On December 23, 2021, Terra Drone announced that it had acquired 100% of the shares of its group company Terra Inspectioneering, a Dutch drone inspection technology development company, and made it a wholly owned subsidiary.
Terra Inspectioneering develops UT drones equipped with ultrasonic inspection functions for non-destructive inspections and provides inspection services for oil and gas storage tanks. The company changed its name from RoNik Inspectioneering B.V. after Terra Drone invested in it in July 2019.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lITirAEhcNE&t=38s (Terra Inspectioneering)
Terra Inspectioneering has implemented more than 500 projects in total, mainly for major European oil and gas companies, and has a track record of internal inspections of chimneys, incinerators, boilers, etc. in Japan. The aircraft used in the company's plate thickness inspection has a patent, and is equipped with a contact catalyst (couplant gel) dispenser that can supply couplant gel to the probe even during flight. inspection can be carried out efficiently.
Plate thickness inspection using ultrasonic waves, which can be measured non-destructively, can reduce the time required to assemble and remove temporary scaffolding, which is conventionally required for high-place work. This will shorten the inspection period by 40 to 60%, reduce inspection costs, and reduce opportunity losses due to facility shutdowns during inspections.
In recent years, the use of drones in inspection work has attracted attention both domestically and internationally, as it can reduce time and costs and ensure the safety of workers. Especially in Japan, where the population is declining and aging, there are concerns about the shortage of inspection workers for social infrastructure such as bridges and dams, and the passing on of know-how.
Terra Drone will take the opportunity of making Terra Inspectioneering a wholly owned subsidiary to solve social issues in the domestic and overseas inspection business and improve its competitive advantage in the drone market.