MISTRAS partners with Villari for crack detection tech

MISTRAS Group, a provider of industrial asset integrity and testing solutions, has announced a partnership with Villari, a technology company that offers wireless crack-detection systems for steel structures. Villari’s system enables continuous monitoring of fatigue and crack growth using passive magnetic flux leakage, making it possible to detect structural issues earlier than traditional non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods.

Through this collaboration, MISTRAS will integrate Villari’s certified wireless sensor technology into its existing monitoring solutions. This will provide customers with real-time insight into the condition of steel assets, supporting a more data-driven approach to structural health monitoring. By reducing the reliance on manual inspections, the combined system aims to improve safety, operational reliability, and maintenance planning.

Jonathan Burns, Vice President of Monitoring Technologies at MISTRAS Group, said the partnership builds on MISTRAS’ experience in continuous monitoring and offers customers a more proactive means of managing structural integrity. By combining Villari’s sensors with MISTRAS' monitoring and data analytics capabilities, operators can detect defects at an earlier stage, reduce unplanned downtime, and optimise inspection intervals across a range of critical assets, such as wind turbines, bridges, cranes, and other infrastructure.

Olivier Baas, CEO and Founder of Villari, said the collaboration allows Villari’s technology to reach a broader range of industries and regions. The integration of Villari’s wireless monitoring with MISTRAS' asset integrity expertise provides asset owners with more comprehensive insight into the condition of steel structures, supporting safer and more efficient operations.

The Villari system has proven applications across several key industries. In wind energy, it enables the online monitoring of crack-prone areas such as bedding plates, pitch bearing outer rings, and circumferential tower welds. In the oil and gas sector, it supports early detection of fatigue in offshore structural supports, cranes, and aerial pipeline crossings outside of ATEX zones.

For infrastructure, including bridges, the technology helps identify sub-surface or weld-initiated cracks, informing maintenance schedules and extending service life. In ports and terminals, the system can be applied to ship-to-shore and overhead cranes, aiding in the early detection of fatigue-related damage. In steel manufacturing, it provides continuous insight into high-stress components, helping to improve both uptime and safety in demanding operational environments.

By integrating this wireless technology into its broader data solutions ecosystem, MISTRAS offers customers enhanced tools for predictive maintenance and asset life extension.