Dexon’s NDT Operations Department Launches SICOPS – An Internal Web-Based Application for the Planning and Assessment of Inspector Certifications, Experience, and Competencies.

Dexon Technology’s non-destructive testing (NDT) operations department launches the Systematic Increase in Competency within Operations system, or SICOPS for short. The web-based software has been developed in-house to allow for the monitoring, planning, and development of inspection personnel competencies.

The system was developed with the goal of accurately and efficiently displaying inspection training data allowing management to more effectively and efficiently plan training initiatives to meet client inspection needs. Individual engineer profiles display a variety of information including current certifications, experience, and skill gaps via a variety of infographic charts and graphs. The best-suited inspector can then be allocated to an inspection based on a vast list of criteria specific to each individual inspection. The implementation has seen benefits across the organization from the program’s initial goal of personnel management through to increased employee satisfaction, engagement, and career growth plans.

Certification

The Program tracks and plans inspector certification levels across a range of international standards and disciplines. International certifications include the American Petroleum Institute’s API certifications, The American Society of Non-destructive Testing’s ASNT certifications, rope access training programs and many more. In addition to current certifications on hand, the system also performs gap analysis based on current demand for inspection methods and forecasts training requirements moving forward.

Experience

The system also takes into account and evaluates inspection personnel experience levels based on a range of criteria specific to each inspection performed. Analyzing hundreds of variables including asset type, NDT technology used, and the level of difficulty as well as defect detection and sizing capabilities. This data is then displayed in a series of infographics for comparison with other inspectors before contributing to the inspector’s overall SICOPS score.

Evaluation

Regular evaluations are performed quarterly to not only assess current knowledge retention and capabilities but also perform gap analysis to evaluate possible opportunities for growth and development within the team. This Data is then relayed to the Dexon Training Center for further training course development and planning.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Future plans for the SICOPS system include the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence to aid in the automation of the system. The integration will also allow the system to increase the volume of data used to make each decision further increasing the accuracy and reliability of each recommendation.