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Back to basics: why fundamentals matter for blade inspection

Published in: Wind, Corporate Focus, Exclusive Articles

Back to basics: why fundamentals matter for blade inspection image

Rapid turbine growth, increasingly complex composite structures and a global shortage of skilled inspectors are reshaping wind blade inspection. For CICNDT founder Jeremy Heinks, the answer is a return to disciplined nondestructive testing fundamentals.

A shortage of qualified inspectors, blades stretching beyond 100 meters and an industry tempted by technological novelty: these are the pressures reshaping nondestructive testing (NDT) in wind energy today. But for companies operating at the cutting edge of composite inspection, the most urgent message is a surprisingly timeless one: get the fundamentals right.

For Jeremy Heinks, founder and CEO of CICNDT, a specialist NDT firm operating out of Ogden, Utah, with clients across North America and beyond, that message has never been more relevant.

With roots in wind blade inspection dating back to 2007 and a team that collectively carries well over 100 years of combined field experience, Heinks has watched the industry evolve through multiple turbine generations. What he sees today concerns him as much as it excites him.

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