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What does it mean to be NDT tough?
There is tough, and then there is NDT tough - we asked industry professionals to give us their personal view and message on being NDT tough, and here’s what they had to say.
Paolo Casareale, General Director
Paolo Casareale is the owner of ADG S.r.l. in Como, Italy. He, alongside his companions Albens Bushati and Roberto Uneddu, founded the company in 2005 and is providing portable and stationary NDT solutions to customers across Italy.
How did you get into the NDT business?
As life usually happens, I came into the job market with some ideas and later found myself doing something completely different. I worked as an accountant for a company in NDT, and after five years of being an accountant, I realized my dream of starting my own company with my partners Albens Bushati and Roberto Uneddu.
Life as a business owner is not always easy, but we kept believing in our company's potential and succeeded over time. Now, we've been in the NDT business for more than 18 years; we have 15 employees and are continuously expanding by creating new relationships and strengthening our existing relationships.
What is a key value for you and your company?
Trust. Trust is an important base, not just in business but for everything in life – the partnerships with our suppliers and customers and the collaboration in our company. If people trust you and your company, doors will open for you.
Do you have an insight for your peers and newcomers to the NDT business?
Never stop learning. It is easy to become comfortable and stay where you are, but it is important to remain relevant and to continue to grow - you must keep learning to stay on top of the business.
Fredrik Brovold, Technical Sales
Ole Fredrik Brovold, a technical salesperson with a finance and engineering degree working for the Norwegian NDT distributor Holger Hartmann AS. Fredrik has worked mainly with Advanced Ultrasonics, Conventional Ultrasonics, and Eddy Current careering to the Norwegian markets.
How did you get into the NDT business?
It all began with my bachelor's degree in marketing and financials. After graduation, I quickly realized that going to work wearing a suit and tie and carrying a suitcase was not me - I needed to do something more engineering-like, so I quit my job on that very first day and applied for mechanical engineering at a university in Oslo.
Holger Hartmann was supplying the University with some material testing equipment; from then on, I knew of the company. After finalizing my studies, Holger Hartmann was advertised for an open product engineer/salesperson position, and I applied.
Point out things that are challenging for you or the company.
I started in the business during the COVID-19 pandemic. When I started, we saw that our partners, including Comet X-ray, had prolonged delivery times. It was a challenge to communicate this issue with our customers being the middleman between our partners and customers. That has been a major issue.
The companies we work with don't just use ultrasonics; they use ultrasonics, RT, Eddy current, MP, MPI X-ray, and everything... So, the challenge is you must be knowledgeable in every method. You need to understand and match the customer's needs with the right NDT solution. So, being a salesperson is also being a consultant. My challenge has been learning the NDT language and all the technologies to be a good consultant.
Would you recommend the NDT Business to people seeking a career?
Yes, I would. It's an exciting business if you are interested in electronics and engineering; you get a view into many industries because Non-destructive testing is used for many applications; things that people use and see daily have been tested, inspected, and undergone enormous ingenuity. To get to see and understand this that's pretty cool.
If you're curious, the NDT business could help to satisfy your curiosity or make you ask more questions!
And finally, what does NDT tough mean to you?
I would say that "NDT tough" could mean many things, and it all depends on which position you have in this industry, but for the NDT operator, it can be that, like a doctor or a surgeon, you will become a bearer of good and bad news, which is a tough situation. NDT can be a costly service for many companies, but it is a necessity and, in some cases, it's even lifesaving. It can prevent devastating environmental catastrophes and fatal accidents. NDT is something we should never take for granted.
Laurent Le Petit, Sales Director
Laurent Le Petit leads the commercial and product management teams of Actemium NDT–Products & Systems in Le Plessis-Paté, outside of Paris, France. Actemium is active in fields of industrial inspection & non-destructive testing since 1970, compromised of 400 business units located in 40 countries across the world.
How did you get into NDT?
I came from the world of the petrochemical and nuclear industry and I discovered these new activities in control and nondestructive inspection. So it was by coincidence and positive for my career development.
What does it mean to you to be NDT tough?
From a customer point of view, I think that there is a high level of demand and expectation from the industry in terms of availability, skill set and support. It's up to us to offer a solution that meets these needs.
There's also the technological aspect, with a host of new methods and innovations such as digital imaging, which is creating a real change in the way our customers operate.
Why should someone get into NDT as a career?
I think that NDT is a little-known field in the industrial environment, even though it is an absolute necessity for the world. There are more and more control and quality aspects in and around industrial processes.
Currently I see NDT in constant evolution, so there are lots of new innovations to come, which is of real importance. I think that if you got into NDT and you see it all around you, it's a world you enter and you never want to leave.
Allen Gress, NDT Manager
Allen Gress leads a non-destructive evaluation (NDE) lab with in-house and field inspection services at Element Materials Technology. He is ASNT Level III certified and lives in Houston, Texas.
How did you get into NDT?
Honestly, it was by accident. 35 years ago, I happened to be in the building where they did NDE at NASA Johnson Space Center and they asked me if I’m interested in getting certified. I said yes and never looked back.
What does NDT tough mean to you?
NDT is a tough job. You have to be willing to get down in the dirt, get in the ditch and crawl into tight spaces. It takes a lot of time and the will to make a sacrifice for a good and meaningful career.
Why should someone get into NDT as a career?
It’s a very rewarding job, knowing that it prevents people from losing their life. It’s a great career with longevity and always a path forward. There are many certifications you can get and with those comes higher pay.
#NDTtough at the NDTMA 2023
We extend our gratitude to all those who made our NDT TOUGH Campaign an overwhelming success. Moving forward, we will continue to carry out the campaign during upcoming events in 2023, and we encourage everyone to include the hashtags #NDTTOUGH and #unsungheroes in their field photos. We are proud to be part of this industry.
Our heartfelt appreciation goes to NDTMA for their invaluable support in launching the campaign. We would also like to express our gratitude to all NDT professionals for their unwavering dedication in ensuring our safety.
