Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE), opened its largest Customer Solutions Center (CSC) globally for its inspection technologies business, bringing its most advanced nondestructive testing (NDT) technologies under one roof.
The 26,000-ft2 center is a $4-million investment and was developed to better support customers for NDT needs, including inspection services at the scale of a production facility, application development and qualification testing for customers and partners, and demos and training.
The center will serve customers requiring asset and process performance improvements, quality assurance, parts validation, and repairs. The primary focus will be on the growing aerospace, electronics, and additive manufacturing industries, as well as oil and gas, automotive, and power industries. These industries require a new level of high-resolution imaging for inspection technologies, a key benefit of the CSC’s radiography and imaging systems.
Within the Cincinnati CSC is the BHGE’s most advanced X-ray, CT, ultrasonic, and remote visual inspection (RVI) technologies, as well as a state-of-the-art climate-controlled room for CT metrology and dedicated spaces for services and training. The facility also allows for personalized setups based on customer needs and will include additional technology in the coming years.
The center aims to host 600+ customers annually, and BHGE is evaluating opportunities to open additional CSCs in 2018 and 2019, with more locations in Asia, US, and Europe coming online soon. Each CSC will offer similar technologies and services as the Cincinnati facility and will focus on the most relevant industries and customer needs for the immediate region(s).