Tecnatom

Tecnatom, is a Spanish Business Group that operates in the field of engineering and specialises in guaranteeing operation and high levels of safety in the industrial setting, most especially at nuclear power plants. Tecnatom’s main activities centre on the inspection of components by non-destructive testing, the manufacturing of inspection equipment, the training of plant operating personnel and the rendering of services supporting plant operation. Tecnatom has undertaken a process of diversification with a view to covering other markets providing synergies, such as the industrial sector, developing non-destructive inspection systems for the aerospace market and services and products for conventional electricity generation at thermal power stations, combined cycle plants and renewable energy facilities. Tecnatom currently has subsidiaries in Spain, France, China and Brazil, and projects in more than 20 countries.

History

In the 1950s, the Banco Urquijo Studies Service, set up to support and promote initiatives for the development of new industrial activities, proposed that a study be undertaken on the use of nuclear power for the generation of electricity in Spain. In developing this idea, the company Tecnatom (Técnicas Atómicas) was set up on April 11, 1957). Jaime Mac Veigh was the new company’s main promoter.

In 1960 Tecnatom carried out a preliminary design for a 60 MW nuclear power plant for Unión Eléctrica Madrileña. A year later, this Madrid-based electricity utility requested a permit from the Government for the construction of a 160 MW plant in Almonacid de Zorita, in the Province of Guadalajara, Spain. The works began on July 6, 1965, and until 1970 Tecnatom’s activity was focussed fully on this, Spain’s first nuclear power plant, José Cabrera.

In 1973 Tecnatom became the common engineering services company for the seven electricity utilities participating in the Spanish nuclear programme, fundamentally in the areas of training and inspection. These utilities, Compañía Sevillana de Electricidad, Electra de Viesgo, Unión Fenosa, Fuerzas Eléctricas de Cataluña, Hidroeléctrica Española, Iberduero and Unión Eléctrica Madrileña, became the owners of Tecnatom.

In order to provide suitable services in the area of training, two training simulators were acquired, one based on PWR, Pressurized water reactor, technology and the other on the BWR, Boiling water reactor option. As regards the area of inspections, the equipment required for the inspection of major components (Reactor pressure vessel and Steam generators) and other essential components were also acquired. In order to house these simulators and the inspection equipment, Tecnatom moved its head offices to San Sebastián de los Reyes in 1978.

During the 1980s, Tecnatom took the decision to develop its own in-house technology, gradually reducing acquisitions from outside and fostering investments in R&D&i in order to guarantee its technological independence. As a result, there was a period of growth and diversification of activities that brought with it an increase in the workforce. The almost 140 employees that the company had in 1980 had grown to almost 450 by 1986.

The new century saw the construction of new full-scope simulators for the Spanish nuclear power plants (each plant was to have its own), and in certain cases the decision was taken to locate these facilities close to the plant sites. In this context, new Tecnatom headquarters were built in Tarragona to house the simulators of the Ascó and Vandellós nuclear stations, this also becoming an operational support centre and training facility for the operators and technical staff of the Catalonian plants. The centre was officially inaugurated on June 25, 2003.

A similar approach was adopted for the rest of the Spanish nuclear power plant sites, with technical assistance centres and training colleges at the Almaraz, Cofrentes, Sta. Mª de Garoña and Trillo nuclear power plants.

The majority of Tecnatom’s national and overseas clients belong to the nuclear power sector, although mention should also be made - in view of their importance as regards the viability of the company’s services and specifically developed technological competences - of clients operating thermal power stations, petrochemical plants, combined cycle facilities and renewable energy installations, and those belonging to other industrial sectors, as well as of the company’s strong presence on the aerospace market, where Tecnatom is a world leader in the development and construction of advanced non-destructive inspection systems for carbon fibre and metallic aeronautical components, applying technologies synergic with those developed by Tecnatom for the nuclear sector.

