Matthew Beecroft

Our interviewee this month is BINDT member Matthew Beecroft, NDT Engineer Level 3 at Rolls-Royce plc and Chair of BINDT’s North West Branch

Describe your current role.
My current role is as an NDT Level 3 Site Controller at Rolls-Royce plc in Barnoldswick. In this role, I am aligned to the Manufacturing Laboratory and support the NDT functions within the manufacturing processes of a variety of aerospace engine components. I work in fluorescent penetrant inspection, ultrasonic testing and film and digital radiography. My responsibilities are the standard for a Level 3 and include: training and maintaining approvals of all NDT personnel; leading work projects from an NDT/laboratory perspective; having responsibility for the in-load of NDT work packages; auditing of NDT areas for compliance and control of external audits; authoring of technical documents, including inspection requirements; and acceptance criteria for developmental parts and control of non-conformances in the manufacturing process.

What education or training route did you follow?
Last year, I completed BINDT’s NDT Engineer Level 6 degree apprenticeship through Rolls-Royce plc. I was on the ‘Trailblazer’ first intake for this apprenticeship in 2017, starting a role in NDT straight after leaving sixth form with A-Levels in physics, maths and biology, as opposed to following a conventional degree route. This gave me the opportunity to gain real experience of NDT, as well as Level 2 and 3 qualifications, a BEng (Hons) degree in NDT and Incorporated Engineer (IEng) registration.

What would you consider to be your biggest NDE achievements and challenges to date?
Helping to resurrect the North West Branch of BINDT in 2020, and since holding roles as Vice Chair and now Branch Chair, is an achievement that I am proud of. Because of my involvement with the North West Branch and, more recently, becoming Council Representative for the Early Careers Branch, I have been fortunate to be able to sit on BINDT’s Council, as well as other committees such as the Education and Professional Development Committee; I would consider this my biggest achievement. I was also a finalist in the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Apprentice Awards for 2021.

In terms of challenges, within a couple of months of completing my apprenticeship, I was in the role of Site Controller. Taking on the larger scope of responsibility with relatively little experience has been a challenge so far, but one I enjoy every day.

What do you think are the pressing challenges for the NDE industry?
I think one of the biggest challenges is the need to diversify the industry, especially in terms of age. The current age gap in the industry is large and could result in a great loss of knowledge if more young people are not brought into the industry and advanced to higher levels. This is something BINDT is already combatting well with the apprenticeship options and, more recently, the Early Careers Branch; however, more support in these areas from across the industry would be beneficial for all.

What changes do you foresee for NDE in the future?
The NDE industry can only continue to grow over time, with more and more focus on safety and quality, as well as the potential for more complex technologies in the future. NDE 4.0 is, of course, looking to be at the forefront of the NDE industry going forward. In my opinion, the biggest change will come when more confidence is gained in automated defect recognition (ADR), which could almost fully replace the reliance on physical inspectors.

How would you describe NDE to someone who has not heard of it before?
I always try to start by using examples that people may be more familiar with, such as medical X-rays and ultrasound imaging. I have heard NDE described in many ways, from ‘the science of safety’ to the enhancement of our human senses to see and detect things that we usually would not.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not doing NDE?
During the pandemic, I became quite a keen but fairly poor golfer, mainly as a way to get out of the house. I have carried this on and now sometimes play well enough to actually enjoy it! I am also a big football fan and have followed my home club, Newcastle United, my whole life. I also love to cook and bake, so occasionally keep the office happy by bringing in something homemade. I am a big music lover, and try and get to festivals and concerts when I can, too.

Please get in touch if you have any recommendations for future interviewees or would like to be interviewed yourself. Contact the editor at ndtnews@bindt.org or email Maria Felice direct at mvfelice@gmail.com

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