TÜV SÜD strengthens its industry segment in Italy and its global NDT network

 TÜV SÜD has acquired the Italian company Bytest S.r.l., thus strengthening its industry segment in Italy and expanding its global network for non-destructive testing (NDT). Bytest is one of the leading providers of NDT services in Italy, with 120 staff and revenue of more than EUR 11 million in 2011. TÜV SÜD recently also acquired Pro-Tec, the number one provider of NDT and inspection services on the South African market.

Non-destructive testing during production permits the manufacturers of complex industrial products to realize their high quality demands while cutting production costs. "Given this, we consider the NDT market a high-growth market" says Karsten Xander, Member of the Board of Management of TÜV SÜD AG. "By acquiring Italy-based Bytest and Pro-Tec in South Africa, we have expanded our global activities in this sector and significantly strengthened our industry segment in these countries."

Bytest S.r.l., with headquarters in Turin, is one of the leading suppliers of non-destructive testing services in Italy. The experts specialize in non-destructive testing during production and laboratory testing of materials as well as non-destructive material testing on site in production facilities. Further services include the training of NDT staff and audits and inspections of welding processes. Bytest's key clients come from the aerospace, petrochemical, manufacturing and automobile sectors and from the rail industry.

"By combining the services of TÜV SÜD and Bytest we can offer our industry clients in Italy a broader service portfolio, and thus the best possible support in the future", explains Dr Boris Gehring, Head of the Industry Service Division at TÜV SÜD. "For us, TÜV SÜD's international network is an opportunity to provide even better service for our European clients in the aerospace and other industries in the future", adds Franco Baratta, Managing Director Bytest S.r.l.

A new detection system can reveal bioterrorist attacks on our water supply network

 

If pathogens enter into our water supply network many people may fall ill quickly. To protect us against this biological threat, researchers have developed a detection system partly based on nanotechnology that can warn authorities in time.

In the 21st century several countries have suffered great losses after terrorist attacks. Although the risk of bioterrorist attacks or accidental contamination of our water supply network is low, the consequences could be fatal. Researchers connected to DINAMICS (DIagnostic NAnotech and MICrotech Sensors), a project co-funded by the European commission, have made a lab-on-a-chip device that can monitor our drinking water and spot different pathogens even at very low concentrations.

The device uses sensors with very small strands of different pathogenic DNA integrated onto their surfaces to quickly recognize pathogenic DNA from water samples. The DNA in the sensors will only bind to the water samples’ corresponding DNA, multiplied for easier identification. To see what different DNAs are present in the water samples, the researchers apply a reaction called chemiluminescence that will make the bound DNAs emit light. The nanoscale reactions are then interpreted by a computer. The DINAMICS project’s researchers have also developed another type of sensor that changes the bound DNAs into electric signals. The signal’s magnitude is proportional to the quantity of pathogenic DNA from the water sample.

At present, water samples are brought to the laboratory for analysis. The researchers’ goal is to make this step redundant by bringing the laboratory to the water instead, since the device is part of a portable detection system. This would speed up the process substantially. If the system detects a biological threat the authorities can be informed through email or mobile phone.

Another way of spotting accidental or deliberate water contamination has been developed by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany. By also recognizing that existing methods for water analysis are time-consuming they have set up a system called AquaBioTox, which uses living microorganisms. A sensitive camera system continuously records and analyses the microorganisms’ reactions to the water. Even though the researchers have documented a reliable and fast detection of contaminants, to guarantee robustness against false alarm and maximum reliability in diagnosis they recommend that the system is combined with other sensors on the market.

The DINAMICS project is planned to end the last day of March and if the system becomes widely available in the water industry this more cost-efficient way of testing could significantly improve water safety, alone or in combination with other sensors.

Provided by Youris.com (news : web)