As part of its technology and market diversification strategy, in 2004 Tecnatom completed the process of acquiring the French non-destructive testing company Metalscan 1 and, through this firm’s shareholding in M2M ) 2, another French company set up for the development and commercialisation of advanced ultrasonic inspection systems, also assumed leadership of the latter. In 2007 Tecnatom created the company CITEC, jointly with the Chinese company CNPRI 3, for the rendering of inspection services on the growing Chinese market. In 2013 the subsidiary Tecnatom do Brasil was set up for the implementation of Tecnatom on the Brazilian nuclear, thermal power and aeroespace markets.

Areas of Business

• Training: Tecnatom provides integral training services aimed at incorporating highly qualified personnel for competent job performance at the plants, including the processes of recruiting, selection, contracting and training of candidates. The company’s responsibility is clearly aimed at providing training services for the nuclear industry, although the range of these services has also been extended to include sectors such as the aerospace industry, conventional thermal power plants and renewable energy facilities, the company occupying a leading position on these markets and amassing contrasted experience in more than 30 countries.

• Operational Support and Emergency Response: This business area complements and acts alongside the training division to supply plant operating support services and assistance in hypothetical emergency situations in the nuclear and other industrial sectors, performing specialist services in specific areas that are part of the overall service offer of Tecnatom.

• Control Rooms and Simulation: Simulation is a key technology in training and engineering, in which Tecnatom has developed in-house capabilities in both design and manufacturing, based on the experience gleaned over more than 30 years in this field. Particularly significant among the projects performed have been the full-scope simulators for all the Spanish nuclear power plants, as well as for others in Argentina, Brazil and China. As part of the company’s diversification efforts, engineering development and partial-scope simulators, processes and full-scope simulators have also been developed for industrial installations (electrical sub-stations and Air traffic control centres), gas or Coal-fired power plants and thermal-solar facilities based on widely differing technologies.

• Safety Management: Tecnatom supplies leadership development and results enhancement services, with special emphasis on learning from operating experience and the safety culture, helping through the tracking of results to detect interfaces and implement actions to achieve significant improvements in the safety and efficiency of the facilities.

• New Reactors: Since the 1990s, Tecnatom has been collaborating in the FOAKE (First Of A Kind Engineering) programmes for the new General Electric ABWR and ESBWR advanced reactors and the AP600 and AP1000 reactors by Westinghouse. In relation to these advanced reactors, Tecnatom provides training on the AP1000 and has participated in the design of the control room and the development of procedures for the ABWR, among other projects. The company has also participated in Generation IV advanced reactor projects (such as the PBMR in South Africa), the European Jules Horowitz (JHR) research reactor and the ITER fusion reactor project. Tecnatom has also participated in activities at new plants under construction, mainly in China, such as the design and manufacturing of control rooms and operating aid systems for the Fuqing 1&2 and 3&4; Fangjiashan1&2 and Hainan1&2 plants, with CPR-1000/CNP-600 type reactors.

• Inspection: The mission of this business area is to verify the structural integrity and operability of power generation and industrial facilities and to contribute to their operating under optimum conditions of safety, availability and economic efficiency, in a profitable manner and ensuring long-term feasibility. Tecnatom supplies services and equipment covering the overall structural integrity of the main components of nuclear and conventional thermal power plants and industrial installations on the petrochemical and refining markets and in industry in general.

• Development and Manufacturing of Inspection Equipment: The company undertakes the customised development and manufacturing of inspection systems, sensors, eddy current and ultrasonic inspection equipment, data acquisition and processing systems and automated handling and control systems, using the most advanced inspection techniques (array, laser UT) and handling methods (robots), etc. Tecnatom has supplied large complex systems for the inspection of aircraft structures in composites and of metallic structural parts and engine components.

• Testing: This area covers the verification, leak testing and diagnosis of the operability of the most important components and systems of electricity generating stations, in particular nuclear and thermal power plants, and of other industrial facilities. These tests are applied mainly to critical components (reactor vessel, steam generators, pressuriser, steam turbines, alternators, electrical cables, valves, etc.).

• Equipment and Spares: The objective of this area is the development and supply of equipment and spares to nuclear and conventional power plants, as well as associated specialist services, such as the environmental qualification of nuclear safety-related equipment or the dedication of commercial off-the-shelf equipment for use at nuclear power plants.

