A Message from our CEO

Over the course of the last month I have had the opportunity to meet with a whole range of members at the ceremonies for Weld Australia’s 2022 Welding Excellence Awards. We hosted ceremonies in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. All of the events proved to be exceptionally popular, each one attended by around 100 people.

The events were the perfect opportunity to reconnect with Australia’s welding community after the long hiatus over the pandemic, and celebrate the incredible work of Australia’s welders and fabricators.

The Awards recognised and rewarded professionals whose dedication, skill, and teamwork speak for themselves. This year’s winners feature businesses, projects and people committed to the pursuit of innovative, sustainable solutions that minimise risk and maximise project outcomes, as well as initiatives designed to increase the breadth and depth of skilled labour within the welding sector.

On behalf of Weld Australia, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our sponsors, without which these Awards would not be possible: BOC, Coregas, Diverseco, the Outsource Institute and ProQM.

My sincere congratulations go to all the 2022 Welding Excelllence Award winners, who are profiled in this edition of Weld Connect (see the article from page 10). In particular, I would like to recognise three outstanding individuals who received CEO and Chair Awards this year.

Jason Elias (CEO, Precision Metal Group) was presented with the CEO’s Award for the Welding Professional of the Year.

Jason is a true champion of the Australian welding industry. He is dedicated to promoting local contractors, and the importance of Australian and international standards. Jason’s company, PMG, delivers innovative, quality work. And, he recently volunteered for the role of Chair of Weld Australia’s defence industry network.

The ACT & NSW Welding Excellence Awards ceremony. The Queensland & NT Welding Excellence Awards ceremony.

Abhishek Trivedi (Welding Engineer, Rheinmetall Defence Australia) was presented with the CEO’s Award for An Outstanding Welding Engineer.

Abhishek has worked for Rheinmetall Defence for the last three years. During this time, Abhishek has been instrumental in the setup of a greenfield specialist Military products welding facility at MILVEHCOE in Redbank. The project involved achieving all the required company certifications including; AS/NZS ISO 3834-2 followed by DIN 2303 Q2 and then Q3. Prior to his work at Rheinmetall, Abhishek was a valued member of the Weld Australia team.

Finally, Robert Vernon from TAFE Gippsland was presented with a Chair’s Award for Outstanding Dedicated Service to Welder Training.

Rob plays an integral role in the success of TAFE Gippsland’s Engineering courses, and was instrumental in the TAFE gaining a Certificate IV in Engineering in a Pathway Program into University. Rob is able to contextualise training and tailor his delivery to suit all learning styles. He has an uncanny ability to engage the ‘quiet student’ to ensure they participate in class. Rob has been a long-term supporter of Weld Australia, serving on our local committee for many years.

HONORARY WELD AUSTRALIA MEMBERS Honorary Weld Australia Membership is awarded by our Board of Directors to individuals who have made a significant long-term contribution to either the welding industry, or Weld Australia. Weld Australia presented several Honorary Memberships at the recent Award ceremonies.

My congratulations go to: • Bruce Cannon (Principal Welding Engineer,

Weld Australia) • Paolo Corronca (International Welding Engineer) • Doug Hawkes (Managing Director, Structural

Integrity Engineering) • Warren Raisin (General Manager, Aitken Welding

Supplies) • Alan Taylor (Welding Inspector and Supervisor) • Robert Wiseman (Business Development

Manager, Lincoln Electric)

ASME SECTION IX COURSE Weld Australia hosted Walter J. Sperko (President, Sperko Engineering Services) from the US in late November. Walter facilitated two courses on ASME Section IX in Perth and Brisbane. Both courses were very well-attended.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) standard regulates the design, development and construction of boilers and pressure vessels. ON BECOMING AN INTERNATIONAL WELDING ENGINEER (IWE)

Throughout 2022, I went back to school for the first time in many years. I successfully completed the training required to attain an International Welding Engineer (IWE) qualification.

The course covered a range of material, including welding processes, equipment, materials and their behaviour during welding, construction and design, and fabrication application engineering.

I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. The material is interesting and engaging, and the blended learning format works well, particularly when also working full-time.

For anyone who is considering completing the IWE course, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do so. But, be prepared it is hard work and requires a huge amount of commitment over 12 months. As such, I’d like to recognise everyone who completed the IWE qualification this year and in years prior—it is quite an achievement.

Weld Australia’s 2023 IWE course commences from 16 March. With places filling fast, now is the time to enrol.

L to R: Geoff Crittenden (CEO, Weld Australia) is presented with his IWE certificate by David Lake (Chair, Weld Australia).

ASME Section IX specifies the requirements for the qualification of welders and the welding procedure specifications. This three day course gave participants a working knowledge of ASME Section IX, including how to comply with its requirements. The feedback from all participants has been very positive. For further details, see the article on page 9.

TAFE DIRECTORS AUSTRALIA 2022 NATIONAL CONVENTION Together with Michael Pitt (National Manager, Education and Training, Weld Australia), I presented at the TAFE Directors Australia 2022 National Convention in November.

Held in Adelaide and attended by over 450 delegates, the theme of this year’s Convention was Courage, Change and Challenge: The Future of TAFE.

Michael and I spoke on the topic of Traction and Momentum: Revolutionising Welder Training In Australia. We delved into the welder skills crisis and how we have been working with the National TAFE Consortium on new units of competency and resources for the MEM 2.0 training package.

Our session also covered how the new MEM 2.0 resources can be supported by the use of augmented reality welding simulators. Rather than studying theory, augmented reality transforms training and learning from text books into high-quality interactive experiences that capture the imagination. For further details, see the article on page 8. TAFE QUEENSLAND - SKILLSTECH 2022 AWARDS The 2022 TAFE Queensland - SkillsTech Apprentice Awards were held in Brisbane in mid November. With 360 people in attendance, the night was a celebration of apprentices and their employers. Weld Australia was proud to sponsor the Engineering and Manufacturing Apprentice of the Year Award, which went to Peter Fontaine from Ai Group and GM Poles. Peter also went on to win the biggest award of the event— the Outstanding Apprentice of the Year. I’d like to congratulate Peter who has shown great dedication and skill across his engineering apprenticeship. For further details, see the article on page 25.

SEASON’S GREETINGS I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those members who have contributed to Weld Australia this year. In particular, my thanks go to the hard-working members of all our local committees.

I would also like to thank the Weld Australia Directors who commit a significant proportion of their free time to Board matters. I thank them for their advice throughout 2022. Finally, I would like to thank the entire Weld Australia team for their hard work, enthusiasm and dedication.

I wish everyone a safe and happy festive season and a prosperous new year. Geoff Crittenden

CEO, Weld Australia

Season’s Greetings & Happy Holidays

from Weld Australia

On behalf of everyone at Weld Australia, we would like to thank our members and clients for their continued support throughout 2022, and to extend our warmest wishes for the holiday season.

Our National Office will be closed over Christmas and the New Year, from Friday 23 December 2022 to Wednesday 4 January 2023.