Testia

Testia is an aerospace-focused training, services and technology provider specializing in non-destructive testing (NDT) and aerostructure inspection. The company originated in 1991 as NDT Expert, an initiative established within the Aérospatiale research organization at the historic Blériot plant in Suresnes. Its founding purpose was to support aerospace manufacturers and operators with qualified inspection personnel, standardized training and certification, and access to emerging methods for assessing aircraft structures without damaging them. Bureau Veritas and Sogerma participated in the original initiative. NDT is central to the safety and quality assurance of aircraft because it enables technicians and engineers to identify cracks, voids, delamination, corrosion, bonding problems and other defects in metallic and composite structures while leaving the inspected component usable. Testia’s activities cover training and certification, industrial inspection, consulting, engineering, periodic verification, fluids testing, inspection tooling, multi-purpose equipment, software and digital assistance. Its technical scope includes ultrasound, radiography, computed tomography, penetrant testing, infrared thermography, magnetic-particle or magnetization techniques, shearography and eddy-current inspection. These methods are applied to conventional aerospace metals as well as materials such as carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, additive-manufactured components and other advanced structures. The organization moved from Suresnes to Toulouse in 1996, bringing it closer to major aerospace production and engineering activity. As Aérospatiale became part of the wider EADS and Airbus industrial structure, Testia’s role expanded from a research-linked specialist into a provider serving both internal Airbus operations and external customers. The business supported efforts to harmonize non-destructive testing training and certification across the group under the EN4179 European aerospace standard and related NAS410 requirements. It subsequently developed international locations or operating capabilities in France, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Singapore and Canada. The Testia name was adopted in 2015 as the organization aligned its public identity with its broader NDT services and product portfolio. Airbus acquired Bureau Veritas’s remaining 20 percent stake in June 2015, completing Testia’s transition to full Airbus ownership. The company therefore operates as a specialized Airbus subsidiary rather than as a listed independent corporation. Its work combines laboratory and production inspection expertise with field services for aircraft in operation. Testia has also supplied or developed inspection tools for composite structures, augmented-reality systems, remote assistance, drones and structural-health-monitoring applications. Testia’s regulatory and quality positioning includes recognition as a NADCAP organization for manufacturing-related activities and as an EASA/FAR Part 145 organization for in-service activities, according to the cited reference material. By 2018, the company was reported to have approximately 250 employees across seven countries. It was also associated with Airbus’s Advanced Inspection Drone initiative and with digital inspection projects such as augmented reality and the Airbus Hangar of the Future program. Its strategic position is that of a highly specialized aerospace assurance partner: it helps manufacturers, maintenance organizations and operators improve inspection reliability, personnel competence and the speed of defect assessment across the aircraft lifecycle.

Testia’s history began in 1991, when Aérospatiale, working with Bureau Veritas and Sogerma, created an aerospace NDT initiative known at the time as NDT Expert. The organization was established within Aérospatiale’s research environment at the Blériot plant in Suresnes. Its initial mission had two connected parts: to train and certify non-destructive testing inspectors for aerospace work, and to remain close to new inspection technologies developed by the parent research center. The training objective was linked to the EN4179 framework, which provides requirements for qualification and certification of personnel performing NDT in the aerospace sector. The organization’s technical rationale was the increasing importance of inspecting aircraft structures without cutting, dismantling or otherwise damaging them. Aerospace components may contain defects that are not visible from the surface, particularly when they are manufactured from bonded composites, advanced alloys or complex assemblies. NDT techniques such as ultrasound, radiography, penetrant testing, thermography, magnetization, shearography and eddy-current inspection allow specialists to find and evaluate these conditions. From the beginning, the company’s role therefore sat between research, industrial quality assurance and workforce qualification. In 1996, NDT Expert moved from Suresnes to Toulouse. The move placed the organization closer to France’s principal aerospace manufacturing and engineering center and supported a more operational relationship with industrial customers. During the broader consolidation of the European aerospace industry, Sogerma sold its interest to EADS, the successor organization associated with the integration of Aérospatiale and other European aerospace businesses. The development of Airbus as a group created a need for greater consistency in inspection training and certification across national operations. NDT Expert contributed to this harmonization effort, particularly around EN4179 and the related NAS410 requirements used in aerospace manufacturing and maintenance. The company gradually expanded beyond training. It became an internal and external provider of inspection services, technical consulting, engineering, periodic verification and fluids testing. It also developed and supplied inspection tools, specialized equipment and digital applications. This broadened portfolio allowed the organization to serve aircraft production, maintenance and in-service inspection rather than focusing solely on classroom instruction. International activity followed, with sites or operations reported in Mexico, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Singapore and Canada, in addition to France. In 2015, NDT Expert was rebranded Testia. The new identity reflected a wider commercial proposition centered on aerospace testing, inspection products and services. In June of that year, Airbus Group acquired Bureau Veritas’s remaining 20 percent shareholding, making Testia fully owned by Airbus Group. This ownership structure gave Testia a close relationship with Airbus programs and industrial processes while retaining a specialist role focused on inspection, certification and technology. During the second half of the 2010s, Testia added newer inspection approaches to its traditional NDT capabilities. It worked on tools for composite inspection, augmented-reality applications, remote assistance, drones and structural-health monitoring. In 2016, the company was associated with an NDT tool for A350 XWB composite structures, augmented-reality work for Spirit AeroSystems and participation in Airbus’s Hangar of the Future program. In 2017, it entered structural-health-monitoring activities and received a Customer Value Leadership award. In 2018, it was described as a launching partner for Airbus Advanced Inspection Drone. By 2018, Testia was reported to employ approximately 250 people across seven countries: France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Canada, Singapore and Mexico. Its stated expansion plans included possible activity in China and the Middle East. The company’s quality and regulatory credentials included NADCAP recognition for manufacturing-related work and EASA/FAR Part 145 status for in-service activities. These qualifications support its positioning as an aerospace-specialist organization able to combine inspection personnel, engineering expertise, training systems and equipment across the aircraft lifecycle. Testia remains an Airbus-owned brand and subsidiary rather than a separately listed public company.

