Dekra Industrial’s new ‘one-stop’ service adds corrosion control via rope access

A vast range of South African industries require time- and cost-effective corrosion control services to ensure critical operational efficiency and minimal downtime during maintenance, repairs, scheduled and unscheduled shutdowns of assets and facilities; and during periodic NDT and inspection of associated equipment.

Accordingly, Dekra Industrial in South Africa has introduced a dynamic new niche initiative to complement their NDT inspection services: corrosion control via rope access.

“In line with the continuous development of our offerings and capabilities, this new corrosion control initiative will elevate our strategic position from being a non-destructive testing (NDT) inspection services provider – to that of a holistic, ‘one-stop’ services provider of NDT inspection, corrosion control, welding and certification services,” says Dekra Industrial General Manager Eddie van Hansen.

One-stop services

“In recognizing the need for agility and adaptability, we have tailored our services in line with market requirements. By pairing rope access with corrosion control, we can leverage the advantages thereof to limit impacts on clients’ plant production and performance. This effectively reduces – or indeed eliminates – the need for scaffolding or other heavy equipment – and means we can easily access areas at height or confined spaces,” he explains.

Van Hansen believes that in providing this carefully researched and designed ‘one-stop’ inspection, corrosion control and rope access integrated service, Dekra Industrial will strongly reinforce its strategic position as a differentiated and valuable asset to former, existing and potential new clients.

Dekra Industrial Cape Town Branch Manager Rudolf Vermeulen agrees: “By offering this holistic new ‘one-stop’ service – from surface preparation, sand / grit-blasting, corrosion control coating and the provision of advanced NDT inspections – clients have direct and convenient access to a single point of contact and experienced service provider.”

High-level oversight

Notably, this would obviate the inconvenience of sourcing and managing several contractors to perform different scopes of work on the same project.

“To this point, Dekra Industrial – as the final point of contact in the course of the project – takes full accountability and responsibility for the service excellence and integrity of all aspects thereof,” says Vermeulen, who will offer high-level oversight of the initiative and drive new business opportunities.

Vermeulen adds that Dekra Industrial can integrate and effectively manage the various resources for a streamlined process during surface preparation, cleaning/blasting, painting and any required NDT inspections.

“Importantly, as rope access requires far less time to set up – compared to erecting scaffolding for example – the substantial time- and cost-savings achieved from corrosion protection with rope access really ensures this is a ‘stand-out’ service for clients with huge  benefits,” he enthuses.

Complementing these invaluable benefits is the significant safety value of rope access. Estimated to be almost one hundred percent safer than scaffolding, the use of rope access reinforces Dekra Industrial’s ethos of being the ‘global partner for a safe world’ in line with its Vision 2025 safety goals.