ABOUT 2016
2016: YEAR IN REVIEW
Welcome to the WTIA’s 2016 Year In Review – a look at our achievements, projects and programs over the last 12 months.
2016 has been a highly successful year for the WTIA on many fronts.
We continued to strengthen our membership offering, launching a variety of new training courses and platforms, such as the groundbreaking Australian Welder Certification Register.
With a focus on the health and safety of all Australians, we implemented a program of extensive lobbying, which ensured steel fabrication was a major issue during the 2016 election.
We strengthened our industry
WELDING:
AN ART, A TRADE, A SCIENCE & ESSENTIAL TO AUSTRALIA’S ECONOMIC GROWTH.
partnerships, signing various Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with TAFEs across Australia, as well as a range of international organisations.
In July, we hosted the 69th IIW Annual Assembly and International Conference 2016 in Melbourne. This has raised the profile of the Australian welding industry enormously throughout the world.
It really is an exciting time to be a WTIA member. We are committed to using our extensive experience, combined with an innovative new approach, to achieve our core mission—promoting the interests of our members within the field of welding, not just in Australia, but across the globe.
The entire WTIA team is looking forward to a busy, successful 2017.
ABOUT THE WTIA
The WTIA is proud to represent the welding profession in Australia, with members including both individual welding professionals and companies.
Our primary goal is to ensure the Australian welding industry remains locally and globally competitive, now and into the future.
A not-for-profit, membershipbased organisation, the WTIA is dedicated to providing members with a competitive advantage through access to industry, research, education, certification, government, and the wider industrial community.
WTIA is the Australian representative member of the International Institute of Welding (IIW).
LOBBYING ACTIVITIES
LOCAL & STATE GOVERNMENT LOBBYING
As a result of extensive lobbying to Local and State Governments on the subject of imported fabricated steel, WTIA CEO Geoff Crittenden appeared before the Senate Economics References Committee after being invited to make a submission to the Inquiry into the future of Australia’s Steel Industry.
The challenges and safety concerns met by Australian steel fabricators in the face of increasing competition from overseas was front and centre during the 2016 election as a direct result of extensive lobbying and campaigning by the WTIA and the Australian Steel Institute.
POLICY PAPERS
We also prepared and submitted two policy papers, addressing:
1. Legislation on imported fabricated steel to Hon Greg Hunt, Minister for Innovation, Industry and Science.
2. Welding capability for the Defence Shipbuilding Program to Hon Christopher Pyne, Minister for Defence Industry.
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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT POLICY PAPERS
1 SENATE COMMITTEE APPEARANCE
TRAINING COURSES
NEW TRAINING COURSES
Through consultation with industry, we developed and launched the Reinforcing Steel Welding Coordinator course.
This course is proudly supported and recognised by:
• Steel Reinforcement Institute
• Main Roads, Western Australia
• Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, South Australia
We also launched a new course for structural engineers in conjunction with the Australian Steel Institute, and developed and delivered a number of courses for Engineering Education Australia.
MEMORANDUMS OF UNDERSTANDING (MoU)
2016 saw the WTIA sign an MoU with the American Welding Society (AWS) to provide online training courses, and collaborate on a range of online education programs.
We also signed MoUs with a number of TAFEs around Australia in order to help reinvigorate the trade of welding, and to better support the Australian Welder Certification Register.
5+
MEMORANDUMS OF UNDERSTANDING
5+
NEW TRAINING COURSES
‘Improving Welding Quality & Productivity Through Smart Welding Solutions’ Technical Night
20 EVENTS
SITE VISITS, TECHNICAL PRESENTATIONS & NETWORKING EVENTS
Welding competition in Melbourne in May.
Phill Stubbington (Lincoln Electric) speaks on welding duplex stainless steels in Perth in August.
at Kemppi in Adelaide in September.
A tour of OneSteel’s Sydney Steel Mill in July.
BOC & Bisalloy present at BOC’s Rocklea Applications Technology Centre in November.
ONLINE PLATFORMS
AUSTRALIAN WELDER CERTIFICATION REGISTER
This year we developed the Australian Welder Certification Register (AWCR), which is now in beta stage. Similar to ‘Welder Passport’ systems used in Europe, the AWCR will see welders invited to complete a weld test, which will qualify them to a welding procedure according to the process set out in ISO9606-1 (AS/NZS2980).
Commitment and support for the AWCR has already been pledged by: Energy Australia, BOC Ltd, Delta Electricity, Ausgrid, AGL, BAE Systems, ARTC, Bisalloy and more.
