After 30 years as Missoula’s Mr. Fix It, Bill Shorten is finally retiring. What did this welder do in his 30 years? The Missoulian reports:
“Jack Stucky, superintendent of vehicle maintenance, said Shorten has saved the city a lot of money over the years.
‘During the times when we had little to no budget, he [Shorten] stretched it by using his creativity to keep things running,’ Stucky said.
In fact, Stucky couldn’t think of a thing the city owns that Shorten hasn’t worked on.
‘He’s repaired everything from the backstop of the police shooting range to welding bicycle racks downtown. Anything you can imagine that is made out of metal, and some things that are made of wood,’ Stucky said.”
Congratulations Mr. Shorten on a job well done.
Welding Industry
PraxAir’s Order Backlog Fuels 2013 Growth: “Industrial gas suppliers Praxair Inc and Air Products and Chemicals Inc expect their order backlog to prop up results this year despite weak economic growth in most of their markets.
“Air Products and Praxair have already raised prices of some industrial gases they sell — such as argon for welding, carbon dioxide for surgeries, oxygen for making steel and hydrogen for refining heavy crude — to offset rising costs.”
Family-Run Morton Grove Manufacturer, Sko-Die, Finds Success in Auto Parts: “Large, 200-ton punch presses stamp out thin metal sheets that are stacked and welded and eventually become parts for electric motors, running everything from a small Segway to large motors that will power an oil rig. Sko-Die makes the dies needed to stamp out the parts, does the stamping and welding and uses a computer-operated lathe to create the axel than runs through the center of the motor.”
Lincoln Electric Buys Tennessee Rand: “Welding giant Lincoln Electric has agreed to buy Tennessee Rand, a Chattanooga company that makes welding robots for automakers and other industrial companies.”
Welding Jobs
The Great Reset: “Mike Elliot, secondary director of the Washington County Career Center, said welders that help piece together pipelines for the industry are in high demand. The school’s welding program is placing the most students directly into “first placement” programs, which allow students to get class credit for paid work in their field, he said. ‘We’re all kind of waiting for this gas boom to take off. And if you can weld, you can certainly be employed, and the wages are there,’ said Elliot.”
Applicants Outnumber Jobs at Missoula, MT Plant: “Over 1300 people applied to work for a company that’s hiring just 60 in Missoula County.”
Manufacturers Train Workers on the Job: “A Manpower survey recently found that 49 percent of U.S. employers have trouble filling ‘skilled trades’ jobs. Locally,
the most difficult jobs to fill, according to Donna Corbin of Northwest Michigan
Works, are machining and welding jobs.”
Welding and Construction Companies Are Hiring in Mobile, AL: “Dozens of job seekers attended a career fair at the AIDT Maritime Training Center in Mobile, Wednesday, Jan. 16. Local welding and construction companies are looking to hire skilled workers in Mobile. It is an industry experts said will soon be in high demand.”
Welding Education
Students Weld Future at Vocational School: “Tennessee Technology Center at Shelbyville is using a computer numerical controller (CNC) system for advanced training in welding. The school bought the machine last year, welding instructor Tim Holder said.In some cases, the machine can make a part in one-eighth of the time that it would take to make the part by hand, Holder said.”
New York School Offers Welding Program: “GST BOCES Adult Education and Training will offer a welding class for adult students from Feb. 19 to June 4 on the Coopers Campus, 9579 Vocational Drive, Painted Post. This 171-hour class will provide instruction and hands on experience in basic stick, oxyfuel, Mig and Tig welding.”
Miller Electric, UWFox Team Up to Offer Scholarships: “One of the Fox Cities’ premier businesses, Miller Electric Mfg. Co, with its headquarters in Appleton, WI, has announced that it will be working with the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley Foundation, Inc., to provide scholarships to students who will be studying engineering and robotics at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley through the Fox Valley Engineering Program. The scholarships will total $40,000 for two years.”
…see details/criteria of scholarship
Welding Events
AWS Shipbuilding Conference: Wyndham Riverfront New Orleans, LA February 26–27, 2013.
Welding Gone Wrong
Man Dies in Welding Accident: “A Kings Mountain man died on Monday after an
accident at his welding business after a diesel tank he was working on blew
up, The Charlotte Observer reports.”
