In October 2023, MISTRAS Group announced that Dr. Sotirios J. Vahaviolos, MISTRAS Group’s Founder, is retiring as Executive Chairman after nearly 40 years of exceptional leadership. He has been appointed Chairman Emeritus while remaining an active member of the Board of Directors. Succeeding him, the Board has appointed Mr. Manuel (Manny) N. Stamatakis as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Stamatakis will also serve as the Interim CEO until a successor CEO is found.

Mr. James J. Forese, the current Chairman of the Audit Committee, has been named Lead Director and Chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee.

Other changes include Mr. Edward J. Prajzner’s appointment to Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Mr. John A. Smith’s appointment to Executive Vice President and President of Services, and Gennaro (Jerry) D’Alterio’s hiring as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.

Read the full release about the leadership transition here.

The transformation of the Products & Systems Segment leverages its historical strength in acoustic emission (AE) technology. This strategic refocus is designed to reinvigorate innovation and reassert the Company’s global industry leadership in AE. This transformation is an integral part of the Company's ongoing Project Phoenix initiative, a comprehensive plan to accelerate profitable growth and EBITDA by specifically identifying meaningful margin improvement opportunities and steps to achieve sustained cost savings.

The refocused effort will continue to provide avenues for employees to make innovative contributions, furthering the technological legacy established by the Company's founder and Executive Chairman, Dr. Sotirios J. Vahaviolos. Leveraging a team of top-tier AE experts, this strategic pivot will enable the Products and Systems’ Segment to continue the creative energy that has driven some of MISTRAS Group's most groundbreaking AE applications.

This renewed focus will also position the Company to discover new commercially-viable markets while continuing to provide existing customers with premium AE solutions.

Onstream Pipeline Inspection is developing their newest TriStream MFL™, the company’s legacy Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) inline inspection (ILI) tool. The new tool can inspect 36” pipelines, giving Onstream the ability to inspect lines from 4-36” in diameter.

As part of Onstream’s Combination Inspection System, the TriStream MFL™ is strategically designed to utilize ultra-high-density triaxial sensor technology and can collect data points to determine metal loss, geometry, and inertial mapping data for pipeline centerline coordinates.

Onstream also provides pipeline inspection data services, used to perform integrity assessments to support engineering and dig decisions. These assessments are designed to enhance the value of a pipeline inspection report and help operators optimize their dig programs.

Click to learn more about Onstream Pipeline Inspection and their services.

MISTRAS Group B.V. in the Netherlands has been awarded with a renewal of its VCA** (SCC) certification, which re-certifies the company for the next three years. This certification came following the certification body’s audit report which revealed no non-conformities or recommendations.

The certification body established that the Safety, Health and Environment management system and its application, as employed by MISTRAS Group B.V. comply with the Safety, Health and Environment Checklist for Contractors (SCC) version 2017/6.0 for the scope: non-destructive testing (NDT) and inspection (NACE: 71.20).

VCA** focuses on safety, health, and the environment and is considered a requirement to work in the petrochemical industry in the Netherlands, as well as being recognized in Belgium, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

For more on our downstream services in the Netherlands, click here.

MISTRAS is an active participant in industry associations and contributes to the latest codes and standards affecting and shaping our industry, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). With the adoption of rules for Total Focusing Method (TFM)/Full Matrix Capture (FMC) in the BPVC- 2019 edition, two MISTRAS Group employees served on an ASME Task Group to develop a first-of-its-kind training manual for TFM/FMC. University of Ultrasonics General Manager Shane Walton and Bill Lindo, Principal Level III-Ultrasonics, helped cover the principles, theories, requirements, and application of TFM/FMC. Their primary focus was on weld examinations and flaw sizing.

As credited authors for this handbook, Shane and Bill are helping further MISTRAS Group’s leadership in providing FMC training to the industry. They were instrumental in producing the first American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) compliant 80-hour training course for the technique in the industry, which contributed to ASME requesting their support in developing the training manual. The training manual can be purchased directly from ASME here.

To learn more about the University of Ultrasonics, click here.

