGS widens scope for NDT in the energy industry
16/02/2011
SGS Industrial Services, a global service provider for technical verification, inspection, testing and conformity assessment, has widened its scope for non-destructive testing in the energy industry through the acquisition of Atest SA. Atest SA, founded in 2000, is a leading Swiss non-destructive testing (NDT) company based in Chatel-St-Denis in Switzerland. The company has a strong portfolio of testing services in the energy industry, covering hydro energy, penstock, refineries, both private and public pipelines and the rail transportation system. Atest SA generated revenues in excess of CHF 2.8 million in 2010.SGS is keen to extend its inspection and testing activities, particularly in the field of NDT. Chris Kirk, the CEO of SGS, stated that the acquisition represents “a new milestone in SGS’s strategy to target the energy sector for industrial services and presents a new step in the objective to develop business in Switzerland.” Particularly of interest to SGS is the fact that, with the acquisition of Atest, SGS now has the accreditation required to perform non-destructive testing as well as material testing and inspections in Switzerland. SGS already undertakes NDT in many industrial sectors, including the construction, oil, gas and petrochemical industries as well as power generation, industrial manufacturing and renewable energy. SGS has a worldwide track record with proven performance on new construction, pipeline installation, in-service inspection and expansion projects as the total non-destructive testing solution provider.
In light of the increased demand for good, qualified non-destructive testing inspectors, the SGS NDT Training and Examination Centre in Shanghai regularly offers internationally recognised training and certification services in non-destructive testing. The training and examinations are in accordance with European, International and American standards such as EN 473, ISO 9712 and ASNT, with a particular focus on the extensive training syllabus for all basic non-destructive testing methods. In addition, SGS offers Personnel Certification (PCN), issued by The British Institute of NDT.
As training services are a key part of SGS’s strategy to improve quality and safety around the world, SGS has developed an extensive programme of PCN and SNT training courses for 2011 for Levels 1, 2 and 3:
- Radiographic inspection and interpretation
- Liquid penetrant testing
- Magnetic particle testing
- Ultrasonic testing
- Visual inspection
- Time-of-flight diffraction
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