Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing - July/August '24 - 8

NEWS
AMPP Announces New
Chair of the AMPP Board of
Directors
The Association for Materials Protection and Performance
(AMPP) recently announced a new Chair of the AMPP
board of directors. Pursuant to the AMPP Bylaws, former
AMPP vice-chair Kimberly-Joy Harris, Ph.D., PMP, has
succeeded to fill the unexpired term of former AMPP Chair
Paul Vinik, who has resigned from the Board. The term
concludes at the end of 2024.
Dr. Harris, a
Kimberly-Joy Harris
seasoned professional
with over 30 years
of experience in the
energy sector, steps
into this role with
a comprehensive
background in asset
integrity, sustainability,
and efficiency. She
is the president and
principal energy
consultant at LIL
Energy Consulting
LLC, where she
provides strategic
guidance, technical expertise, and leadership development
across the oil, gas, refinery, and pipeline industries.
" Kimberly is a long-standing, experienced, and wellrespected
member of the pipeline industry, whose passion
for chapter support and recognition of our volunteers
has continually driven our mission forward, " said Alan
Thomas AMPP CEO. " Her leadership and expertise are
invaluable, particularly when our industry faces significant
technological and environmental challenges. I am confident
that Kimberly's vision and strategic approach will greatly
benefit AMPP and its community. "
Dr. Harris holds master's degrees in energy transition
from the University of Texas at Austin and organisational
leadership from Colorado Christian University. Her
career includes key roles in corrosion and integrity
engineering programs at EnLink and Enbridge, where she
was instrumental in leading diverse teams, fostering best
practices, and crafting technical standards and training.
" Taking on this role is both an honour and a
responsibility that I accept with a deep commitment to our
mission and community, " said Dr. Harris. " I am grateful to
Paul for his leadership and steadfast dedication to AMPP.
His contributions have been pivotal in shaping the direction
of our organization, and I hope to build upon his legacy of
integrity and innovation. Together, with the support of our
members and volunteers, we will continue to advance our
industry's standards and practices. "
Dr. Harris will lead the AMPP Board as it continues its
work with the AMPP Global Center Board, led by Juan
Caballero, to consolidate AMPP's governance into one
Board in January. This important project will, by design,
lead to a more agile and innovative organisation.
8
www.cfcm.ca
IAC Adopts Virtual Reality
Paint Training Tech
AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings has partnered with
International Aerospace Coatings (IAC), a leader in
aircraft painting and aviation services, to integrate its
Virtual Reality (VR) paint technology into the company's
future training programs. IAC has thus become the first
MRO globally to integrate AkzoNobel's VR technology
into its day-to-day operations.
The VR technology being used by IAC immerses the
individual painter in a virtual paint booth, complete with
the aircraft part to be coated.
The system can be programmed with various paint
parameters, such as the thickness of the coating
required, overcoat times and tailored spray gun setup.
As the operator uses the spray gun, they can see
whether too much or too little paint is used and look for
inconsistencies in the way the coating is being applied.
Their skills can be measured, including the distance,
angle, and speed at which the gun is used. It shows where
runs and sags occur, or where the wet film thickness is
not sufficient, or the coverage inadequate to deliver the
desired finish.
By effectively moving the physical spray booth into
a VR classroom, IAC can eliminate waste, reduce costs,
and further improve safety, since no physical products
are involved in the process. There are also no costs or
time associated with cleaning the spray guns, or the
additional VOCs released from the solvents required, or
in providing the panels needed for wet paint training.
With VR, customers can train more painters, more
quickly, at a time that is convenient, and allow trainees to
make mistakes without incurring high costs for scrap and
rework.
The introduction of the new VR technology will enable
IAC to refocus its training programs. In the future, up
to 70 per cent of all new apprentice training can now
be completed in the classroom, without a single drop of
paint being sprayed. And the mobile nature of the VR
technology enables IAC to train painters at all its sites
around the world.
http://www.cfcm.ca
Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing - July/August '24

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