NDTMA 2003 Annual Conference
February 17 – 19, 2003
Session Abstracts & PowerPoint Presentations
PowerPoint presentations as presented at the NDTMA 2003 Annual Conference may be downloaded at the bottom of this page. PLEASE NOTE: SOME FILES ARE LARGE AND MAY TAKE A LONG TIME TO DOWNLOAD. The file sizes are as indicated. This page will be updated as the various presentations become available for download.
KEYNOTE ADDRESS: “How to Lead in Turbulent Times”
William Harvey, Eastman Kodak Company
This presentation will cover the issues of today affecting executives and business leaders, and will present techniques to enhance your position as a change leader. The presentation will help you to: describe your role as a change leader, inform and support employees during change, increase your effectiveness to handle employee reactions, utilize tools that are available, and engage employee energy toward positive changes.
2003 Keynote Address
BUSINESS PLANNING
"Exit Strategies – How to Get the Most Out of Your Business"
R Jeffrey Judah CFP., Judah, Hanson Riggs & Associates
Have you completed your exit strategy for your business? Most business owners have not. Whether you are considering a transition a year from now or ten, a well planned exit strategy will either allow key employees to move towards ownership of your business or make it more attractive to an outside buyer. A well-laid plan should inspire key employees to help you increase the equity of your business over the next few years and it will attract key people that will be needed there during the transition.
We will discuss not only some of the techniques of exit planning, but also how to effectively communicate a vision of your exit strategy. Employees with a clear vision of the future and awareness of opportunities should discover a newfound energy to commit to the goals of your business even though you may be leaving the day to day operations of the company.
Jeff has been in the financial services industry for over twelve years and has helped many business owners make key decisions when it comes to the long-term strategic plan for their businesses.
"Strategic Planning for a Small Company"
Joan Carter, Petrochem Inspection Services
Small Business Plan
If you have a corporate planning department, this presentation is probably not for you. If you don’t, and you are a manager with authority to set direction for your company, you are the corporate planning department. In any business, strategic planning is an inextricable part of successful management and it is no less critical in a small company (less than $500 million) than a large one.
Strategic planning can be formal and complicated but it doesn’t need to be either. Although certain sections of a written plan are relatively standard – some type of mission statement, strategies to broadly identify how the mission will be accomplished, and some objectives to measure how things are going – the important part of the strategic planning process is to think through what the business is now and what you want it to be.
Because no company can be all things to all people, strategic planning forces some basic choices: what value will be delivered to what market? How do we do that? The answers to these fundamental issues are the core of the strategic plan.
"SELLING: Sell your NDT Services with a Proven Process"
Al Kauder, The Jostan Group, Inc.
Selling NDT
It was once stated: “When selling becomes a procedure it ceases to be a problem”. When it is not a procedure it will always be a problem.
If you want to win in today’s selling environment you need a sales process that covers all the steps of the sale. It must have a philosophy of wanting to put the prospect's interest first. Prospects buy for their reasons and not ours.
The salesperson must have a very clear understanding of what the real needs of the prospect are. If your products and services fill the need, the salesperson must be thoroughly convinced they have the best solution.
Psychologists tell us that when a person is being sold to five buying decisions take place in a precise psychological order. Knowing in what order people make decisions when they are being sold to helps the salesperson guide the prospect through the decision-making process. The professional salesperson knows that there are no shortcuts here. They will plan to do the things necessary to secure a positive buying decision in the precise psychological order in which they occur.
A well-run company knows how many checks it will cut on the 1st and the 15th and how long a routine in-service inspection may take. Why? A proven process is adhered to daily. The same predictability can be part of your sales efforts.
“Insurance for NDT Companies – Where Are We Headed and What’s The Solution?”
Michael Creech, Longview Inspection
Liability Issues (136.52 kB)
This presentation will review the critical issue of contract liability and risk management for nondestructive testing service companies. This is an important issue for any inspection company with significant assets held by either the company or owner.
There is an alarming trend in the approach by large industrial companies have taken recently, where liability for even the plant owner’s negligence is being transferred via contract, to the NDT contractor. In most cases, the general liability insurance exclusions in the NDT contractor’s policy do not cover this form of contractual liability, putting the company’s entire balance sheet at risk.
The paper will conclude with specific recommendations for limiting your personal and corporate liability through risk transfer in the indemnity section of the contracts your clients ask you to sign.
