By Sammy Miles, Managing Editor-in-Chief of CORROSION journal

What does the future of coatings inspections look like? That is precisely the topic of discussion in the aptly named “The Future of Coatings Inspection” technical presentation, which will be held on Wednesday, March 18, from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. in room 360 DE.

The presentation is part of the 2026 AMPP Annual Conference + Expo, held inside Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center.

With four presentations, this program takes place as the industry is seeing a shift to robots and drones for surface preparation, coating application, and visual inspection.

The morning will start with a discussion on how standards are increasingly viewed as the optimal target instead of the minimum level of protection, which the presenter says results in a resistance to innovation. Drayton Adkins, the presenter, is challenging the industry to rethink how standards are applied.

Next is a presentation about high pressure in fan coolers and common inspection challenges related to them. Ali Alharbi will review different mitigation strategies and best practices to overcome these challenges.  

The third presentation, also by Drayton Adkins, will explore how emerging tools are transforming the way coatings are assessed, tracked, and managed across asset lifecycles. The role digital systems play to improve forecasting, increase inspection accuracy, and reduce human exposure will be discussed.

The final presentation, by Neil Wickham, will discuss the need for test data, tools, and solutions to prioritize repairs on passive fire protection in oil and gas facilities. Ways to improve judgement on the severity of any defects will be discussed.

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