Subsidiaries

• METALSCAN:was set up in 1984 and is involved mainly in the manufacturing of ultrasonic probes, the development of inspection equipment for the manual and semi-automatic control of different materials and the rendering of control services. The company was fully acquired by Tecnatom in late 2003 and since then has supplied UT control systems to the French market, to much of Europe (Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Russia…) and to part of the Asian market (China, South Korea, Singapore).

• CITEC:: is an in-service inspection company set up with a view to covering the pre-service inspection (PSI) and in-service inspection (ISI) needs of the nuclear units belonging to the China General Nuclear Power Group (or CGN). CITEC covers fundamentally the Chinese market and collaborates with Tecnatom in certain activities on the international market. Tecnatom currently holds 25% of the CITEC shares.

• M2M:was set up 2003 with the objective of developing, manufacturing and selling high performance ultrasonic and eddy current non-destructive testing systems using the most up-to-date phased-array technologies. In all its developments, M2M incorporates the CIVA simulation software developed by the French Commissariat for Atomic Energy (CEA), this making them unique on the market and highly flexible and competitive. Tecnatom currently holds 53.45% of the M2M shares.

• TECNATOM DO BRASIL:This subsidiary was set up in January 2013 through acquisition by Tecnatom of 90% of the company Performance Engenharia e Consultoria Ltda. The fundamental objective of Tecnatom do Brasil is to support and develop Tecnatom’s implementation on the Brazilian nuclear, thermal power and aeronautical markets.

• SERTEC (Tecnatom Servicios Técnicos y Consultoría, S.L.U.):This subsidiary was set up in mid 2013 with the objective of providing support for Tecnatom in the performance of high added value services.

• TECNES (Tecnatom Emergencias y Servicios de Explotación, S.L.U.):This subsidiary was set up in early 2013 with the objective of managing the Emergency Support Centre for the Spanish nuclear power plants.

Shareholders

Board of Directors

The current Board of Directors of Tecnatom is made up of the following representatives:

Chairmen of the Company

External links

• Tecnatom invertirá 3.000 millones en equipos para la central de Vandellós
• A Tecnatom le va la simulación
• Tecnatom logra un contrato en Corea del Sur
• Tecnatom presenta en Le Bourget un sistema robotizado para la inspección de componentes aeronáuticos
• Tecnatom y AIDO desarrollarán I+D de alto nivel en el sector aeronáutico y nuclear
• Tecnatom y AIDO firman un acuerdo tecnológico
• Korea Aerospace Industries asigna a la española Tecnatom el desarrollo de un nuevo sistema de inspección basado en robots industriales
• Tecnatom se adjudica contratos de sistemas de inspección por ultrasonidos en Corea
• Tecnatom presenta su última tecnología para la inspección de componentes aeronáuticos
• Los robots de Tecnatom, para inspección de piezas de aviones, en el pabellón español de Le Bourget
• Tecnatom se implanta en Brasil
• EADS y la española Tecnatom reciben en París el Premio a la Invención en materiales compuestos
• Tecnatom suministró a Sofitec su sistema de inspección ultrasónico
• EADS Astrium y Tecnatom participan en los trabajos para el proyecto ITER
• Tecnatom suministrará un Twin Robot de inspección para Corea del Sur
• Testia Spain y Tecnatom proporcionarán servicios de END al sector aerospacial
• Tecnatom do Brasil también apoya a la industria aeronáutica española
• Tecnología de Tecnatom equipa la nueva planta de Carbures
• Airbus instala en su planta de Nantes la tecnología de Tecnatom
• Tecnatom desarrolla un avanzado sistema robotizado para la inspección aeronáutica
• Tecnatom ganadora del mejor Portal del Empleado
• Tecnatom desarrolla una nueva aplicación robotizada de ultrasonidos por láser para pruebas en composites
• Grupo JEC distingue a EADS y Tecnatom con un Premio a la Innovación
• Tecnatom - Metalscan s'offre des locaux a la hauteur de ses ambitions