SME Profiles

• Miltech Hellas SA
• TSC Inspection systems Ltd
• Bytest
• INTERLAB IEC
• Nuclear Engineering Services Ltd (NESL)

Miltech Hellas SA, Greece

SME Profile: Miltech is a modern, dynamic business in the area of high technology robotic and electronic systems, telecommunication accessories, aircraft harnesses and other special purpose electronics applications, established in 1997 by a team of engineers with outstanding experience in the electronics sector.

The manufacturing facility is located 20 km east of Athens in the industrial area of Koropi-Peania. It is housed in a 1700 m² modern building with state of the art technological equipment.

The main activities of Miltech cover:

• Design and development of electronic systems for robotic applications.
• Design and development of control systems for robotic applications.
• Design, development and applications involving robotic assembly stations.
• Design and development of technology edge electronic products and systems in-house or using specialized design houses.
• Automatic PCB assembly discrete components and SMD technology, Aircraft Harnesses (Laser-marking, Overbraiding, Testing) Soldering, using robotic SMD assembly line, wave jet, no-clean technology, Final integration of electro-mechanical and electro-optical products.
• Environmental testing according to International standards and conformance testing to customer or special product requirements.
• Since the beginning of 1998 Miltech has proceeded in considerable strengthening of the company personnel and now it consists of six experienced Electronic engineers, four R&D technicians, forty-five production technicians, four QA/QC personnel and five administration staff making a total of 64 staff.

Giving great emphasis to the quality of the final product Miltech has developed a 'Quality Assurance System' according to EN ISO 9001:2000 certified by RINA QUACER (Cert. Nr. IT27517).

The conscientious professionalism of the staff in dealing with the customer, together with the flexibility and experience, has resulted that Miltech has customers not only in the Greek but also in the International electronics market. Some of those customers include Hellenic Ministries, Hellenic Aerospace Industry, INTRACOM, SPACE HELLAS and many big construction companies in Greece, Group FIAT in Italy, THALES (THOMSON-CSF), EUROCOPTER, SAGEM in France, STN-ATLAS in Germany, ROCKWELL COLLINS, B.A.E. and M.D.S. in the United States.

Financial Issues for 2004	Turnover: Net Profit:	7.500.000 Euros 1.350.000 Euros
Financial Issues for 2003	Turnover: Net Profit:	5.526.900 Euros 830.4720 Euros

Aiming to cover a great gap into the Greek Electronics Industry Mitech Hellas S.A. as an immediate response partner produces a wide variety of technology edge products for demanding customers all over the world.

Role in project: Miltech will be involved in the development of the robot crawling vehicle and the robot scanner. It will assemble the final prototype ChainTest system and sell the equipment once it has been commercialised.

Reasons for participation: This project will enable Miltech to diversify its portfolio and add a new product range to the company's products. Miltech intends to increase its sales using this system and attempt to enter the Oil and Gas offshore market. Mr. John Spanoudakis, General Director of Miltech will personally oversee this project as the ChainTest project will enable Miltech to target a new and high growth market sector - i.e. assessment of mooring chains on floating production platforms.

TSC Inspection systems Ltd, (TSC) UK

SME Profile: TSC developed the Alternating Current Field Measurement (ACFM) technique nearly 20 years ago as a method for detecting cracks under paint particularly as a tool in weld testing. They now manufacture a range of ACFM equipment and related techniques such as Alternating Current Potential Drop (ACPD), for use in laboratory, site and underwater applications, including deployment from remote operated vehicles and form 'rope access' NDT technicians. A well-established name in the North Sea Offshore industry, TSC are expanding their market into other industries. More recently the company has pioneered a non-contacting stress measurement system (ACSM). As well as equipment manufacture and development, TSC is also involved in engineering software and consultancy. They employ about 30 technicians and engineers in the laboratory in Milton Keynes.

Role in project and reason for participation: TSC will develop the Alternating Current Field Measurement (ACFM) technique from an inspection tool for detecting cracks under rough coatings on flat surfaces into an inspection tool for detecting cracks on rough and curved surfaces. The probe will also be marinised. As well as developing sensors, a different way of visualising test signals will be developed that is more appropriate to cracks in chain links. This will broaden the applications for their equipment.

Bytest, Italy

SME Profile: Bytest is an NDT service company employing about 50 people full-time but with a fluctuating work force of temporarily employed technicians. It provides a call-out service in North Italy, but is also involved in larger NDT projects, such as weld radiography during the laying of pipelines in other parts of world. It has provided NDT services for the offshore oil and gas industry. In the past few years its business has continuously grown into the offshore inspection business. This is a fast expanding market in which Bytes has carved a niche for itself.

Role in project and reason for participation: Bytest will bring to the project its practical experience of NDT field operations in the offshore industry using a wide range of techniques. Many prospective NDT techniques have failed because the developers have not appreciated the constraints imposed by the conditions of the test site. The conditions are particularly severe at maritime inspection sites. The manual NDT service work is highly competitive and Bytest sees the ChainTest system as providing a competitive edge.

INTERLAB IEC

SME Profile: Interlab IEC is a subsidiary of Grupo Interlab, a private, fully Spanish owned company formed in 1990 by a group of experienced professionals to provide high strategic value services in environmental management, health and safety and analytical laboratory services. Interlab was created with the mission of increasing the competitiveness and profitability of its clients through technological development and innovation. It provides tailor-made development services and propriety innovative technological products in the fields of professional electronics, sensor technologies and non-destructive testing.

Interlab draws together an extraordinary group of professionals with extensive experience in industrial and high-technology projects. The current team has the necessary knowledge and expertise to deal with projects of great size and with the dynamism and flexibility that can only be found in smaller companies.

Fully integrated into the Grupo Interlab, Interlab continues steady growth, delivering technological solutions to its clients, including clients as important in their respective businesses as Ttecnatom, EADS, INDRA, Spanish Railways and the Lear Corporation.

Role in project and reason for participating: Interlab's role in the project is to develop the optical system for dimension measurement.

Nuclear Engineering Services Ltd (NESL), UK

SME Profile: NES Ltd is a project management, engineering, machining, fabrication, manufacturing, assembly, test, trials and commissioning at works organisation, supplying mostly to the nuclear, defence, aerospace and other specialised industries. NESL is certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 by LRQA and operates a formal documented QA system. NES Ltd has 135 employees, many of whom are formally qualified and have years of experience with the company and in the nuclear industry. NESL has a workshop area of 4800 cubic metres at Ettingshall,Wolverhampton, with an option to use a further 2400. Power Jet Systems are part of this organisation. Power Jet Systems are manufacturers and designers of bespoke Water Jet Cutting Systems and Tables. We also design and manufacture ultra high pressure products, robotics, pressure cleaning & decontamination units and supply support and maintenance for similar existing systems. With the development of intensifiers and the UHP tools, it is now possible to achieve cleaning at pressures up to 60,000psi, but only consuming between 0.5 & 1.0 gallons of water per minute. To increase coverage and thereby cleaning rates, various head designs are available on both the short bodied and hand held guns. These include rotary, epicyclic, fan and reciprocating mechanisms. Power Jet Systems are at the forefront of Ultra High Pressure Intensifier & patented design development.

Role in project and reason for participating: In this project NES Ltd will develop the chain cleaning system. For NES Ltd, this project is consistent with their current management strategy of increasing their share in the market in situ surface preparation.