Interview of Vice President, Energy Integrity Solutions, AMPP, Mr Tim Gonzalez

July 1, 2026

1. You’ve been in the world of materials protection and performance for years, what drew you to this space and what continues to keep you invested in it?

Growing up in Houston, the energy industry was always around me. I had family and friends working in refineries, pipelines, offshore, and many different parts of the industry, so infrastructure and energy were simply part of everyday life. At the time, I did not fully realize how much the world depends on these assets operating safely and reliably until I became more involved professionally.

As my career progressed, I had the opportunity to work closely with operators, inspectors, engineers, asset owners, and regulators across the globe. I also got to see first-hand what “bad” looks like when integrity, maintenance, or corrosion prevention are not prioritised. Once you witness the operational, environmental, and safety impacts that can result from failures, it changes the way you look at infrastructure permanently.

Understanding those impacts and knowing I can play a role in helping reduce incidents and improve reliability, is what has kept me in the materials protection and performance space. Corrosion prevention and asset integrity are not just technical issues, they directly affect safety, sustainability, operations, and communities around the world. Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) has also played a big role in my journey. It is the place where technical side of the industry, standards, regulations, training, and the global community all come together with the purpose of corrosion prevention and asset integrity.

One of the things I enjoy most is bringing people together from different parts of the industry to help address asset integrity challenges. Whether working with asset owners, regulators, contractors, manufacturers, or technical experts, there is a real opportunity to collaborate globally and improve how we protect critical infrastructure for the future.

2. At AMPP, your work entails protecting critical infrastructure. In your perspective, how is the conversation around durability and asset life evolving today and what is the role the organisation is playing in it?

The conversation around durability and asset life has changed a lot over the years. In the past, many organisations focused more on addressing issues after they happened or viewed maintenance as a periodic requirement. Today, there is much more focus on long-term asset performance, lifecycle management, reliability, resilience, and sustainability. The industry is focused on how to operate assets longer, safer, and more efficiently while also managing costs and risk.

There is also a much greater understanding now that corrosion and degradation are not just maintenance issues. They directly impact safety, operations, environmental performance, and overall business continuity. Whether it is pipelines, offshore platforms, bridges, water systems, power generation, or transportation infrastructure, protecting these assets is critical to how society functions every day. Addressing corrosion from the beginning and having a robust maintenance plan can reduce downtime, costly repairs, and save lives.

One thing that is important to me is making sure we continue balancing innovation with fundamentals. New technology is exciting and will absolutely help transform the industry, but proper design, coatings, corrosion prevention, inspections, and maintenance remain the foundation of protecting critical infrastructure for the long term.

3. When it comes to infrastructure performance, what are the most commonly overlooked and underestimated risks, especially in the early stages?

I think one of the biggest things the industry still underestimates is regarding the impact of early decisions made during design and construction on an asset for the next 30, 40, or even 50 years. Things like material selection, coating systems, environmental conditions, constructability, inspection planning, and maintenance strategy all matter early on, but sometimes the focus becomes schedule and upfront cost instead of long-term performance.

The other challenge is corrosion usually does not happen overnight. It is slow and builds over time. Many times, people do not realise how serious the issue is until it becomes an operational, environmental, or safety concern. By then, the cost and complexity to fix it are much higher than if it had been addressed proactively.

I also think the workforce challenge is becoming a bigger factor across infrastructure industries. A lot of experienced people are retiring, and with that comes decades of knowledge leaving the workforce. At the same time, assets are aging and operating longer than originally intended. That is why training, certifications, standards, and knowledge transfer are becoming more important than ever.

If you look at the AMPP pipeline industry reports in the U.S., they continue to show the scale of the challenge and why proactive integrity management matters. The industry has made major improvements, but aging infrastructure, deferred maintenance, and growing operational demands continue to create risk if organisations are not taking a long-term approach to asset integrity.

At the end of the day, the companies doing this well are the ones treating asset integrity and corrosion prevention as part of the overall business strategy and not just a maintenance issue.

4. In your experience, do most infrastructural issues arise from material selection, design decisions or how assets are maintained over time? Where do you see the real disconnect?

I do not think it is usually just one thing. Most infrastructure issues happen over time from a combination of decisions made during design, construction, operations, and maintenance.

I am not a technical expert, but there are a lot of engineers and specialists across AMPP and the industry that go much deeper into the technical side than I do. But from what I have seen throughout my career, many of the biggest challenges come from disconnects and lack of communication between those different stages of an asset’s life.

The people designing an asset are often not the same people maintaining it 20 or 30 years later. Sometimes operational realities, environmental conditions, maintenance access, or long-term integrity planning are not fully considered upfront. Then over time budgets tighten as maintenance gets deferred and experienced workers retire making small issues become much bigger ones.

I also think industries historically looked at corrosion prevention and integrity more as a maintenance cost instead of part of the overall business and risk management strategy. That mindset is changing now, especially as infrastructure ages and companies focus more on lifecycle performance, reliability, sustainability, and resilience.

One thing I say often is we need to make sure projects are “AMPPed” from start to finish. Meaning the right standards are being incorporated, qualified and certified people are involved, proper training is taking place, and best practices are being followed throughout the entire lifecycle of the asset and not just at one stage of the project.

5. Looking ahead, which developments – whether in materials science, protective technologies, or design approaches – do you believe will have the most transformative impact on infrastructure systems?

I think one of the biggest changes happening right now is the industry moving from reactive maintenance to more predictive and data-driven integrity management. Technologies like remote monitoring, AI-supported inspections, robotics, drones, digital twins, and predictive analytics are starting to change how operators monitor and maintain infrastructure. Instead of waiting for failures or relying only on periodic inspections, companies are getting better at identifying issues earlier and making smarter decisions.

On the materials and protective technology side, we are continuing to see major advancements in coating systems, corrosion-resistant materials, composites, and application technologies that can significantly improve long-term performance and extend asset life. That becomes even more important as infrastructure ages and operators are being asked to keep assets in service longer than originally intended. I also think the energy transition is going to drive a lot of innovation. Hydrogen, carbon capture, offshore wind, LNG, battery storage, and new energy infrastructure all introduce new materials and corrosion challenges that the industry is still learning from in many ways.

One of the most important things moving forward is workforce development and knowledge transfer. Technology is advancing quickly, but the industry still needs trained and certified people who understand how to apply standards, interpret data, and make sound engineering and operational decisions.

6. As the complexity in infrastructure demands rise, what kind of thinking or approach will be most essential for the next generation working in this space?

I think the next generation is going to need to be much more cross-functional in how they think. The days of working in a single group-like design, inspection, or maintenance are fading quickly. Infrastructure is becoming more complex, more interconnected, and more data-driven, so the solutions will require people who can connect those dots across disciplines.

They will also need to be comfortable with engineering fundamentals and newer tools and technologies. Things like data analytics, remote monitoring, digital systems, and AI will become part of everyday decision-making, but they still need to be grounded in strong technical fundamentals, standards, and real-world field experience.

Another shift is collaboration and communication are going to matter more than ever. The ability to work across operators, regulators, contractors, and manufacturers and actually translate technical issues into clear, practical decisions will be a key differentiator.

That is also where I see organisations like AMPP continuing to play an important role, by helping bridge the gap between education, standards, certification, and real-world industry needs so the next generation is better prepared for what they are walking into.