NDT MANAGEMENT SESSION I
"Passing the Torch – Mentoring Others"
Syl Viaclovsky, Fugro South, Inc., VIA NDT Div. Passing the NDT Torch (150.02 kB)
Nothing lasts forever, not even the knowledge one gains in a lifetime, unless it can be passed on to others. This passing of information can be accomplished by mentoring. The stages for successful mentoring are outlined as follows:
- Attempt to gain respect of others in the field hoping that they mentor others. We call this the "learning our trade” phase.
- As we learn our trade, we must reach out to others who are ready to absorb information and work with them. We must also continue to absorb new technology. This is called the "growth or absorption" phase.
- As we become so called experts in the field, we look to pass on to others the knowledge that cannot be readily extracted from computers or books. This is called the "passing it on" phase.
This presentation will provide insight into how we can serve as mentors and effectively pass the torch to others in our field. Key roles such as coaching, facilitating, counseling and networking will be discussed.
"NADCAP – Get Over It!”
Israel Vasquez
Download (486.02 kB)
There was a time not too long ago, when several representatives of NDT management heard the rumor that NADCAP was just a fad and it will soon go away. They thought - this would be great! After all who ever heard of paying to be audited. That’s like having your local bully to kick you in the butt, then paying him for it! Unfortunately, some believed this kind of talk and allowed it to cloud their vision. Folks - NADCAP is here, and it looks like (for now - anyway) it’s here to stay – so lets get over it!
Additional aerospace Primes are coming on board, and complicating the process even more. We may as well accept this and move forward with supporting our internal organizations to meet the complicated, demanding, and protracted nature of these audits. Preparing for these types of audits isn’t as important as being audit ready! This presentation will provide several tactics and suggestions for the attendees, in order to assist them and their company in making a smoother transition through the NADCAP process.
"The World of NDT Personnel Qualification and Certification – Where We’ve Been! Where We’re Going?"
Michael Turnbow, TVA Download (654.02 kB)
The objective of this discussion is to review the history of NDT Personnel Qualification and Certification (PQ&C), including studies of NDT personnel performance and current trends, in order to draw conclusions and speculate as to the future of this controversial issue. A brief review of the impact SNT-TC-1A has had both nationally and internationally will be followed with a similar discussion of other well known programs such as CP-189 MIL-STD 410, NAVSEA 250-1500-1, ISO 9712, EN 473, ACCP and current initiatives toward special industry sector qualifications. A through understanding of where we have been and where we are now will be absolutely necessary before the future of NDT PQ&C can be projected. Changes in the global economy will certainly be the most dynamic factor affecting the future of NDT PQ&C. Code, regulatory and industry requirements are already coming under the pressure of global markets that will be the key drivers in shaping the future. For example, the recently implemented European Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) will for the first time require third party approval of NDT personnel in a regulated and mass market.
To prepare for the future, an organized industry focus on the issues and involvement in seeking solutions will be essential.
"Recovery of the Civil War Ironclad USS Monitor"
John Broadwater, NOAA
During the period 1998-2002, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Navy conducted large-scale recovery operations at the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. During the early 1990s, NOAA determined that the hull of the famous Civil War ironclad USS Monitor was deteriorating rapidly and that quick action was necessary if key components of this historic warship were to be saved. With funds from NOAA and the DOD Legacy Resource Management Program, NOAA, the Naval Sea Systems Command, and Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit Two recovered the Monitor’s propeller, shaft, engine, and, in 2002, the Monitor’s most unique feature: it’s revolving, armored gun turret. The recovery operations involved hundreds of Navy divers and cost more than $10 million. Now, The Mariners’ Museum, Newport News, Virginia, is partnering with NOAA to conserve and exhibit these items. The museum is also planning to build a USS Monitor Center, scheduled to open in 2007
NDT MANAGEMENT SESSION II
"Employment Labor Law and Beyond”
Susan West, Longview Inspection Download (71.02 kB)
ERISA, FLSA, EEO, ADA, ADEA, COBRA, FMLA… what do they all mean? From one employee to over 100 and beyond, employers must now have a strong knowledge and awareness of the legal parameters that govern the employment relationship, or else risk millions of dollars in legal fees defending lawsuits and penalties that could have been avoided by knowing and playing by the rules.
In this session, attendees will learn about the major federal employment laws, who the laws apply to, how to be in compliance, and resources available to help keep you in compliance.
