New NDT Training Academy Offers Expanded Training Choices To Customers in North America

Huerth, Germany, March, 2005

GE Inspection Technologies can now offer its customers in the North America region comprehensive, professional and flexible training in all NDT techniques from its new, superbly resourced NDT Training Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio. The new facility will compliment the company s training centers in Lewistown, PA, and Huerth, Germany, but will provide particular expertise in all aspects of Radiography (including Film, Computed Radiography and Digital Radiography).

The new Training Academy is located at the GE Aircraft Engines headquarters site in a recently completed $15 million training and learning complex. It offers a range of courses in all aspects of ultrasonic and eddy current inspection as well as radiography. All training is to ASNT and other recognized standards and is carried out by skilled instructors, who possess a wealth of experience in industry and are experts in the areas they teach.

Courses at the new academy have been designed and developed to meet a wide variety of customer needs. Smaller customers who lack their own internal training regimes can take advantage of the facility s ability to provide training to meet a range of certification requirements. Customers who wish to keep abreast of emerging technologies and products will find the Cincinnati academy the center of excellence to be expected from one of the worlds greatest innovators in NDT technology.

Flexibility is a key feature of the Academy s approach to training and customers can opt for either conventional 40 hour (one-week) courses or for blended courses, which can halve students classroom time and greatly reduce travel and accommodation expenses. With a blended course, students work with course content held on CD on their own PCs, are examined on-line, and then attend the Academy for practical hands-on training and final examination.

All practical radiography training undertaken at the Academy takes place at the adjacent Quality Technology Center, which is comprehensively equipped with the most up to date equipment on the Market. The lab offers X-ray film processors, a computed radiography (CR) scanner, and a digital radiography (DR) system, all of which embody the latest in radiography technology. Customers are provided with training leading to certification, with application-specific training relating to particular market sectors, and with product-specific training, using GE Inspection Technologies equipment of all modalities.

As Ivan Wood, Global Customer Training Product Manager for GE Inspection Technologies, explains: As a world leader in the manufacture and development of NDT products and systems, we believe that we are ideally placed to provide expert and focused training in the technology and application of NDT equipment throughout industry, especially in the aerospace, automotive, energy, and power generation sectors. We also believe that our new Academy will prove to be an invaluable resource to help us meet our customers training, and operational, needs.

About GE Inspection Technologies
GE Inspection Technologies is a global leader in technology-driven inspection solutions that deliver customer productivity, quality and safety. The company designs, manufactures and services radiographic, ultrasonic and eddy current equipment to test materials without deforming or damaging them. Its products are used in a wide range of industries, including Aerospace, Power Generation, Oil & Gas and Automotive. The company has 9 application centres around the globe and offers a range of services including repair, calibration, training and upgrades. GE Inspection Technologies has 1,000 employees at more than 25 facilities in 25 countries worldwide.