technology has significantly matured
with adequate communication
range and battery life. With costs
plummeting, it makes so much more
sense to deploy drones to save
time and money, while improving
inspector safety.
Ñ Tablets and workflow automa-
tion: On the softer side of things,
we will see increasing automation in
planning and guiding the workflow,
particularly for outage management.
Mobile devices (mainly tablets), with
QR codes on applications, will see a
surge in usage, offering speed, effi-
ciency, and data integrity.
Leadership and Management
Ñ Leadership realization: Digital
transformation is often a topic of
discussion at the company board
level. They are being compelled
by market forces to address the
threats and opportunities. Several
executives have come to realize that
(a) the traditional annual strategic
planning cycle is not effective in
planning for transformation, and
(b) the lean mindset is not enough
to create opportunities from the
current revolution. In 2024, they will
be more likely to look to external
sources for help with long-term
planning, without losing sight of
operational excellence.
Ñ Acceptance: Senior management is
now becoming increasingly aware
of digital penetration and its impact
on internal processes and business
metrics. They struggle to visualize
synergistic values in digital connec-
tivity and its impact on customer
engagement. They can feel the
skills gap in addition to lack of
financial muscle to execute. In 2024,
we can expect to see considerably
higher budget allocation for two
areas: technology acquisition and
staff upskilling. For certain organi-
zations, the transformation toward
smart manufacturing is driving
the bus and asking inspections to
follow suit.
Ñ Thought leadership: ICNDT’s
special interest group on NDE 4.0
will continue to promote collabora-
tive development of the subject and
dissemination through several highly
attended conferences. We are likely
to see more special sessions and
journal issues on the topic from
various national bodies around the
world and a buildup of momentum
toward the Third International
Conference on NDE 4.0, which will
take place in early 2025 in India.
Ñ NDT personnel certification:
There is a clear need for new skills
(digital) through additional training.
Recent discussion at the ASNT
Annual Conference revealed that
although there is an awareness
of such a need, the community is
not yet ready to accept the addi-
tional effort required to train and
certify to another track or another
level. They are already questioning
current certification processes. One
idea floated was ASNT Level IV or
a Level IIID (“D” for digital). The
debate will continue and the like-
lihood of anything happening in
2024 is low.
Wrap-Up
Digital transformation is picking up fast
for almost all sectors and companies that
are not digital-native. The NDT commu-
nity will, unfortunately, continue to lag
other sectors, for historical reasons and
sometimes even functional necessities.
The good news is we can observe other
sectors to gain insight into where to invest.
Disclaimer: These are forecasts, and
the authors are not responsible for what
actually happens in 2024.
AUTHORS
Ripi Singh, PhD: Inspiring Next, Cromwell,
CT ripi@inspiringnext.com
Johannes Vrana, PhD: Vrana GmbH,
Rimsting, Germany johannes@vrana.net
|
PARTICIPATE
IN AMERICAN
NATIONAL STANDARDS
DEVELOPMENT
ASNT’s Standards Council (StC) develops
ASNT’s standards, including ASNT
CP-105: ASNT Standard Training Outlines
of Nondestructive Testing Personnel
ANSI/ASNT CP-9712 (ISO 9712:2021):
Nondestructive Testing — Qualification
and Certification of Personnel ANSI/ASNT
CP-189: ASNT Standard for Qualification
and Certification of Nondestructive Testing
Personnel and ANSI/ASNT ILI-PQ: In-line
Inspection Personnel Qualification and
Certification.
If you wish to join the StC and participate
in the development of American National
Standards, contact StC Secretary Brian Frye at
bfrye@asnt.org.
CALL FOR HANDBOOK
CONTRIBUTORS
The technical editors for the forthcoming
fourth edition of the Nondestructive
Testing Handbook are looking for content
contributors.
NDT Level IIIs who are willing to share
their deep knowledge—from the most basic
principles to the most current techniques—are
needed now to write and update content
for this highly respected handbook. Don’t
miss out on this opportunity to make a
lasting contribution to your method’s body of
knowledge and earn recertification points.
To volunteer, please contact:
▶ ET Handbook – Henry Sadek,
hsadek@eddyfi.com
▶ UT Handbook – Lem Hunter,
lhunter@vibrantndt.com or
Josh deMonbrun, josh.demonbrun
@mistrasgroup.com
▶ MT Handbook – David G. Moore,
dmoore@sandia.gov
For questions or additional information,
please email ASNT Handbook Editor Karen
Balkin at kbalkin@asnt.org.
