Control Union and Villari announce strategic partnership in Structural Health Monitoring

Den Helder, November 20, 2025 — Control Union, a global leader in inspection, certification, and asset integrity services, has entered a strategic partnership with Villari, a pioneering company in smart sensing technology. Through this collaboration, Control Union is bringing Villari’s advanced fatigue and crack monitoring solution to its global client base, offering continuous, real-time insights into the condition of critical steel structures.

A smarter way to ensure safety and reliability

At Control Union, innovation and safety go hand in hand. With this new service, the company enables its clients to continuously monitor the condition of ferritic steel structures through permanently installed, wireless sensors. This system detects early signs of stress, fatigue, and cracking well before they lead to costly downtime or safety concerns.

By shifting from traditional, time-based inspections to a data-driven and condition-based maintenance strategy, operators can extend asset lifetime, improve operational safety, and significantly reduce maintenance costs. The service integrates seamlessly into existing inspection regimes, maintaining full compliance while reducing inspection frequency and overall lifecycle cost.

Showcased at Offshore Energy 2025

Control Union and Villari will be showcasing their expertise at the Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference 2025 in Amsterdam on November 25–26, at stand 1.402. The event provides the ideal platform to demonstrate how real-time health monitoring of steel structures can enhance safety and efficiency in offshore environments.

While the offshore sector is a key industry for Control Union, this technology’s potential extends far beyond heavy industry and infrastructure to renewable energy and maritime applications. Wherever steel structures play a critical role, continuous monitoring can help operators act smarter, safer, and more sustainably.

Powered by proven, DNV type approved technology

Developed by Villari, the DNV type approved sensor system combines magnetic sensing technology with advanced analytics to detect early-stage crack growth in steel. It continuously records changes in the magnetic field caused by plastic deformation and passive magnetic flux leakage, the so-called “Villari effect.”

The data are securely transmitted via LoRaWAN and visualised in an intuitive online dashboard that clearly indicates structural health through a traffic-light interface. This provides operators with reliable, real-time information on crack propagation and potential fatigue areas.

Data that drives predictive maintenance

By integrating Villari’s DNV type approved technology into its inspection services, Control Union empowers clients to make informed, data-driven maintenance decisions. This approach transforms inspections from reactive procedures into predictive strategies, supporting improved safety, asset longevity, and cost efficiency.

Supporting a sustainable future

Sustainability is embedded in Control Union’s philosophy, and this innovation reflects that. By making better use of existing assets, the Villari system helps reduce unnecessary replacements, material waste, and energy consumption. With continuous insight into structural performance, clients can act, when necessary, not merely out of caution extending asset lifespan while maintaining safety and reliability.

According to Koen Backer van Ommeren, Director at Control Union, the partnership “combines Control Union’s global inspection expertise with Villari’s advanced sensing technology.” Together, they help clients make smarter, more sustainable decisions about their steel assets grounded in data and driven by safety.

About Control Union

With a century-long heritage, Control Union supports clients worldwide in ensuring safety, compliance, and sustainability across industries. Through inspection, certification, and innovative monitoring services, Control Union helps organisations protect their people, their assets, and the environment.

About Villari

Designed for steel structures that keep industries moving, Villari provides continuous visibility into fatigue and crack growth, helping operators avoid unplanned downtime, plan maintenance and repairs better and make smart investment choices through extending the life of critical steel assets with confidence. Villari’s wireless sensor technology is trusted by leading operators across ports, industrial, infrastructure, and other sectors, supporting critical assets in over a dozen countries worldwide.