MEMBER PLATFORM
In addition, the WTIA launched a state-of-the-art online platform that allows members to manage their own membership details and access member only documents. The platform also allows students to register for training courses online. An e-commerce platform for qualification and certification is currently in development, for launch in 2017.
2
MAJOR NEW ONLINE PLATFORMS LAUNCHED
11+
ORGANISATIONS PLEDGED SUPPORT FOR THE AWCR
OTHER ACTIVITIES
COMMENCED REVIEW OF TECHNICAL NOTES, WITH TN 11 – COMMENTARY ON AS/NZS 1554 STRUCTURAL STEEL WELDING
MoU NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE FRENCH WELDING INSTITUTE FOR DEFENCE SHIPBUILDING
NEGOTIATIONS WITH DMTC FOR DEFENCE SHIPBUILDING & LAND SYSTEMS
STARTED DEVELOPMENT OF WELDING EQUIPMENT COMPLIANCE SCHEME
OUR MEMBERS
RAHIM KURJI UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
As a not for profit organisation, the WTIA has a critical role to play in ensuring the interests of its members are represented in industry. The WTIA has been instrumental in facilitating not only exposure of my research on an international scale, but has also facilitated the development of industrial relationships which have been essential in securing profit ventures.
ADAM POOLE K-TIG
The most valuable aspect of K-TIG’s WTIA membership is the fact that we have built relationships with, and are now able to call on, the WTIA’s various technical officers. The WTIA has a wealth of knowledge that we can access in a pinch. Bruce Ham (Chief Technology Officer) has been a valuable addition to our network, and is also a great bloke to work alongside.
Being a WTIA member has enabled us to keep up to date with industry news and information. In addition, the opportunity to be involved in the 2016 IIW conference in Melbourne enabled us to develop a range of new contacts, with WTIA staff making all introductions.
PABLO SANTOS S&L STEEL
S&L maintains a high regard for the WTIA. This organisation has been proactive in industry engagement between fabricators and other companies within the steel supply chain.
The WTIA holds a number of site visits and tours, which are a great opportunity for members to network and learn about each other’s businesses. As they hold great events throughout the year, be sure to not miss out in 2017.
The WTIA is also a great advocate in terms of keeping our state and federal governments aware of the importance of quality of workmanship and finished products. The WTIA team works tirelessly to ensure Australian fabricators get an opportunity to tender for work. They have amongst their ranks very experienced people who can provide guidance and inspection of work on behalf of clients.
For the WTIA to remain relevant in today’s steel industry, innovation in getting the message through social media is paramount, and the WTIA provide great articles from all corners of the globe.
S&L is proud to be associated with the WTIA.
DANIEL MILLER
ASC
The relationship that ASC and the WTIA has built has been extremely beneficial in a number of ways. As a result of our involvement with the WTIA, particularly in the Defence SMART Group, I was afforded the opportunity of presenting at the IIW Welding Conference in Melbourne this year on weld technologies used on Collins Class submarines.
The WTIA has assisted in the international accreditation of our welding processes and procedures on the Collins Class submarines. ASC was extremely proud to be awarded ISO 3834 certification for welding, as presented by the WTIA.
In addition, a number of the issues we’ve had with the qualification and maintenance of up-todate certifications for our welders have been worked through with Geoff Crittenden, WTIA CEO. The development by the WTIA of a national database of qualified welders, some of whom will be qualified to weld on pressure vessels, will be extremely useful, not only for ASC but for industry in general.
The other area where the WTIA provides extensive support is in the development and certification of our welders to ISO 9606. With the WTIA assisting on accreditation and training, this has put us in good stead, as we move onto fabricating the new submarines.
JUSTIN SUWART BISALLOY
Through the WTIA, Bisalloy has been exposed to a variety of networking opportunities. We have been able to meet numerous people, technical experts, and company representatives within the welding industry. Often, it is extremely difficult to get all these people together in the one place. And yet, the WTIA is able to facilitate events and networking opportunities exceptionally well.
Bisalloy participated in the 2016 IIW conference, attended a number of SMART Group meetings, and hosted two technical nights for members. None of this would have been possible without our WTIA membership. It has afforded us a level of industry awareness and exposure that would not otherwise have been possible.
The WTIA is also a valuable source of technical knowledge and expertise. Bisalloy has a variety of technical literature that we make available to the public and our customers. The WTIA’s expert advisors assisted us in reviewing and revising this literature.
Everyone at the WTIA is exceptionally friendly and really easy to interact with. Donna, Rebecca, Geoff and Paolo are particularly helpful.
OUR MEMBERS