"A Comprehensive Review of the NDT Labor Market"
Michael Serabian, PQNDT Download (1.06 MB)
1. The changing nature of employer/employee relationships
- Is loyalty a thing of the past?
- Cash & Carry employees
- ME, Inc.
- Coping with a shifting workforce
2. Where to find good NDT employees
- Good news: Employees are willing to move
- Bad news: Some of them are YOUR employees
- Old recruitment methods won¹t work
- Hiring “right”
- Keeping them in the fold
- The case for contractors
3. How to find your dream NDT job
- The openings are out there
- Build your skill sets & certifications
- Marketing yourself
- Don¹t sell yourself short
- Another case for contractors
4. What does the future hold?
- Who is working for whom?
- “Plug and Play” workers
- Full time recruiting?
- It¹s still the people that count
"Best Practices in Software Selection & Implementation – A Job Costing/Time Management System"
Rick Rowley, PSC Group, LLC
Every year hundreds of thousands of technology decisions are made worldwide. The Gartner Group believes that only 22 percent of organizations per year actively use a formal structured scoring process for services automation, with concepts similar to the ones outlined in this presentation.
After considerable experience in driving application software evaluations for different organizations, it is Mr. Rowley’s contention that most companies would benefit from the structure, discipline and management acceptance that comes from using a proven evaluation framework. He believes a structured evaluation approach to services automation enables an organization to account for all important factors – not just cost – when selecting service-oriented applications, Service Management modules or Professional Services Automation (PSA) vendors. An important secondary purpose of the predefined analysis structure presented is to ensure that political or emotional bias does not unknowingly skew vendor selection.
Presentation Scope/Outline:
▫ Overview of SSNA’s NDT Software Selection Process
▫ Critical Success Factors and Potential Pitfalls
▫ Promoting Organizational Acceptance and Use
▫ The Benefits to NDT of a Structured Evaluation Approach
▫ After the Service Management Vendor is Selected
“Maximizing Labor Efficiency Using “Professional Service Automation” Software”
David Kaskie, Staveley Services NA Download (147.02 kB)
You know your largest customers, but do you know your most profitable? How laborious is it to enter your technicians’ hours worked? Can your technicians enter time from anywhere? How much is it costing your business to spend time preparing for a job – time that cannot be billed? How do you know that an hour worked and entered for payroll has also been invoiced?
Answers to these questions (as well as dozens of other like them) are indicative to how well management understands and operates any business, including an NDT lab. Professional Services Automation (PSA) software is a tool to streamline labor-intensive processes and deliver the profit-and-loss information so necessary to run a business.
Mr. Kaskie will describe how PSA software can be applied to the NDT business and the benefits that can drive decision-making to lower cost and increased profit.
"Techniques for Attracting NDT Apprentices"
Hugh Doran, The Doran Group
Download (142.52 kB)
The shortage of personnel in our industry is apparent today and will become much more critical in the future. We need to prepare for tomorrow at the grass roots level. A presentation has been prepared and has been presented to high school students to encourage them to consider a career in NDT. In presenting our industry to high school students we are serving both our industry and the students. The presentations made to date have been to Chicago public school students. The Executive Service Corps of Chicago arranges these presentations. A list of Executive Service Corps throughout the nation is available.
This presentation is intended to serve as a template for presentations by others, and to encourage others involved in NDT to expand this effort to encourage young people throughout the nation to consider a career in NDT.
REGULATORY SESSION
"Evolution of API 570"
Del Richie, Petrochem Inspection Services Download (85.52 kB)
This paper will trace the evolution of API Standard 570 - “Piping Inspection Code: Inspection, Repair, Alteration, and Rerating of In-Service Piping Systems” from inception in the early 90’s up to today, with all of its relevant changes and amendments. API 570 is now one of the most widely used and respected document in our industry, but the least understood.
"USNRC Radiography Regulations Update"
Chuck Cain, USNRC
As a result of recent and current world events, the NRC is assessing the need to revise regulations related to industrial radiography in order to further reduce the possibility of theft or diversion of radioactive materials for illicit uses. Although these requirements are still in the formulative stage, the presentation will summarize agency concerns and actions that should be considered by those who possess, use, and transport radioactive materials.
"DOT Regulations and NDT"
Michele Sampson, USDOT
Download (1.98 MB)
“The Office of Hazardous Materials Safety, which is within the United States Department of Transportation's Research and Special Programs Administration, is responsible for coordinating a national safety program for the transportation of hazardous materials by air, rail, highway and water.”
