R&D centre to combat £2 trillion corrosion challenge

With governments and industry around the world alarmed at the annual cost of worldwide corrosion, Exova is to create the specialist, £3 million Corrosion Centre to help identify and develop future solutions. Based at Dudley and headed up by renowned corrosion expert Dr Chris Fowler, it will be centred on a new 23,000ft² purpose-designed facility. The centre is being created to develop solutions to the issue faced by industry sectors worldwide. The Dudley facility will become the central hub of a network of laboratories around the world, including Abu Dhabi in the Middle East, Houston, USA, Crema in Italy, Singapore and Sandnes in Norway. The facility will also house the ‘Exova Academy' which will develop the next generation of corrosion engineers, while working with customers and industry partners to identify future trends and developments. Ian El-Mokadem, Exova's CEO, commented on the investment. He said: “The growing demand for corrosion testing services has been driven by harsher environmental conditions, particularly in relation to the oil and gas industry as the search for energy sees companies pushing the boundaries of exploration and production.  “We will be advancing our corrosion testing and consulting capabilities, providing services that will help our customers ensure the safety and performance of critical assets while also extending operational life. “By linking our global experts, through this centre of excellence, our customers can access the very best knowledge and capabilities wherever they are in the world. This is one of a long line of strategic investments and the Exova Corrosion Centre will significantly increase our global capacity and enhance our leadership in the corrosion field.” Exova this year alone has already invested over £13 million developing testing capabilities to support customers worldwide, with more investments planned in the coming years.

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