Element celebrates the official opening of its latest aerospace testing laboratory

Element Materials Technology (Element), today celebrated the official opening of its new $4m aerospace testing facility in Piedmont, South Carolina.

The 30,000 square foot laboratory houses one of the most impressive independent non-destructive testing (NDT) facilities in the US and operates as an extension to Element's Hartford, Connecticut laboratory which currently services Aerospace and Power Generation clients worldwide.

The location of the Piedmont site in Anderson County, SC better facilitates both future and current demand, initially from Element's main customer in the area, GE. The site's position significantly reduces this key client's lead time and supply chain logistics challenges, which played a key factor in the location decision.

Charles Noall, President & CEO at Element, conducted the official ribbon cutting and commented: "This new facility is a great addition to our Aerospace operations in the US and is a real win-win for Element, our customers and the local community in Anderson County. The investment will significantly strengthen our footprint, capacity and capabilities and enable us to deliver cost savings for our clients, while boosting the local economy and creating new job opportunities in the area."

Councilman Jimmy Davis, Anderson Council District 6 stated: "On behalf of Anderson County, I would like to welcome Element to the area. I am delighted that the company has invested in the county's Northern region and that we now have a world-leading presence in materials and product qualification testing, significantly enhancing the diversity of the county's technical offering."

Element's new site has successfully passed the GE S1000 and AC7004 quality audits and will be NADCAP certified in Q4 2019. It will primarily service the aerospace critical rotating parts industry, with capabilities including NDT and related chemical processing. The new laboratory will house blue etch anodize process and inspection, fluorescent penetrant inspection, ultrasonic inspection and eddy current inspection and has significant room for future expansion and growth.

The facility forms an important part of Element's global Aerospace business which has over 80 years' experience in both commercial and military aerospace testing and dedicates more than 3,000 technicians, engineers and scientists to the sector. The company has 29 Nadcap-accredited laboratories with 46 Nadcap accreditations, and its customer approvals, technical expertise, and geographical footprint is unrivalled in the aerospace testing, inspection and certification industry.