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 4 • M A T E R I A L S E V A L U A T I O N 15
2401 ME January.indd 15 12/20/23 8:01 AM
with adequate communication
range and battery life. With costs
plummeting, it makes so much more
sense to deploy drones to save
time and money, while improving
inspector safety.
Ñ Tablets and workflow automa-
tion: On the softer side of things,
we will see increasing automation in
planning and guiding the workflow,
particularly for outage management.
Mobile devices (mainly tablets), with
QR codes on applications, will see a
surge in usage, offering speed, effi-
ciency, and data integrity.
Leadership and Management
Ñ Leadership realization: Digital
transformation is often a topic of
discussion at the company board
level. They are being compelled
by market forces to address the
threats and opportunities. Several
executives have come to realize that
(a) the traditional annual strategic
planning cycle is not effective in
planning for transformation, and
(b) the lean mindset is not enough
to create opportunities from the
current revolution. In 2024, they will
be more likely to look to external
sources for help with long-term
planning, without losing sight of
operational excellence.
Ñ Acceptance: Senior management is
now becoming increasingly aware
of digital penetration and its impact
on internal processes and business
metrics. They struggle to visualize
synergistic values in digital connec-
tivity and its impact on customer
engagement. They can feel the
skills gap in addition to lack of
financial muscle to execute. In 2024,
we can expect to see considerably
higher budget allocation for two
areas: technology acquisition and
staff upskilling. For certain organi-
zations, the transformation toward
smart manufacturing is driving
the bus and asking inspections to
follow suit.
Ñ Thought leadership: ICNDT’s
special interest group on NDE 4.0
will continue to promote collabora-
tive development of the subject and
dissemination through several highly
attended conferences. We are likely
to see more special sessions and
journal issues on the topic from
various national bodies around the
world and a buildup of momentum
toward the Third International
Conference on NDE 4.0, which will
take place in early 2025 in India.
Ñ NDT personnel certification:
There is a clear need for new skills
(digital) through additional training.
Recent discussion at the ASNT
Annual Conference revealed that
although there is an awareness
of such a need, the community is
not yet ready to accept the addi-
tional effort required to train and
certify to another track or another
level. They are already questioning
current certification processes. One
idea floated was ASNT Level IV or
a Level IIID (“D” for digital). The
debate will continue and the like-
lihood of anything happening in
2024 is low.
Wrap-Up
Digital transformation is picking up fast
for almost all sectors and companies that
are not digital-native. The NDT commu-
nity will, unfortunately, continue to lag
other sectors, for historical reasons and
sometimes even functional necessities.
The good news is we can observe other
sectors to gain insight into where to invest.
Disclaimer: These are forecasts, and
the authors are not responsible for what
actually happens in 2024.
AUTHORS
Ripi Singh, PhD: Inspiring Next, Cromwell,
CT ripi@inspiringnext.com
Johannes Vrana, PhD: Vrana GmbH,
Rimsting, Germany johannes@vrana.net
|
PARTICIPATE
IN AMERICAN
NATIONAL STANDARDS
DEVELOPMENT
ASNT’s Standards Council (StC) develops
ASNT’s standards, including ASNT
CP-105: ASNT Standard Training Outlines
of Nondestructive Testing Personnel
ANSI/ASNT CP-9712 (ISO 9712:2021):
Nondestructive Testing — Qualification
and Certification of Personnel ANSI/ASNT
CP-189: ASNT Standard for Qualification
and Certification of Nondestructive Testing
Personnel and ANSI/ASNT ILI-PQ: In-line
Inspection Personnel Qualification and
Certification.
If you wish to join the StC and participate
in the development of American National
Standards, contact StC Secretary Brian Frye at
bfrye@asnt.org.
CALL FOR HANDBOOK
CONTRIBUTORS
The technical editors for the forthcoming
fourth edition of the Nondestructive
Testing Handbook are looking for content
contributors.
NDT Level IIIs who are willing to share
their deep knowledge—from the most basic
principles to the most current techniques—are
needed now to write and update content
for this highly respected handbook. Don’t
miss out on this opportunity to make a
lasting contribution to your method’s body of
knowledge and earn recertification points.
To volunteer, please contact:
▶ ET Handbook – Henry Sadek,
hsadek@eddyfi.com
▶ UT Handbook – Lem Hunter,
lhunter@vibrantndt.com or
Josh deMonbrun, josh.demonbrun
@mistrasgroup.com
▶ MT Handbook – David G. Moore,
dmoore@sandia.gov
For questions or additional information,
please email ASNT Handbook Editor Karen
Balkin at kbalkin@asnt.org.
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 4 • M A T E R I A L S E V A L U A T I O N 15
2401 ME January.indd 15 12/20/23 8:01 AM
