Africa’s extractive industries are commonly associated with being the key driver of economic growth across the region. Undoubtedly the continent is abundant with resources hence capital inflow into oil and mining production has grown consistently.
Oil-rich economies such as Nigeria contribute to the global energy supply and other countries such as Zambia are notable for copper production.
Nonetheless, extractive industries continuously face challenges in ensuring safety for workers and reducing downtime which massively impacts production output. Historically, professionals in these industries have implemented several testing methods to curb safety and plant failure challenges. However, these methods proved to be insufficient. Non-destructive testing (NDT) is another method widely used worldwide in the extractive industries and other sectors such as manufacturing.
As mentioned previously, other testing practices are known to harm or annihilate the plant during an inspection. The concept of NDT is its greatest benefit, plants and machinery can be assessed rapidly and precisely without causing any harm.
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Non-destructive testing can prevent accidents and as a result increase safety. It can also ensure that equipment and internal structures are fit for purpose. Safety in mining is critical and this approach can guarantee on-site safety, avoiding incidents that could be deemed disastrous as well as ensuring assets are fully operational.
Plant managers are well aware of the high cost of downtime. NDT, on the other hand, maintains your assets operational while testing processes are carried out, saving companies the trouble of shutting down the entire operation.
With such a focus on environmental preservation, mining operations cannot afford any accident that could have a negative impact on the surrounding area. Penalties could be severe, with additional costs such as reputational harm, rehabilitation, and so on. NDT is useful in the detection of structural flaws and deficiencies that, if not detected, could result in accidents or infrastructural failures with disastrous consequences for the surrounding environment.
Africa’s NDT industry is steadily growing due to the demand for sustainable testing methods in many industries. With many mining and gas exploration activities in Southern Africa, the NDT industry will experience reasonable growth. The industry within this region is heavily dominated by South African companies. However, other players such as Eswatini -based Echelon Global Incorporated seek to challenge the status quo. Established in 2015, the company has built a strong reputation within the Eswatini market and neighboring countries, providing its services to parastatals and privately-owned entities within the mining and manufacturing sectors.
