Why Concrete Scanning Matters More Than Ever
When you cut into concrete, you're not just drilling through concrete — you’re navigating a hidden network of life-safety systems: electrical conduits, post-tension cables, structural rebar, fire alarms, and data lines.
One wrong hit can lead to disaster:
Sever a high-voltage conduit and you risk future fires or death.
Cut through an electrical tech cable and you could shut down an entire building’s operations.
Strike a PT cable or main structural rebar, and you might compromise the building’s ability to survive an earthquake.
Even when it’s not catastrophic, the cost is brutal: Emergency repairs, Downtime, Legal risk, Lost trust, etc.
Concrete scanning isn’t just “nice to have” — it’s a must. And not just done — done right.
For years, GPR and film-based xray were the industry standards. But each has serious limitations.
GPR struggles in dense slabs and relies heavily on operator experience — it’s still a guessing game.
Film xray is slow, expensive, and in some cases requires full site shutdowns.
That’s why Digital Concrete X-Ray is transforming the industry — delivering instant, high-resolution images that reveal what GPR can’t, with zero shutdowns, minimal setup, and results in minutes.
And that’s where Nova opened a new business opportunity for their coring company and became a TOP tech coring and xray company in Canada.
Meet Nova
Nova Advanced Imaging began in 2014 as a coring company, focused exclusively on coring, cutting, and GPR scanning. For years, they supported general contractors, engineers, and builders across Canada who needed quick, accurate imaging before breaking into concrete structures.
“From the beginning, we focused on reliability, precision, and long-term relationships. That consistency is why many of our earliest clients are still working with us today.”
— Dennis Crnjak and Steve Malenica, Founders, Nova Advanced Imaging
Everything was running well — the schedule was full, jobs were steady, and clients returned project after project. But Steve and Dennis knew that operational success alone wouldn’t guarantee future growth.
Markets evolve. Technology advances. New players enter the space.
If you don’t keep developing — in your methods, your tools, and your value — you eventually fall behind.
They began to ask tough, strategic questions:
Where can we improve? What’s next for this industry? And how do we stay ahead — not just busy?
The answer wasn’t just about refining their service.
It required rethinking their capabilities entirely.
Strength Isn’t Enough Without Evolution
That line of thinking led to three key goals — and revealed the hidden weak points in even a successful operation.
1. Improve Quality — Fewer Fails, More Certainty
Even with skilled technicians and the latest GPR equipment, Nova was still hitting conduits and other elements inside the concrete. It wasn’t due to laziness — just the limitations of GPR scanning.
And in concrete scanning, one mistake can cost thousands or shut down an entire building.
They needed a way to reduce risk and increase certainty — not just for Nova’s peace of mind, but to build deeper trust with clients.
2. Increase Revenue — Break Through the Pricing Ceiling
In a market full of small shops and one-person operations, pricing was collapsing.
Nova couldn’t double or triple rates for the same GPR service, even if their results were cleaner and their reports more detailed.
Clients won’t pay 3x more unless they see a 3x difference.
That meant Nova needed to offer something fundamentally different — something with a higher technical threshold, greater perceived value, and real impact on jobsite decisions.
3. Differentiate — Attract Bigger Clients with Bigger Expectations
Companies like Turner, Ledcor, Clark Group, and EllisDon don’t give out contracts based on promises — they need to see value before the first job is done.
Nova knew that reputation, reliability, and craftsmanship matter — but only after someone has worked with you.
For new enterprise clients, there are two ways to break through: Offer the cheapest price, or deliver a next-level result that competitors simply can’t match
In short, Nova was searching for a solution that would:
Deliver near-100% accuracy
Be valuable enough to justify a higher price
And put them in a different league — beyond basic GPR, beyond one-man shops, and into the future of scanning.
That’s when they turned to Digital Concrete X-Ray systems and Radii-X.
Why Nova Chose Digital Concrete X-Ray — and When Radii X Showed Up
For Dennis Crnjak, co-founder of Nova and now President at Radii-X Inspections, the choice was clear — because he had already lived through every alternative.
With over 20 years of experience in quality control, Dennis knew that the only imaging method capable of delivering true accuracy inside concrete was xray. But the available options were fundamentally flawed.
Film-based X-Ray — often mistaken for gamma ray — was slow, expensive, and disconnected from modern workflows. These systems frequently relied on radioactive isotopes (gamma sources), which meant site shutdowns, radiation zones, and long training just to operate. Results weren’t instant, and most setups weren’t even portable.
At the same time, Digital X-Ray had the right potential, but no one had built a complete solution tailored for the concrete industry. Available systems were pieced together from other industries — medical, oil & gas, aerospace — and weren’t practical for job sites or field technicians.
Dennis saw the gap — and began building the solution.
Starting in 2014, he began to combine the best components and practices from across industries:
X-Ray source for general NDT Applications (Golden Engineering then Comet)
Digital detectors from security (Logos)
Business operations from concrete workflows (Nova)
And his own decades of hands-on imaging and inspection experience
For the next 10 years, Dennis tested, refined, and adapted these systems on real job sites with real crews — learning what worked, what didn’t, and what concrete contractors actually needed.
From this decade of field testing and iteration, Radii-X was born.
Although Radii-X launched as its own company just one year ago, it came to market with ten years of real-world validation inside Nova — already proven, already field-ready.
So when Nova decided to scale their digital xray capabilities, they didn’t go shopping for a vendor.
They deployed a platform built from their own operations.
Radii-X delivered a complete, concrete-specific solution:
Digital X-Ray Detector System – high-resolution, real-time imaging, superb wifi
X-Ray Source (powered by Comet) – portable, low-radiation, and button-controlled
Proprietary Software – the only software designed for the concrete industry.
On-Site Training & Setup – Nova’s team was xraying within days
Ongoing Support & Business Coaching – to help price, position, and grow the service
Radii-X was the natural evolution of everything Nova’s already built.
The Results: A New Level for Nova
Once Nova launched their in-house digital xray service with Radii-X, the results came fast — and they were impossible to ignore.
2–3x Higher Pricing Than GPR
Digital X-ray immediately positioned itself as a premium-tier service.
Where GPR might bring in $500–$600 minimum charges, Nova was confidently charging $1000 - $1500+ — with zero pushback. Clients saw the difference and were willing to pay for it.
100% Engineer Preference After the First Job
When contractors and engineers saw digital xray in action, they didn’t need a second demo.
The clarity, precision, and speed spoke for itself. After that, no one wanted to go back.
For many, it was simple: “If we’re scanning, we want it done like this.”
A New Reputation in the Market
With digital xray in their offering, Nova wasn’t seen as just another coring or GPR company.
They quickly became known as a leader in high-precision concrete inspection, trusted on jobs where accuracy was mission-critical.
The Big One — ROI in Just 7 Months
The entire Radii-X System — hardware, software, training, and support — paid for itself in under seven months.
This result came from Nova’s new Ontario branch, launched just a year earlier with brand-new staff and zero existing clients.
Despite starting from scratch, that team fully recovered their investment through scan jobs alone.
Nova didn’t just break even —
They created a new profit center with long-term margins and a competitive edge.
Ready to Build Your Own X-Ray Business?
Nova’s success wasn’t luck. It was the result of experience, timing, and the right tools — built specifically for the challenges concrete contractors face every day.
With Radii-X, they didn’t just improve what they had.
They built something new. Something scalable. Something clients actually want.
And you can do the same, it’s time to talk.
👉 Watch 3min demo how in works
👉 Compare Digital X-Ray and other Concrete Scanning techniques
👉 Book a call with Dennis
Radii-X was built for companies like yours.
Let’s build the next success story together.
