ABOUT PIC
From the field to the classroom.
PIC brings together inspectors, technical specialists, instructors and learning designers determined to raise the standard of corrosion protection by empowering the people behind it.
Our work began in the field. Today, we combine inspection and consultancy experience with modern, accessible education for professionals and companies around the world.
One company. One purpose.
Corrosion protection depends on more than the right specification or coating system - it depends on the knowledge, judgement and practical ability of the people carrying out the work.
This is where we find our purpose.
Through our inspection and technical services, we help companies protect the quality of their projects. Through PIC University, we help professionals develop the knowledge and competence to do the same.
Inspection and technical expertise
PIC connects companies with qualified inspectors and coating specialists for projects around the world. Our wider services include inspection, consulting, audits, technical support and tailor-made industry training.
PIC University
Our educational branch transforms specialist industry knowledge into structured, practical learning. We provide internationally recognised certification programmes, specialist courses and company training for professionals working across corrosion protection.
Our story
2005
It started with practical problem-solving
The PIC story began in 2005, not as the global inspection and education provider it is today, but as a hands-on consultancy built around expertise, curiosity and the determination to do things better.
Under the name Richard Coating Consult, our founder, Richard van der Wal, worked on some of the world’s most demanding industrial and marine projects—from large yachts to the Saipem 7000, then the world’s largest crane vessel.
Collaborating with companies such as PPG Sigma and International Paint gave Richard a close view of the challenges facing the corrosion protection industry. Projects did not need inspection alone. They needed clearer processes, stronger communication and people who understood not only what to do, but why it mattered.
2010
A small office with a big ambition
In 2010, the company opened its first office in the centre of Brno. It was a modest space with room for little more than a sofa and three tables. As the team and its ambitions grew, the original office could no longer keep up.
2014
New Home
In 2014, PIC moved into a larger home – making room to grow from an individual consultancy into an international company. But the moment that would change PIC’s direction happened much further from home.
2014
The flipchart that changed everything
A project in Vietnam became a turning point. The team was working under tight deadlines, with unclear processes and workers who had not received the training they needed to interpret specifications or carry out the work efficiently. Rather than accepting the situation, Richard began creating training materials by hand. Using a flipchart and working with a translator, he delivered structured, practical lessons for everyone from painters and foremen to managers.
The training covered quality assurance, quality control, project logistics and the responsibilities of different people throughout the coating process. On the following project, the same approach helped reduce production time by 50%. What began as a practical response to an immediate problem became the foundation of the first PIC course.
2015
From industry expertise to better education
Back in Europe, the company began turning its technical experience into structured learning. Different talents within the growing team brought new possibilities. Technical specialists worked alongside creative colleagues to produce PIC’s first in-house educational animations, helping learners understand processes that were difficult to explain through text and static diagrams alone. In 2015, PIC launched e-Waals, its first structured e-learning programme for paint operators. It became the prototype for the digital learning experience we continue to develop today.
2017
A new chapter in certification training
In 2017, PIC’s work attracted the attention of FROSIO, the Norwegian certification body. This marked the beginning of a long-term collaboration and an important new chapter in the company’s educational journey.
PIC contributed to major developments in FROSIO training, including:
- Modernising the FROSIO Paint Inspector Course and helping make it available online
- Developing the first online FROSIO Insulation Inspector Course
- Creating the FROSIO Surface Treatment Operator Course
Richard also became involved in the development of international standards as a lead convener within ISO/TC 35, helping connect PIC’s practical training experience with the wider development of professional requirements for paint inspectors and operators.
This work reflects something we continue to believe strongly: industry education should not simply follow established practice. It should help improve it.
2020
Innovation through challenge
When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted classroom training, PIC needed to rethink how professional education could be delivered. We redesigned our programmes around a hybrid learning model, combining interactive online preparation with focused classroom training and practical examination. We initially expected student performance to fall.
Instead, results improved. The experience confirmed an important lesson: effective learning is not simply about spending more time in a classroom. It is about using the right methods, giving learners the right support and making complex information easier to understand. That principle continues to shape every course we develop.
Now
From the field to the classroom - and back again
PIC is not an educational company separated from the realities of industrial work. Our teaching grows out of those realities.
Our instructors bring examples from shipyards, coating plants, offshore projects, pipelines, energy facilities and infrastructure. Our technical specialists turn complex standards and processes into practical explanations. Our learning designers, animators and developers make that knowledge easier to explore and retain.
The process forms a continuous cycle:
We work in the industry
Inspection, consulting and technical assignments keep us connected to real projects, changing requirements and the challenges professionals encounter at work.
We turn experience into learning
Field experience becomes case studies, practical exercises, technical animations, mock examinations and structured learning materials.
Our students take it back to the field
Learners return to their projects with stronger knowledge, greater confidence and a clearer understanding of the responsibility their work carries.
PIC University
Specialist education for the people protecting our world
PIC University is the educational branch of Paint-Inspector.Com.
It brings together decades of technical experience and a learning methodology refined through years of international training. Its purpose is to make specialist corrosion protection education more accessible, practical and effective for working professionals.
Our education is built around four principles.
Industry-led
Courses are created with experienced inspectors, engineers, instructors and subject-matter specialists who understand how corrosion protection works under real project conditions.
Designed for understanding
Animations, case studies, demonstrations and interactive learning tools help make complex technical subjects clearer and easier to remember.
Flexible but supported
Online preparation gives learners greater control over when and where they study. Live webinars, instructor feedback, learning support and classroom training ensure that they do not study alone.
Focused on competence
Our goal is not simply to help students remember information for an examination. It is to help them understand standards, make informed decisions and apply their knowledge responsibly at work.
Our learning pathways
PIC University provides certification and specialist training across key areas of corrosion protection.
FROSIO certification programmes
Internationally recognised training for coating inspectors, insulation inspectors and surface treatment operators.
Pipeline coating
Specialist education covering coating systems, application, inspection, quality control and the challenges associated with pipeline construction and rehabilitation.
Galvanisation
A structured programme exploring hot-dip galvanising, metallurgy, fabrication, standards, inspection, repair, failure analysis and quality documentation.
Surface treatment operators
Practical education for the professionals responsible for surface preparation and coating application, with a strong focus on workmanship, process control and quality.
Training for companies
Dedicated programmes developed around a company’s projects, teams, procedures and technical requirements.
Learning without borders
What began as a small European consultancy has developed into an international inspection and education partner.
Today, PIC works with professionals and companies across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Our courses are delivered in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese, with more learning options continuing to be developed.
Our global reach is supported by instructors and local partners who understand both international standards and the realities of working in their regions.
Wherever a course takes place, our objective remains the same: to provide a consistent, high-quality learning experience while keeping education relevant to the people in the room.
The people behind PIC
PIC is built by people with very different skills and one shared interest in making technical knowledge useful.
Our team includes inspectors, instructors, engineers, education coordinators, instructional designers, animators, developers and regional partners. Some bring decades of experience from industrial projects. Others specialise in transforming that experience into clear explanations, visual learning and supportive course experiences.
Together, they ensure that PIC education is technically credible, carefully designed and genuinely human.
Where would you like to go next?
Advance your career
Build your knowledge and prepare for professional certification through PIC University.
Develop your team
Create a dedicated training programme around your company’s people, projects and technical needs.
Discuss company trainingSupport your project
Connect with qualified inspectors and corrosion protection specialists through PIC.
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