Frost & Sullivan Applauds Eddyfi’s Lyft™ - A PEC-based Product
From: Thursday, June 23, 2016
Unlike existing products that are slow and have low resolution, Eddyfi’s Lyft™ is designed to perform dynamic scans, giving it an edge in corrosion under insulation testing
Mountain View, California — Based on the recent analysis of the nondestructive testing (NDT) equipment market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Eddyfi as the recipient of the 2016 Global New Product Innovation Award. Eddyfi astutely identified and channeled the potential of the pulsed eddy current (PEC) technology to develop the one-of-a-kind Lyft™, an inspection tool for corrosion under insulation (CUI). Eddyfi has packed Lyft with advanced features such as SmartPULSE™ to remove operator dependency and improve the reliability of results obtained from the PEC technology.
Eddyfi spent more than 12 months analyzing different CUI testing techniques such as low-frequency eddy current. The company discovered that under typical CUI conditions such as a liftoff (insulation thickness) of 50 mm, most techniques failed, except PEC. As a result, Eddyfi can position Lyft as the most versatile, accurate, and high-performance equipment available for CUI applications.
Lyft offers several improvements over existing techniques. The original product based on PEC had speed limitations because the operator had to remain still for up to 10 seconds to take measurements. Lyft is 10 times faster than the alternatives as it is less sensitive to movement. In addition, Lyft can perform high-speed grid mapping and dynamic scans, and its built-in encoder on probes helps generate high-resolution C-scans.
“Eddyfi has further done away with the dependence on operators by packing Lyft with its SmartPULSE technology, wherein the system automatically iterates to find the best parameters for the inspection configuration,” said Frost & Sullivan Principal Lead Nikhil Jain. “Using an autoset feature, the probe can find the optimal configuration for measurements and repeatability, adjusting the pulse frequency, gains, and other parameters.”
In terms of ergonomics, Lyft is easy to use. A full control keypad on the probe allows operators to start, stop, or reset the system from the probe itself. Lyft contains all the typical design elements expected from a high-end NDT product, such as a large touchscreen, battery operation, and a harness to make it truly portable. While the hardware for Lyft may look similar to Eddyfi’s Reddy® product, a number of internal improvements make Lyft specifically adapted for CUI. For instance, Lyft has specific embedded software to facilitate the process of creating an inspection setup, conducting the examination, and generating the associated report.
As a high-performance product, Lyft’s premium pricing is unsurprising; however, in light of the inefficiencies of existing products, Lyft’s price is highly competitive. To make Lyft more appealing to customers, Eddyfi has introduced a subscription-based model to reshape the way the product develops over the next few years. While the system requires a substantial initial outlay, customers are charged an annual renewable fee (without a binding multi-year contract) to license the software and secure complete maintenance, ensuring the evolution of the technology. Customers, therefore, are not charged an additional amount to upgrade their hardware or software.
Eddyfi has a reputation for extending outstanding customer service in the NDT market. To integrate customer feedback into every process, the company carries out an extensive voice-of-the-customer survey early in the product development process. In addition, Eddyfi provides systematic post-purchase support, where the company follows up with a customer two to three weeks after purchasing a system to ensure all customer comments or questions are addressed.
“By standardizing eddy current array probes, Eddyfi established itself as a world-class company rolling out industry-leading products,” noted Jain. “With that base, the company has evolved from focusing solely on eddy currents to innovating across the broader electromagnetic NDT technologies.”
For its dedication to creating a power-packed product that solves one of the major challenges across industries, testing for corrosion under insulation, Frost & Sullivan is pleased to present Eddyfi with the 2016 Global New Product Innovation Award.
Each year, Frost & Sullivan bestows this award upon the company that has developed an innovative element in a product by leveraging leading-edge technologies. The award recognizes the value-added features/benefits of the product and the increased return on investment (ROI) it offers customers, which, in turn, improves customer acquisition and overall market penetration potential.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.
About Eddyfi Technologies
Eddyfi Technologies is a label designed to maximize the potential of multiple advanced and niche NDT inspection technology brands. With its two centers of excellence in Québec (Canada) and Swansea (UK), Eddyfi Technologies focuses on offering high-performance NDT solutions for the inspection of critical components and assets through two strong, complementary brands: Eddyfi and Silverwing. The company has more than 200 employees, six offices around the globe all staffed with NDT experts, and serves customers in more than 65 countries in such major industries as nuclear, power generation, oil & gas, and aerospace.
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