The global technology cooperation agreement combines Waygate Technologies' advanced non-destructive inspection technologies with Rina's deep domain expertise in the marine industry to optimize production processes and efficiencies.
Waygate Technologies, a Baker Hughes company and market leader in non-destructive testing (NDT) solutions for industrial inspection, has signed a global technology cooperation agreement with Rina, the multinational inspection, certification and engineering group, to provide new and innovative solutions for the shipbuilding sector. The first customized projects will start towards the end of this year. The agreement was announced today at the Gastech event in Milan, co-organized by Baker Hughes and of which Rina is an associate sponsor.
During the manufacturing process of a ship, many parts are welded together, then inspected for acceptance, usually by means of visual inspection and non-destructive testing. As a combined force, Waygate Technologies and Rina, through its consulting engineering arm, Rina Consulting, will provide customers with new solutions to digitize their welding inspections and provide actionable data analysis. This will enable shipyard inspectors to detect welding defects immediately after welding has been completed, reducing future delays caused by repair or rework, and thus significantly reducing costs.
Shipyards will also use the solutions to generate statistics and information from the inspection data collected, enabling them to identify critical points in the welding process and implement preventive corrective actions, in order to optimize their workflows, reduce the number of welding defects and increase the quality of welded joints, to the benefit of safety.
Waygate Technologies' leading-edge NDT expertise and the digital capabilities of the company's integrated software ecosystem, InspectionWorks, enable accurate welding defect recognition (ADR) assisted by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), based on images captured in the field. Together, Rina and Waygate will help customers digitize all inspections and provide insightful analysis based on constantly improving ADR algorithms.
" The cooperation between our two market-leading companies combines digital expertise and data intelligence in the field of non-destructive testing with our global market expertise in the marine industry to create exceptional benefit and added value for customers. Our joint solution makes it possible to detect potential defects during and after welding, optimize production processes, reduce the risk of rework and scrap, and ultimately improve the quality of welded joints. "said Alberto Cavaggioni, CEO of Rina Consulting.
Nicola Jannis, CEO of Waygate Technologies, adds: " Together, we will create innovative inspection solutions and consulting services for shipyards and related businesses. Our digital NDT solution harnesses data to constantly improve the quality of production processes, boost efficiency and stimulate innovation. "
For Waygate Technologies, this agreement marks a further step in the company's strategy of investing for growth and extending its leadership position in selected markets by combining NDT solutions with digitization and collaboration with industrial partners. This partnership with Rina aligns with Waygate Technologies' mission to evolve from a supplier of NDT equipment and renowned service capability to a solutions partner for data insight, catalyzing customers' digital transformation and giving them a competitive edge.