Quality assurance and non-destructive testing (NDT) company Dekra Industrial RSA has registered a legal entity named Dekra Industrial Inspection LDA, in Mozambique, as a springboard from which to service the liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in the Cabo Delgado province.

“While we have successfully completed numerous pan-African projects, we have also done billions of rands worth of estimates in the LNG sector. We are, therefore, well positioned to offer NDT services to the Mozambican LNG sector and the current associated engineering and construction projects,” says Dekra Industrial RSA director Johan Gerber.

The company is also registered on all the relevant Mozambique tender portals as an approved supplier to the various local gas projects. These include the tender portals of the multinational procurement and tender facilitation portal Achilles as well as the oilfield multinational service provider Saipem-led CCS joint venture, for work on current Area 1 as part of the oil and gas company Total-led Mozambique LNG project. The company has also registered on tender portals for work on the upcoming Area 4 Rovuma LNG project led by oil and gas company ExxonMobil.

In addition to the whole suite of conventional inspection and NDT services, the Mozambican division will also offer a variety of advanced NDT services through its South African arm. The advanced NDT currently offered by Dekra Industrial South Africa is supported by the Dekra service division, based in Europe.

Through this, advanced robotic inspections are made available for the manufacturing sector and for a variety of other client sector requirements, Gerber explains.

“While Dekra Industrial South Africa innovates and develops customised solutions for clients locally, we are fortunate to have an extremely close and collaborative relationship with the Dekra service division in Europe, which keeps us informed monthly of all new developments within the Dekra Group globally,” he says, noting that the company has access to the latest trends and technological developments in advanced NDT.

In addition, the company also runs a live, interactive, digital cloud-based NDT quality management system.

“This expedites strategic and accurate report generation, which is of significant benefit to our clients. The Dekra safety platform is also available as a safety management tool for large organisations, as an additional service,” Gerber says.

The Ins and Outs of NDT

NDT entails a variety of non-invasive inspection methods to assess material properties, components or entire process units, including the detection and measuring of the presence ofdamage to mechanisms and structures.

Inspections and NDT can be conducted during or after manufacture or even on equipment that is in operation.

In terms of manufacturing, NDT inspections assess whether parts or structures are adequately equipped for their desired functions. Gerber explains that parts are inspected to ensure that they will endure for a certain time or number of cycles before failure.

“Depending on the scale of the fault, if inspection is undertaken by companies that are ill-equipped, uncertified, inexperienced – or any combination of these – the results could be disastrous and potentially hazardous to human life,” Gerber warns.

He says the proliferation of a multitude of small NDT companies, which frequently lack proper accreditation or certification, can result in poor-quality, inaccurate or even illegal NDT and inspections.

“These small operators rely on the ignorance of the client. The resulting consequences may come back to the client in the form of liability, and associated financial and reputational implications,” he explains.

The fully accredited and certified services of Dekra in South Africa will now be available in Mozambique.

“We provide a localised, one-stop NDT, inspection and advanced NDT service for clients,” Gerber says.

Manufacturing Indaba

Dekra Industrial South Africa will attend the virtual Manufacturing Indaba in December.

Gerber sees the event as a platform to showcase the real value of the manufacturing sector.

“This is the platform from which the government’s new economic growth initiatives will emerge and hopefully flourish,” he tells Engineering News.

Gerber hopes to see a clear pathway of specific initiatives that will create a basket of opportunities to enable manufacturers to contribute towards addressing a permanent solution towards the unemployment situation.

“If done correctly, I really believe that the manufacturing industry can substantially address the unemployment challenge. I hope to see announcements made by government representatives as to how specifically manufacturing will be approached, as it is this sector that is the foundation from which other development will emerge.”

He adds that manufacturing is pivotal to the viability and sustainability of the South African economy going forward.

“Dekra Industrial RSA foresees that, through networking, gathering information and meeting new prospective manufacturing clients who are serious about quality and innovative NDT techniques, we will form sustainable partnerships, working towards common goals.”

Gerber concludes that the event will also present an ideal opportunity to increase the company’s visibility as an NDT service provider in the manufacturing sector, as well as a service provider in terms of the NDT, safety and training environment

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