The growth of NDT

It was a sad day for the town of St Helens on Saturday 29 March. A family pie and pork butcher’s shop, which started in 1840, closed for good when the owner retired at the age of 75. The closing of a butcher’s may not seem like a cause for much concern, but the shop was famous for its pork pies made to a private recipe. Burchall’s pies are famous throughout the town and surrounding area and, as one who has partaken of them on numerous occasions, I can vouch for the quality and taste.

I found it fascinating that a business with many competitors could last for 185 years on the back of one main consistent product. It runs counter to the normal business convention that growth is the mainstay of survival. I understand that the product and the sector may be immune to the impact of technological evolution, but it still had to navigate socio-economical changes and upheavals

At the other end of the commercial scale is Microsoft, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Survival in a fast-changing sector has been achieved by an obsession with relevance, constant reinvention, dominating the industry through size and buying up competitors (see www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct6rrt). Of course, there are the many companies along the spectrum between these two extremes with alternative strategies that survive for varying lengths of time for a variety of different reasons.

I recently watched an interview with the author Michael Lewis, who has edited a book, titled: Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service. The premise behind the book was for the various contributors to search out people performing interesting jobs for the government in the USA and to write about them. One example he related was of a man who joined the government after a career as a coal miner and spent his time developing ways to make mine roofs less likely to collapse. He saved thousands of lives as a result. Michael Lewis explained that this was one example of important research and development that the government funds because private industry would not justify the investment.

Funding by governments has been very beneficial to the non-destructive testing (NDT) profession. In his paper in Insight in June 2024, titled: ‘Developments in ultrasonic and eddy current testing in the 1970s and 1980s with emphasis on the requirements of the UK nuclear power industry’ (Vol 66, No 6, pp 338-345), Tony Wooldridge described the technical achievements of the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) and the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), both government organisations, in the UK during the 1970s and 1980s, as well as collaborative efforts between industry and research institutions. Another nationalised industry, British Gas, had a well-known NDT research facility. Privatisation and the disappearance of the main research and development establishments in the UK led to an increased role for universities, culminating in the formation of the UK Research Centre in NDE (RCNDE). This collaboration between universities and industry is a key focus for NDT research in the UK today.

However, in researching this article, a fact that may surprise you: I came across a 2016 article by Reuters, titled: ‘The world’s most innovative research institutions’ (www.reuters.com/article/us-innovation-rankings-idUSKCN0WA2A5/). It highlights the contributions made by government agencies and is worth a read. Top of the list was France’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), which of course gave the NDT profession CIVA modelling software, which it still maintains and develops today.

Looking at the NDT ecosystem today, we have fundamental research with the universities, we have collaborations and partnerships within wider industry and particular industry sectors, we have companies that are diverse in size and in terms of products/services and we have a few organisations that can bridge the technology transfer gap between universities and application. The question I pose is: Are we, in the UK, missing something? Please let me know what you think.

On a lighter note, and following up on the Kung Fu Operator suggestion I made in the March 2025 article, I have encountered a new word that could be used in a title for a data interpreter/analyst. ‘Gongoozler’ has expanded its definition to apply to someone who stares protractedly at anything. So, a data gongoozler is apt.

Please note that the views expressed in this column are the author’s own personal ramblings for the purpose of encouraging discussion within NDT News. They do not represent the views of Amentum or BINDT.

Letters can be mailed to The Editor, NDT News, Midsummer House, Riverside Way, Bedford Road, Northampton NN1 5NX, UK. Email: ndtnews@bindt.org or email Bernard McGrath direct at bernard.mcgrath1@global.amentum.com