Physical Acoustics, our Acoustic Emission equipment brand, is set to release AEwin⁶⁴, used for real-time AE feature and waveform processing, display, and replay. It is compatible with PAC’s Express-8 data acquisition board, and soon will be extended to other products. It features complete compatibility with MISTRAS’ standard data file format (DTA), allowing replay and analysis of any new or previously collected AE files.

AEwin⁶⁴ graphic capabilities include exceptional 2-D and 3-D graphing capabilities; toggling between multiple screens by selecting a user-labeled tab; a mouse-driven “Data Selection” features that allows designation of hits, waveforms, and events from graphs and much more. AEwin⁶⁴ allows automated screen resizing and is optimized for the use with tablets and touch screens.

MISTRAS member company RAC Group was named the winner of the CS2A Sustained Superior Performance Award!

This honor, part of the Canadian Safety Achievement Awards, recognizes stakeholder groups who perform maintenance work under a General Presidents Maintenance Committee (GPMC) or National Maintenance Council (NMC) collective agreement in the absence of a recordable injury across consecutive operational years. RAC Group was recognized for five years of incident-free work at the Syncrude Canada Limited facility in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

Well done to all on this outstanding achievement and keep up the great work!

MISTRAS’ Hearing Protection/Noise Awareness procedure has been updated to meet the most current Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements. This policy is intended to provide guidelines to ensure the effective use of hearing protection, and help prevent overexposure to noise and hearing loss.

To view the updated procedure, click here.

MISTRAS’ Data Solutions COE recently shut down a scam before it had a chance to do lasting damage.  When the team received a Request for Quotation (RFQ) from a well-known oil and gas company located in Kuwait, they immediately began working on it. Just hours away from submitting the bid, they became aware of a potential scam. Research quickly confirmed suspicions, and the project was shut down before confidential information was inadvertently shared with imposters. This serves as a great reminder to be vigilant about safety and communicate your concerns, even when a project is nearing the finish line!

MISTRAS is celebrating 40 years since the launch of our United Kingdom (UK) and French operations. Dunegan UK was started in 1983 (acquired by Physical Acoustics Corporation three years later), and expanded our company’s international reach. Through the years, our UK operations have grown to service clients in India, the Middle and Far East, South Africa and Australasia, along with the UK, Netherlands, and Northern Europe.

Some notable assets our UK teams have performed testing on include loading arms, fighter wings, rocket launchers, and a space mission to Halley’s comet, which served as the furthest distance AE sensors had ever traveled. Congratulations on this significant achievement!

MISTRAS attended Brazil WindPower and Conaendi 2023 in São Paulo to spread the word about our solutions for the wind industry and our advanced inspection and monitoring technologies.

These events allowed us to feature Sensoria®, the 24/7/365 wind blade monitor and to highlight solutions like the Spider Semi-Automated (SA) Scanner, PCMS®, ART Crawler, and MISTRAS Digital®.

Billed as major events in Latin America, these events presented MISTRAS an opportunity to educate industry personnel on our industry-leading asset protection capabilities.

MISTRAS personnel met in Houston, TX - USA for the annual Project Managers meeting. This 3-day event featured discussions and presentations on a variety of topics, including safety, sales, recruitment and much more. During the event, networking opportunities solidified connections between personnel by engaging in informative and knowledgeable conversations. Everyone enjoyed some downtime by playing indoor mini golf and attending a Houston Astros game.

MISTRAS exhibited at the 2023 New York City Bridge Conference  in New York, NY - USA. This event connected bridge engineers, operators, designers, researchers and contractors from all over the world. Our experts were on hand to discuss our advanced infrastructure inspection systems and other bridge monitoring services.

MISTRAS recently demonstrated Sensoria® - the innovative 24/7/365 wind blade monitor at the EPRI Generation & Reliability Technology Week in  Orlando, FL - USA. This event brought together industry experts from a variety of sectors and provided an opportunity to feature the many differentiators of Sensoria®.

Click to learn more.

