Baker Hughes, a GE company, has broken ground on a new European Customer Solutions Center (CSC) for its Inspection Technologies (IT) business, one of the world's leading providers of non-destructive testing (NDT). The CSC will be housed on IT’s existing Wunstorf, Germany site and will be the flagship CSC for European customers and partners. BHGE will invest a significant amount in the millions of dollars in the new 9.250 sqm CSC and plans to add up to 100 jobs to the Wunstorf site as part of the project.

The announcement follows the grand opening of IT’s largest CSC globally in Cincinnati, USA, earlier this year. Like Cincinnati, the Wunstorf CSC will also bring the most advanced NDT technologies under one roof, including x-ray, CT, ultrasonic, remote visual inspection and sensor solutions. Given the Wunstorf site’s heritage as BHGE’s radiography centre of excellence, the CSC will have a specific focus on 2D X-ray systems and 3D computed tomography (CT), supplemented by high-tech applications for ultrasonic and electromagnetic inspection. In addition, the facility will also house managed services for parts inspection and allow for personalized setups for training and collaboration.

“The manufacturing industry is changing, and Industrial Internet of Things coupled with our innovation in X-ray, CT, and other inspection technologies enables us to set new standards in industrial quality and product reliability assurance," said Holger Laubenthal, CEO of Inspection Technologies for BHGE. "We will support our customers through this change and that’s where a place like this Customer Solutions Center will be a huge asset. Here in Wunstorf, our experts will work together with our customers to develop technologies to solve individual challenges. We like to see ourselves as problem solvers, and I believe no one else in the industry can offer this level of high-quality service for non-destructive testing. “