To help improve national welding capabilities and advance the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, four welding institutes – the Southern African Institute of Welding (SAIW), the Canadian Welding Bureau, the Indian Institute of Welding and the Heavy Engineering Research Association from New Zealand – are collaborating to form the Welding Innovation Network (WIN).

“Through WIN, we are cooperating and collaborating to transfer the knowledge and experience of world experts to as many countries as possible. This will, undoubtedly, improve general quality of life,” enthuses SAIW executive director John Tarboton.

To help promote the initiative, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and the University of Sydney, in Australia, are hosting a free webinar on residual stresses and defects in modern welding and additive manufacturing.

Presented by ANSTO and University of Sydney’s Professor Anna Paradowska, the webinar will be held across four different time zones for the Americas, Africa and Europe, Asia and Australasia, and South Asia and the Middle-East, on September 18, 19, 20 and 27 respectively.

The SAIW is also working on an initiative with international scientific and engineering body the International Institute of Welding, namely the launching of the certified International Welding Inspection Personnel (IWIP) programme in 2024.

Tarboton says, however, that a diploma from the IWIP will not be a prerequisite for the programme, noting that an SAIW Level 2 Welding Inspector diploma will suffice.

The programme will require that applicants pass an examination, as well as another certification requirement, such as an assessment of experience, maintenance of knowledge and visual acuity.

This certification will be valid for three years, after which a paper assessment will be conducted. The examination will have to be passed every nine years.

“The IWIP certification will improve the career prospects of inspectors by making them more marketable, not only in South Africa but across the world. It will also assist companies in recruiting welding inspectors that they can be sure are competent,” he says.

Membership Benefits

Tarboton notes that, while an SAIW membership holds various benefits, the primary advantage of corporate membership is the 7.5% member discount on training courses in welding technology and nondestructive testing.

“All companies that we certify to ISO 3834 are eligible for free membership as part of the package that we offer them as clients. SAIW also holds networking events, such as our yearly golf days in Gqeberha, in the Eastern Cape; Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal; Cape Town, in the Western Cape; and Johannesburg, in Gauteng,” he says.

The SAIW is hosting a gala dinner for the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which will include an awards ceremony, the highlight of which is the Gold Medal Award, awarded to a company that has made an “outstanding contribution” to the welding industry in South Africa and globally.

“We are also awarding our top inspector and welding supervisor students, the best ISO 3834 company and the best welding coordinator. Honorary Life Membership Awards and SAIW Fellow awards will also be presented.”

SAIW produces a quarterly journal, African Fusion, which showcases its members and success stories in the industry, with members having access to a free subscription to this journal.