Company Profile & History

Technology & Experience for Alberta

When Maverick Inspection Ltd.  was incorporated in 1994, founder and president Phil Bedard envisioned a company that provided services outside of standard Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) such as x-ray, ultrasonics, magnetic particle, dye penetrant, and other common techniques. There was a need for niche services to complement existing companies with technology and methods that required a greater level of adaptability, and the freedom to evolve more rapidly to meet industry’s needs.

This quest started with the purchase of Maverick’s first video system, a 20′ probe with high-resolution imagery and fiberoptic lighting. A custom robotic crawler was added shortly after, bringing together the best pan & tilt robotic camera sourced from an American manufacturer with tracks and controls designed by the Canadian company Inuktun. This crawler has been maintained and kept in service, and it is still occasionally used for specific, niche applications such as foreign object retrievals where a modular, customisable system is required.

Industrial video inspection was still in its infancy at this point, and as Maverick’s arsenal of equipment and experience grew, our exposure and market acceptance also gained momentum. We continued introducing the best custom and out-of-the box video inspection solutions, and set the standard for what is now a well-known and widely used specialized service.

When Maverick purchased a Ground-penetrating Radar (GPR) system in 2001, we were again introducing technology that our clients were largely unfamiliar with. At that time, scanning concrete with GPR systems prior to cutting and coring was virtually unheard of in this region, and Maverick took on the task of developing this discipline and once again setting the standard. This increased as equipment and expertise were added to our GPR Department.

Maverick continues to bridge the gap between rapidly developing technology and industrial, commercial, municipal and other clients. We identify needs and requirements and then source out solutions and ensure that our clients get the best data available.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF MAVERICK’S HISTORY

• We developed procedures using ground-penetrating radar for detecting subsurface voiding at roadway crossings, and then co-authored the paper on the process with client engineers and presented the results at conferences.
• We have used our in-house research and development capabilities to build custom video inspection solutions including delivery systems for accessing dip tubes in refinery reactors, custom stack and chimney refractory inspection, inspection access for drainage lines without manned entry to catch basins, job-specific foreign object retrieval systems, and many, many more such RVI custom applications.
• We set up specific procedures for precise non-contact temperature measurements of turbine exhaust cone skins for pipeline compressor stations and provided continued monitoring and training for the clients using infrared technology.
• We developed protocols for aerial infrared monitoring of mountain caribou calf populations.
• We developed ground-penetrating radar methods including geomatics, satellite imagery, and the development of a custom material sampling  drill system for placer mining exploration that was described by the mining inspector for the area as “so far ahead of the industry that there is no one else even close to second place.”
• We have a long history of searching out and working with innovators and inventors of new technology. For example, we introduced the first prototype infrared-based gas leak detection systems to Canadian industry and performed the initial visual gas leak surveys in conjunction with the inventors from Texas.

• We travelled to Tarawa in the South Pacific to map out mass graves of US marines from the Battle of Tarawa in WWII. Because the non-profit client insisted on providing rental radar and gps equipment for the initial job scope, there were cables missing, damaged and missing radar components, and a complete lack of GPS functionality. Using unique experience and trouble shooting abilities, the senior technician was able to work around ALL limitations in a remote location with no technical support and virtually no additional tools or supplies available and still provide accurate positional data and exceptional results.
• We are the only service company in Canada to have pursued and achieved CSA ratings for explosion-proof robotic video inspection systems to fulfill our clients’ requests.
• We are the only concrete scanning company we are aware of that employs full utility locating systems in addition to standard radar systems for locating utilities in and below concrete slabs prior to cutting or coring in commercial buildings.
• We provided millimeter accurate depth measurements, confirmed by the client through selected destructive testing, of concrete coverage over shallow rebar in concrete bridge girders even though the radar equipment manufacturer claimed it couldn’t be done.
• We created a custom platform and method of assembling complex inspection robotics inside of power generation steam headers through a 3 3/8″ handhole completely by feel with no visual assistance.
• We provided thermal imagery replacing the need for complex modeling to explain thermal separation leading to inadequate mixing of water in drinking water reservoirs for the leading American expert in this field of study.
• We provided a method of determining the spectral emissivity for unique materials used in flare tip construction to allow for safe temperature measurements of anomalous hot spots from ground level.
• We developed a foam video pig for use in small-diameter pipeline applications.

These are only a few examples of our ability to rapidly respond to our clients’ needs. After more than two decades, our experience providing specialized inspection services is almost impossible to describe, let alone match.

MAVERICK CONTINUES TO BUILD ON OUR FOUNDING VISION

We continue to take advantage of developments in areas such as analysis software, positioning systems, and complementary technologies such as resistivity, electromagnetic profiling, magnetometry, acoustics, and other remote sensing systems.

We continue to complement other professional services and industries. Maverick is committed to bridging the gap between technology and the industries we serve. In an age where information is the global currency, our technicians are the elite of remote sensing specialists.