As part of the Great British Festival, Business Secretary Vince Cable led a UKTI delegation to India this December to showcase UK companies operating successfully in the region and to encourage new companies to follow suit.
During his tour, Dr Cable visited TWI India in Chennai where he saw how the company's training and examinations and technical support services have seen rapid growth in the past year of operation alone. The visit coincided with the timely announcement by TWI that, in response to this success, it plans to open further offices in Mumbai, Trichy and Cochin.
TWI India Regional Manager Jim Kerins said: 'We were delighted to be invited to take part in the Great British Festival, and for the valuable opportunity to welcome Dr Cable to our Chennai office to meet staff and students, and to discuss our expansion plans.'
Training and examinations
TWI has delivered high-quality training and examination services in India to both non-member and member companies for more than two decades. Covering a wide range of industrial sections, demand is high in the region for fully certified non-destructive testing (NDT) operations, notably in the power, renewable energy, and oil and gas sectors.
TWI India, based in Chennai, has been operational since January 2012, and co-ordinates courses on-site, as well as in Mumbai, Kolkata, Cochin, Trichy, Surat, Vishakaptinam and Hyderabad. The planned expansion into permanent offices in Mumbai, Trichy and Cochin will provide new opportunities for local business partnerships and help TWI to develop its tailored training portfolio.
Technical support
With its focus on NDT and inspection techniques, TWI India is also a base for technical services in all TWI competences, providing support to 18 Industrial Member organisations.
Such companies are investing in engineering quality and productivity by embracing new processes and technologies. By accessing TWI's unique, multidisciplinary range of technology engineering, training and information services offered - together with the expertise offered by its materials joining and engineering staff across the world - organisations can add significant value to their operations. Current areas of interest include:
- inspection of austenitic steel components and dissimilar metal welds, for detection of manufacturing and in-service flaws
- monitoring and detection of corrosion using medium range ultrasonic guided wave
- ultrasonic detection and characterisation of stress corrosion cracking in welds
- the use of non-linear ultrasonic techniques for the detection of kissing bonds in composites
- detection of corrosion in storage tank floors
- long term structural monitoring of cracks and failures
- continuous monitoring of machinery and rotating parts.
For further information, please contact Jim Kerins, Regional Manager
TWI India, 78 Chamiers Road, Nandanam, Chennai 600-018, India. Tel: +91 (0)44 4318 969