HausBots and Sutro Group complete scaffolding-free UT inspection at Cemex facility
02/07/2026
HausBots, a Birmingham-based manufacturer of wall-climbing robotic inspection platforms, has completed an ultrasonic testing (UT) campaign on a rotary kiln at Cemex's Rugby plant in partnership with Sutro Group, industrial inspection specialists in the UK and Europe.
The project marks one of the first deployments of HausBots' AeroGrip crawler technology on a cement kiln, furthering a growing appetite among industrial asset owners to move away from traditional access methods when collecting inspection data.
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| The scaffolding-free UT inspection meant no inspectors were required to work at height, improving safety and achieving results faster |
Cemex, one of the world's largest building materials companies, required a large amount of UT A-scan readings across the full shell of a rotary kiln at its Rugby cement plant. The kiln measures 70 m in length and 6 m in diameter, representing a substantial inspection scope across a structure that presents significant access difficulties. Elevated on support rollers and flanked by drive gear and tyre assemblies along its length, a conventional UT campaign would have required scaffolding or rope access across the full 70 m, adding considerable time and cost to what is a routine shell integrity check.
The inspection was carried out using HausBots' HB3 crawler, a remote-controlled platform that adheres to surfaces using patented AeroGrip technology. Rather than relying on magnetic attraction, the system generates a pressure differential to maintain contact with the wall, allowing it to operate on concrete, stainless steel and other non-ferrous materials that conventional magnetic crawlers cannot access. With a payload capacity of 25 kg and the ability to operate in winds up to 45 mph, the HB3 completed the full inspection scope with no personnel required to work at height.
Sutro Group provided the NDT expertise, deploying their inspection technicians to operate the crawler and collect UT thickness spot readings across the kiln shell on a 1 m × 1 m grid. The two companies formalised a wider partnership in 2025, combining Sutro Group inspection delivery capabilities with HausBots' robotic platforms to offer integrated, access-free inspection solutions to clients across industry.
“Jobs like this are where the partnership with HausBots really proves itself. We had the robot on the asset and collecting data in a matter of hours. With conventional access that timeline looks very different, and so does the cost,” said Richard Denmead, Technical Director, Sutro Group.
The inspection produced thickness readings across the full kiln shell, giving Cemex's asset integrity team the data they needed to make informed maintenance decisions without cutting into production schedules.
“Getting reliable UT data on this kind of structure has always meant a significant access operation beforehand. Using the robot removed the need for people to access the structure directly, improving safety and helping us get the results faster than we would have expected,” commented Adrian del Corral, Reliability, Cemex.
HausBots' crawlers are used by non-destructive testing (NDT) teams and asset owners across the energy, nuclear, water and infrastructure sectors. The Cemex project extends that reach into the building materials sector.
“Cement and aggregate facilities have some of the most challenging inspection environments going, a mix of surfaces, height and often very tight windows for access. Seeing the AeroGrip platform perform well in that setting, and deliver data quality that the Cemex team was happy with, is exactly what we set out to build,” concluded Jack Cornes, Co-Founder, HausBots.
HausBots designs and manufactures robotic platforms for industrial inspection and maintenance applications. Its crawlers support ultrasonic thickness measurement, automated UT, visual inspection and a range of other NDT techniques across ferrous and non-ferrous surfaces, including stainless steel, concrete, composites and brick.
www.hausbots.com
www.sutrogroup.co.uk
