An Interview with Mark Stonehouse and Josh Brewster, IPEIA Executive Committee

For many years now, the Inspectioneering team has been fortunate to partner with our fine Canadian friends who make up the International Pressure Equipment Integrity Association (IPEIA). The next annual IPEIA Conference and Exhibition is right around the corner, so we thought we’d have a quick chat with Mark Stonehouse and Josh Brewster, Chair and Vice Chair of the IPEIA Executive Committee respectively, about the upcoming conference.

If you aren’t familiar with IPEIA or haven’t had the opportunity to attend this conference, we highly encourage you to read on…

Inspectioneering (IJ): Hi Mark and Josh. Thanks for joining us today to chat a little bit about IPEIA. For our readers who aren’t familiar with IPEIA, can you give us the thirty-second elevator pitch? 

Mark Stonehouse (MS): I.P.E.I.A. stands for International Pressure Equipment Integrity Association. As the name suggests, we’ve been heavily involved in pressure equipment integrity for over 25 years and our stakeholders include owner/operator organizations, industry groups, inspectors, engineers, consultants, service providers, and even students. 

This year, we celebrated our 25th anniversary at our conference in Jasper, deep in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. And of course, we will be hosting our next annual conference in 2023 at the same location.

IJ: Is this conference strictly for Canadians, or will the rest of us find value in attending as well?

Josh Brewster (JB): As Mark mentioned, the letter “I” in IPEIA stands for “International” and we’re trying to live up to that through the annual conference as well as through our membership program. The 2022 conference was attended by delegates from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and even South Africa. In years past, before COVID-19 took its toll, we were fortunate to meet folks from even more countries.

IJ: What can attendees expect from the conference program?

MS: IPEIA brings in an international group of experts that present a wide range of topics including, but not limited to:

• Asset integrity management
• Materials technology
• Welding
• Inspection/NDE
• Engineering analysis
• Case studies
• Regulations
• Codes and standards

In addition to the conference presentations, we also have training opportunities, industry group meetings, regulatory panel discussions, and the very popular Integrity Challenge Forum, a collaborative symposium that continues to increase in popularity. We host in-person roundtable sessions made up of industry professionals working together to solve common problems such as standardizing inspector requirements across jurisdictions, streamlining regulatory processes, red-tape reduction, and manpower solutions.

IJ: In the same vein: what can attendees expect as far as exhibitors and vendors?

JB: The exhibition is obviously a huge part of our conference. In addition to the numerous technical sessions and presentations IPEIA hosts, we bring in a large number of exhibitors every year. The venue has a large exhibit hall – last year we had 70 booths and over 140 exhibitors – allowing us to showcase many of the latest and greatest technological innovations developing in the industry.

IJ: The conference moved from Banff to Jasper last year. Tell us a bit about the new location and what it has to offer for the IPEIA crowd. 

MS: We had a great run hosting the conference at Banff each year. Last year, we made the switch to Jasper, which is just a bit north in the Canadian Rockies. Based on last year’s turnout and feedback, attendees are thrilled with the new location. Travel is a bit easier for those coming from Northern Alberta, so we’ve been fortunate to see over 200 first-time attendees since we moved. Jasper Park Lodge, the facility that hosts the conference, is an absolutely world-class venue. It’s a beautiful Rocky Mountain lodge retreat, so to speak. Attendees enjoy being able to get away from the office and discuss common problems with a like-minded international audience.

JB: It doesn’t hurt that the conference is held inside Canada’s largest National Park. The landscape as you drive through it is a showcase of Mother Nature’s abilities, with the sheer number of mountains and geographical formations. It truly is a phenomenal place to host a conference.

IJ: How can we register for the conference or learn about membership options?

JB: All of that information is organized on the IPEIA website. On there, we have a number of membership options as well as opportunities for the conference as well. In fact, there’s an early bird registration that’s available until December 31st of this year. Registration will stay open right up until the beginning of the conference and we have options for corporate or student registrations as well. Local folks here in Alberta can also pick up a one-day pass if they’d like to stop by for a day or two and pick up some technical sessions.

MS: For those who can’t travel to Jasper next February, it’s worth mentioning that there is great value in our annual membership. With it, you get access to professionally recorded 2023 IPEIA conference presentations, archived presentations from years past, and exclusive invitations to our 2023 IPEIA Webinar Series. 

Special thanks to Mark Stonehouse and Josh Brewster for taking the time to chat with us and build our excitement for the upcoming IPEIA conference. If you have any questions for Mark or Josh, please leave them in the comments section below.

About the Interviewees

Mark Stonehouse, Chair – IPEIA Executive Committee 

Mark Stonehouse, B. Comm, P. Eng., with Becht Canada, has over twenty years of experience working in mechanical engineering design and analysis for the petroleum industry, with a primary focus on pressure equipment. His experience and expertise includes stress analysis using the finite element method for design and fitness for service and includes a wide variety of FEA work performed involving plasticity, buckling, static, and thermal-transient analyses. 

Mark has made various contributions throughout his career to ASME PVP, ICPVT, API, CSA, and JPVT.  He joined IPEIA’s Program Committee in 2017 and has been a supporter of IPEIA as an attendee, presenter, and exhibitor for over 15 years.

Josh Brewster, Vice Chair – IPEIA Executive Committee

Josh Brewster, CET, RSE is a licensed Pressure Welder, Welding Inspector, Welding Examiner, In-Service Pressure Vessel Inspector, and Welding Engineering Technologist with over twelve years of experience in the field of welding, inspection, and non-destructive testing. Previously, Josh was an instructor within the Welding Engineering Technology Program at SAIT where he taught Codes and Standards, Robotics, Pressure Vessel Construction, and Failure Mitigation. He is now the Academic Chair of both the Welding Engineering Technology and Non-Destructive Testing Departments at SAIT. Josh is the Program Chair of the Calgary Chapter of the CWB Association, an Executive Member and Education Subcommittee Chair of the International Pressure Equipment Integrity Association, as well as a Voting Member of the National Non-Destructive Testing Certification Body Scheme Committee.