MISTRAS recently made its way to Portugal to exhibit our non-destructive testing (NDT) solutions at the European Conference on Non-Destructive Testing (ECNDT). This was an opportunity to feature acoustic emission (AE), Ultrasonics, VPAC II, Micro SHM and much more.

To learn more about our NDT solutions, click here.

MISTRAS recently announced the worldwide implementation of the new v11 IFS Cloud suite. Global adoption of IFS Cloud will streamline business and help drive more efficiency and operational effectiveness, in line with the company’s continued focus on integration and internal alignment. The updated software will be integrated with MISTRAS’ IFS enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and will help reduce non-IFS applications and implement new modules to support our teams worldwide. The target go-live date for the global implementation is early 2024.

For details, view the full memo here.

MISTRAS Group, Inc.’s Salary Savings Plan has moved from The Standard to Empower effective October 2, 2023. Empower brings MISTRAS' U.S. employees a more robust website, lower administrative fees, enhanced mobile app features, and more, including:

• See your complete financial picture — View all your accounts in one place with a single login on the mobile app. Plus, access tools designed to help you track, manage, and plan your finances.
• Get advice just for you — Receive personalized guidance, straightforward solutions, and actionable information that helps you with your financial goals.
• Automatic account transfer — Your retirement account, contribution rates, and loan and distribution arrangements will automatically transfer.

Additional information explaining everything you need to know about the transition will be mailed to your home address later this month.

The Marketing & Communications Department recently launched a Key Area of Focus (KAF) program to help automate our top of funnel laser tracker calibration services activities.

Offered out of our labs in Augsburg and Stade, Germany as well as on-site at our customers’ facilities, MISTRAS is the only independent service provider in Germany to offer DAkkS-accredited laser tracker calibration services. To support local team’s efforts, the KAF is the company’s first regional, international smart campaign. The campaign includes materials in English and German languages to attract and convert the international audience.

The campaign includes options for users to book their calibration service directly through a web form, along with opportunities to learn more about the service by watching a video and downloading our latest eGuide, “How to Ensure 3D Laser Tracker Accuracy With Calibration.”

Learn more about this service and see the campaign in action. Click the links to watch either the English or German versions.

Your Aetna^® benefits gives you access to convenient, local care at
MinuteClinic, a walk-in clinic located inside select CVS Pharmacy^® and Target^® stores. It’s available when you need it, including nights and weekends. Get the care you deserve for a variety of illnesses, injuries, and conditions, including allergies, ear infections, flu-like symptoms, bug bites, stings, and more.

Getting your flu shot early is one of the best ways to build your immunity this season. The vaccine is safe and effective, and is especially important for high-risk individuals such as older adults, pregnant people, and those with a weakened immune system. Employees with Aetna health plans can easily schedule their no-cost flu shots, and other vaccines, at a CVS Minute Clinic today. Learn more below.

You can follow the official MISTRAS social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest company happenings.

*as of October 31

MISTRAS is gearing up to attend Bridges Scotland, taking place in Glasgow, UK. This event will allow us to exhibit our advanced monitoring, inspection, and maintenance services for bridges and other critical structures. To learn more about this important event, click here. 

Sensoria® by MISTRAS is the headline sponsor at Blades Europe, taking place in Amerstdam, Netherlands! Our personnel will be on-hand to discuss Sensoria, the innovative 24/7/365 wind blade monitor, and our other wind turbine inspection and maintenance services. For more on this event, click here.

MISTRAS is looking forward to demonstrating Sensoria®, the innovative 24/7/365 wind blade monitor at AMI Wind Turbine Blades taking place in Düsseldorf, Germany. In addition to talking about Sensoria, our wind energy experts will be readily available to discuss our other wind turbine inspection and maintenance services. To learn more about this event, click here.

'Tis the time of year to break out those ugly sweaters and celebrate the season. Onstream Pipeline Inspection is gearing up for some good old fashioned holiday fun in Calgary, AB - Canada at the Saltlik Steakhouse to show off their ugliest of ugly sweaters. Along with showing off their holiday-themed threads, the team will also enjoy spending time together and spreading some holiday cheer.