PIPELINERS Hall of Fame News

VOLU M E 37 | J U N E 2009
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MISTRAS
More Tha
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Inspectio Just Your Typical
n Service
Provider
Dewatered
Slurry Treatment
A Case Study Project
RV Skirting
We Go-N-Sew!
Feature Article
comply with DOT requirements after
discovering anomalies through Internal
Line Inspections performed with pigging operations.
“In the past, our inspection work centered around new construction of main
line or distribution piping; however, with
the increased regulatory oversight of
existing pipelines, we saw an industry need to supply experienced and
highly trained NDT experts to verify,
classify and size anomalies that were
identified during the pigging process,”
said Lange.
More Than Just Your Typical
Inspection Service Provider
MISTRAS Group History
In 1978, Dr. Sotirios J. Vahaviolos,
along with two of his colleagues, started
Physical Acoustics Corporation (now
known as MISTRAS Software & Systems) in Princeton, NJ. With a strong
MISTRAS
W
hen CONAM Inspection began doing pipeline radiography in the early 1960’s as
Consolidated American, its
original founders had no idea it would
grow into the success that it is today.
Through hard work, prudent investments in new equipment and personnel and strategic acquisitions, CONAM
and its original sister company, QSL
Plus, have grown the business
into a major player in the pipeline industry under the banner
of MISTRAS Group Services
Division.
CONAM’s humble beginnings in
Rosemont, IL consisted of performing pipeline radiography for
local gas distribution companies
around the Chicago area. Over
the course of several decades
a variety of ownership changes
occurred; however, CONAM’s
fortunes would change drastically with its acquisition by
MISTRAS Group Inc. in 2003. As one
of the oldest and well-known NDT companies in the world, CONAM greatly
benefited from the technology and
broad experiences which MISTRAS
brought to primarily industrial markets
including the pipeline industry.
“CONAM had a long history of servicing
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www.pipelinejobs.com | May 2009
the pipeline industry,” said Michael J.
Lange, Group Executive Vice President
& CEO of MISTRAS Services. “Obtaining a company of this caliber took us
from an east coast regional company,
under the brand name QSL Plus, to
a nationally based company with a
network of labs scattered across the
country. QSL Plus had been performing pipeline work up and down the East
Coast, but CONAM, and later, our other
pipeline acquisitions, gave us a much
broader geographic reach. It gave us
the opportunity, the employees and the
experience to excel in this industry.”
In addition to the increased geographic
coverage, MISTRAS’ primary focus
was to provide advanced technology
Most recently, MISTRAS has branched
out into providing External Direct Assessments through its Pipeline Integrity group to help pipeline operators
And it didn’t stop there.
As the pipeline industry continued to
flourish into the 21st century and more
inspection methods were required for
pipelines and refineries, the need for
a bigger services division in MISTRAS
was becoming evident to Vahaviolos.
“At that time having a
bigger services division
wasn’t only a necessity,
but it became an exciting venture, combining
low and high technology together to solve
more problems and
provide better service
to our customers,” said
Vahaviolos.
to the pipeline industry. Based on a desire to serve customers in this industry,
MISTRAS also acquired H&G Inspection and Nomad Inspection Services in
2008, two companies who specialize
in providing NDT services to the pipeline industry. Combining the internal
crawler and external inspection capabilities that each company has to offer,
MISTRAS can now quickly develop
new technologies to service the
pipeline industry.
“As we continue to expand and
strengthen our business within
pipelines and refineries, we
need to acquire businesses
with the experience and latest technology to maintain our
leadership position” said Lange.
“H&G and Nomad not only give
us the internal inspection capabilities with Gamma Radiography and X-Ray Crawlers,
but also the advanced external
inspection capabilities including
Automated Ultrasonic Systems. These
combined resources provide us with
the ability to service any size pipeline,
anywhere in the world. ”
ture continued to grow. The company
continued to add to the MISTRAS product line, by purchasing NDT Automation
and Vibra-Metrics and ventured into
the services sector by acquiring Quality Services Laboratories. With those
additions to MISTRAS, the company
was able to extend its business past
acoustic emission and into the realms
of ultrasonics, advanced nondestructive testing (NDT) inspection services
and sensor technologies.
focus on the design and development
of acoustic emission (AE) products,
Vahaviolos was quickly able to transform his creation into the acknowledged
world leader of AE manufacturing.
“When I started Physical Acoustics, I
saw technology and success in acoustic emission within the pipeline industry,” said Vahaviolos, Chairman & CEO
of MISTRAS Group Inc. “It uses the
same methodology as other procedures, but in more efficient way.”
Throughout the years, the original ven-
In 2003, when Vahaviolos purchased CONAM Inspection & Engineering (now known
as MISTRAS Services),
MISTRAS gained highly
trained NDT inspection quality control and
quality assurance experts who provided safer and more
productive work environments through
state-of-the-art technologies. CONAM
gave MISTRAS the initial resources to
evolve into a comprehensive total NDT
solutions provider, as well as the ability
to continue expansion into the pipeline
industry, and other major markets such
as refining, power generation, process
control and aerospace industries.
Over the next three years, Vahaviolos
continued to mold MISTRAS into one
completely integrated company. The
combined forces of the Services divi-
sion (CONAM) and the Software and
Systems division (Physical Acoustics)
now enabled customers to receive NDT
solutions in a unique and efficient way
compared to their competitors. Having
both the products and service divisions
under one roof, permitted MISTRAS to
utilize all of their resources productively, giving them the edge they needed to
keep expanding.
By 2006, MISTRAS had made a solid
name for themselves in the NDT field.
With success at a high, Vahaviolos
focused the company’s acquisition
strategy on the services side of MISTRAS by purchasing over 10 highly
recognizable NDT companies across
the country, each adding a unique element to the developing company.
“We are all about providing our customers with solutions and catering to their
needs, allowing them to make one stop
and deal with fewer vendors. The more
options and locations we can offer, the
more attractive we are,” said Vahaviolos.
“Each company brings something different to the MISTRAS family, whether it is
information technology, storing and archiving data, training services, risk based
inspection or the many other services we
offer, we can now provide our customers
with a complete suite of solutions.”
Today, MISTRAS continues to grow.
With 46 operations in 15 countries and
thousands of dedicated employees,
the combined success of MISTRAS
Services and MISTRAS Software and
Systems, has made MISTRAS Group
Inc. a valuable asset to its client base,
not only in the pipeline industry but in
a broad range of industries worldwide.
As befits an executive that states his
goal is to be the leader in the NDT industry, Vahaviolos has no intentions of
slowing down anytime soon.
“We have an exciting and bright future
ahead of us, with continued improvement and growth in the NDT field,” said
Vahaviolos. “MISTRAS Group Inc is
going to be a name you will continue to
see for many years ahead. This is just
the beginning of what is yet to come.”
May 2009 | www.pipelinejobs.com
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