NDT operations may include the transport of radioactive materials to and from work-sites. Additionally, companies may ship these radioactive materials via commercial carrier for service, repair or maintenance. This transport is regulated by the Department of Transportation (DOT). Within DOT, the regulations for safe transport of hazardous materials are developed by the Research & Special Programs Administration, Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS). Review of the OHMS organization identifies the major components of the office and available resources to assist compliance with the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR).
Key components of the HMR of interest to the NDT industry include: classification and packaging; communication (shipping papers, labeling, etc.); and training. Recent and forthcoming changes to the HMR facilitating harmonization with international regulations also affect the transport of radioactive materials. An overview of the requirements specific to transport of radioactive materials generally identifies the steps necessary for HMR compliance.
Failure to comply with the HMR may have significant repercussions. One possible result is civil penalty action by DOT. Examples of enforcement action, taken from recent Penalty Action Reports, are provided for illustration.
TECHNICAL SESSION
"Ultrasonic Testing Using Phased Arrays”
Rick Cahill, AGFA NDT Inc.
Electric Resistance Welded (ERW) tubes have traditionally been inspected using two-channel pulse echo systems. Conventional systems use two single-element angle-beam probes, positioned on opposite sides of the weld. These systems sequence through three ultrasonic events; one thru-transmission shot, and two separate pulse-echo shots. The thru-transmission shot enables the test by verifying that couplant exists between the pulse-echo probes while the pulse-echo shots interrogate the weld zone from each side. A drawback of these conventional systems is that the probes are in a fixed position relative to the weld. Improvements to ERW weld inspection have been realized through the use of phased array technology.
Phased array systems provide additional testing capability when compared with conventional single–element ultrasonic systems. In addition to flaw detection, phased arrays make it possible to maintain inspection coverage over the entire weld region even when the weld wanders. Additionally, phased array probe elements can be electronically configured for thickness measurement. The thickness mode display allows an operator to map the cross-sectional profile of the weld and the parent tube material. This feature allows continuous monitoring of the scarfing operation and can provide real-time feedback for setting and adjusting the tool. This presentation will feature a 128-element phased array solution to a typical ERW testing application.
"Advances in Radioscopic Imaging Technologies"
V.J. Alreja, VJ Technologies
Abstract to be provided by author
"ACCP Grand fathering – The Rest of the Story"
Chuck Hellier, Rockwood Service Corp. Download (868.02 kB)
ASNT has approved and is currently offering central certifications for Level II and III personnel without examinations - a process commonly known as "Grand fathering". This paper will present the concerns and pitfalls of this program in order to inform management of the "other side of the story". The NDT community has been led to believe that this ill-conceived scheme will "make the world a safer place" and will launch the United States into a fully compliant program that will be internationally recognized and accepted. This presentation will conclude with a recommendation for a modified approach to centralized certification that will be fair and equitable.
“Software - The Key to Image Quality”
Fred Morro, Fuji NDT Systems
For over 50 years our Industry has sought ways of performing “Filmless Radiography.” Various receptors and detectors have been used, with several degrees of success, particularly in applications where “Wet Film” radiography was economically impractical, or where Dynamic Images were required. In many of these applications, Image Quality was sufficient for the task at hand, however the Spatial Resolution, Contrast, and the Signal to Noise Ratio of the various imaging devices were not suitable as a Film Replacement Device, without making certain sacrifices. These sacrifices usually were Field of View, and limitations of the flexibility of the system, be it throughput, or Application Dependence.
With advances in Digital Detector and Imaging devices, Film Quality Images are a reality. However the Best of Detectors can be limited by the Image Re-Construction Software. Software must focus on importing the highest resolution Image Data File possible and subsequently applying powerful Algorithms to display Film Quality Images.
The software addressed in this presentation is in two categories.
Firstly we will address, and describe those Algorithms required to successfully display those Images: The Image Generation Software, consisting of Contrast, Gray Scale (Density), Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), and various degrees of Edge Treatments, all an absolute requirement to accomplish Film Replacement applications.
Secondly, we will address the Software Tools currently in use and available to replace and supplement those activities currently in use when performing Wet Film radiographic inspection.
As we are in the Digital Age, we will also address tools Unique to Digital Radiography, Image storage and retrieval, Image hard copy capability, and the current activities regarding File Format Standards.
