SGS awarded Eurovision Song Contest NDT contracts
02/05/2012
SGS has announced that it has been awarded a non-destructive testing (NDT) contract by Obermayer, one of Germany’s largest independent engineering consultancies. Awarded in January 2012, the contract involves the non-destructive testing of welding seams and tightening of bolts for the steel structures of the Baku Crystal Hall, Azerbaijan – the venue for the Eurovision Song Contest to be held in May 2012.
Obermayer, part of the Obermayer Corporate Group founded in Munich in 1958, began construction of Baku Crystal Hall in 2011. It awarded SGS the contract to provide quality control of the welding seams and bolt connections for the building’s steel structures, due to SGS’s extensive experience and expertise in quality assurance, quality control and non-destructive testing.The tight deadlines involved in the project mean that on-site supervision by SGS’s qualified inspectors will minimise the risk of defects, helping to both ensure compliance with regulations and prevent the damage that can occur when required standards are not met. With SGS’s range of NDT services, including monitoring welding seam integrity, bolt tightening and bolt torque inspection, the ability to meet the construction deadlines in time for the popular Eurovision Song Contest will be greatly enhanced.
Qualified SGS specialists will work on-site to determine problem areas, ensuring speedy feedback to the client in order to facilitate the rapid repair of welding seams and the proper tightening of bolts, thus ensuring that all safety and quality requirements and regulations are met.
In February 2012, SGS was also awarded a contract to perform NDT on the new press centre being built for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.
This contract encompasses the testing of welding seams and concrete strength, as well as bolt torque inspection.
Over the course of the contract, SGS experts will provide quality control for the welding seams and concrete strength, and perform bolt connection inspection services in order to ensure the top quality and safety of the new press centre’s steel structures. Work began on 12 February, the date that the contract was awarded by the State Committee on Properties Management.
The State Committee on Properties Management, which is a division of the Cabinet of Azerbaijan, regulates property issues and policy within the Azerbaijan Republic and chose SGS due to its first-rate experience and expertise in quality assurance and quality control, as well as non-destructive testing.
SGS had provided the State Committee with satisfactory work in the past, resulting in confidence in the services SGS provides. Qualified specialists have been contracted to determine problem areas and report back to the client. Feedback will result in the repair of welding seams and verification of the proper tightening of bolts for components that do not comply with quality and safety requirements.
SGS’s team of experts provides non-destructive testing of welding seams, concrete strength checking, paint thickness inspection, visual inspection of engineering systems and bolt torque inspection in accordance with thorough and stringent criteria.
The use of on-site inspection services for welding and bolt connections during the construction of the press centre will help to minimise the risk of defects. In addition, contracting a third-party inspection company that utilises state-of-the-art non-destructive testing techniques, such as ultrasonic testing, magnetic particle inspection and visual inspection, ensures client confidence and satisfaction.
www.sgs.com/ndt