• 2018

  Advanced inspection drone partnership

  [1]Testiaen.wikipedia.org

  Testia is identified as a launching partner for Airbus Advanced Inspection Drone.

• 2017

  Structural health monitoring activity begins

  [1]Testiaen.wikipedia.org

  Testia starts business activity in structural health monitoring and receives a Customer Value Leadership award.

• 2016

  Composite and augmented-reality initiatives gain recognition

  [1]Testiaen.wikipedia.org

  Testia is associated with an A350 XWB composite inspection tool, augmented-reality work for Spirit AeroSystems and Airbus’s Hangar of the Future program.

• 2015

  NDT Expert becomes Testia

  [1]Testiaen.wikipedia.org

  The organization adopts the Testia name as its training, service and product activities broaden.

• 2015

  Airbus acquires the remaining minority stake

  [1]Testiaen.wikipedia.org

  Airbus Group acquires Bureau Veritas’s 20 percent stake, making Testia wholly owned by Airbus Group.

• 2014

  Singapore operation is established

  [1]Testiaen.wikipedia.org

  Testia expands its international footprint into Singapore.

• 2013

  European expansion and Airbus ownership transition

  [1]Testiaen.wikipedia.org

  Operations are reported in the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain, while Airbus becomes the key group owner during the wider EADS-to-Airbus evolution.

• 2011

  Mexican operation is established

  [1]Testiaen.wikipedia.org

  Testia’s predecessor develops an operating presence in Mexico as part of its international expansion.

• 1996

  Headquarters move to Toulouse

  [1]Testiaen.wikipedia.org

  The organization relocates from Suresnes to Toulouse to be closer to aerospace manufacturing and industrial operations.

• 1991

  NDT Expert is established

  [1]Testiaen.wikipedia.org

  Aérospatiale, together with Bureau Veritas and Sogerma, establishes an aerospace NDT organization within its research activities at Suresnes.

A specialized aerospace inspection and non-destructive testing partner combining certification, field services, engineering and digital inspection technologies within the Airbus ecosystem.

• Training and certification · 1991

  NDT training and certification

  Testia provides aerospace-focused education, qualification and certification support for personnel performing non-destructive testing. Its work is associated with EN4179 and NAS410 requirements, helping manufacturers and maintenance organizations establish consistent competency standards for inspection staff across different sites and countries.

• Industrial services

  Aerospace NDT inspection services

  The company performs or supports inspection of aircraft structures and components using methods including ultrasound, radiography, tomography, penetrant testing, infrared thermography, magnetization, shearography and eddy current. These techniques are used on metallic and composite materials to identify and assess defects during manufacturing and service.

• Inspection equipment and software · 2016

  Composite inspection tools

  Testia develops tools and equipment for examining advanced aerostructures, including composite components. The portfolio has included an NDT tool associated with Airbus A350 XWB composite inspection, reflecting the need for specialized techniques for bonded and carbon-fiber structures.

• Digital inspection technology · 2016

  Augmented-reality and remote-assistance solutions

  Testia applies augmented reality and remote assistance to inspection and maintenance workflows. These tools can provide technicians with visual guidance, procedural information and access to distant expertise, with the objective of improving repeatability and reducing delays in complex aerospace tasks.

• Unmanned inspection systems · 2018

  Advanced inspection drone solutions

  Testia has participated in Airbus Advanced Inspection Drone activities. Drone-enabled inspection is intended to support examination of large aircraft surfaces and facilities while reducing the need for extensive manual access equipment and helping standardize the capture of visual or sensor data.

• Aerospace monitoring technology · 2017

  Structural health monitoring

  Beginning in 2017, Testia developed activity in structural health monitoring, a field concerned with observing the condition and behavior of structures over time. This extends the company’s role from point-in-time NDT toward data-supported assessment of structural integrity.

• 2015

  Airbus consolidates full ownership of TestiaM&A

  Background

  Testia had been created with participation from Aérospatiale, Bureau Veritas and Sogerma, while the aerospace group’s restructuring created a need for more consistent NDT capabilities.

  Action taken

  Airbus Group acquired Bureau Veritas’s remaining 20 percent shareholding in June 2015, making Testia a wholly owned Airbus subsidiary.

  Aftermath

  Testia continued as an Airbus-owned specialist provider while serving both internal group requirements and external aerospace customers.

  Source

• 2015

  Rebranding from NDT Expert to TestiaStrategy

  Background

  The organization had expanded beyond its original research-linked training mission into inspection services, engineering, equipment and digital technologies.

  Action taken

  The company adopted the Testia brand to represent its broader aerospace testing and inspection proposition.

  Aftermath

  The Testia identity became associated with NDT training, certification, services, products and emerging inspection technologies.

  Source

• 2018.04.10

  Reported2018.04.10

  Airbus demonstrates advanced aircraft inspection drone[2]空中客车展示先进飞机检查无人机eturbonews.com

  Airbus demonstrated its Advanced Inspection Drone for the first time at MRO Americas. The drone-based system is designed to support aircraft inspections inside maintenance hangars.

Read more

1. 1Testiaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2空中客车展示先进飞机检查无人机eturbonews.com