DEKRA takes over testing technology supplier mastap
Masts to be tested digitally
Globally active expert organization DEKRA is taking over technology company mastap GmbH, based in Wesel, Germany. mastap has had a long-term collaborative partnership with DEKRA and provides an innovative digital measurement process for inspecting all types of masts and poles. The renowned technology enables non-destructive testing without material stress which can detect damage at an early stage and prevent hazards.
“The acquisition of mastap is an investment into a unique and patented technology for testing masts which has great potential for facilitating expansion into new international markets,” says Joakim Wikeby, Executive Vice President and Head of DEKRA Service Division Industrial Inspection. “In addition, in the near future, a remote sensor monitoring system for masts and poles will also be available. This has only recently been developed but has already been successfully tested.”
“Thanks to our long-term partnership with mastap, our experts already have extensive experience with the technology and this will help us to grow rapidly in the German market,” says Guido Kutschera, Executive Vice President and Head of DEKRA in Germany. “In the future, we will be able to offer large operators in particular, such as cities, municipalities and large properties, holistic solutions for road safety across complete infrastructures.”
The founders and long-time managing directors of mastap, Dipl.-Ing. Axel Meyer and Dipl.-Ing. Horst Spaltmann, the inventor of the testing system, are handing over the company as part of a succession plan: "We have placed the fate of the company in competent hands - namely DEKRA. DEKRA will continue to develop the many technical possibilities of the mastap process and integrate them separately or in combination into its own inspection systems. The world market is open to new intelligent ideas for securing future and existing infrastructure."
Test method without material stress
The structural stability of masts must be checked regularly. In contrast to conventional testing methods, the proprietary mastap process takes measurements without causing mechanical material stress. The system uses the individual natural frequency of the mast, causing it to sway in a controlled manner. Any deviations from the target values allow conclusions to be drawn about the stability of the mast, possible weak points and damage, as well as its overall condition.
The structural stability of masts must be checked regularly. In contrast to conventional testing methods, the proprietary mastap process takes measurements without causing mechanical material stress. The system uses the individual natural frequency of the mast, causing it to sway in a controlled manner. Any deviations from the target values allow conclusions to be drawn about the stability of the mast, possible weak points and damage, as well as its overall condition.
The mastap process enables testing without affecting operations or surrounding traffic. It is suitable for all types of masts and all mast materials, such as power masts, lighting and floodlight masts, traffic lights or signposts, and in the future also large masts or engineering structures. In Germany the process is already DAkkS accredited.