Technical Focus

Achieving high reliability with restricted maintenance opportunities through:

• Design and manufacture
• Inspection and testing
• Welding, gaskets and bolted joints
• Coatings, corrosion, chemical attack
• Creep, fatigue
• Life monitoring & assessment, failure analysis & recovery
• Health and safety, risk analysis
• Management of assets, insurance

Workshops

Special sessions for discussion of particular problems will be arranged in the keynote areas of the conference.

WTIA Skills Project Workshop

Facilitated by Chris Smallbone
WTIA Executive Director
Immediate Past President International Institute of Welding 2005-2008

The current global economic downturn is providing companies with the stimulus and opportunity to review their business efficiency and to focus on their positive assets, particularly their skilled personnel. Knowing that the cycle will turn again, astute companies are loath to lose their key staff, and are looking for ways to utilise them the best. They also recognise that if there was a skills shortage a year ago, there is still a skills shortage today, and this needs to be addressed by training for the future of the industry.

The pressure equipment and inspection industries are similarly affected by the current economic situation, and have also suffered from attrition of skilled and experienced workers through retirement and retrenchment, and a lack of young people entering the industry. This workshop will provide a forum to discuss the challenges and issues facing the sector in terms of its workforce, and potential solutions that can be put in place. Examples of programmes overseas to improve the image of roles within the industry will also be reviewed.

In interactive workshop format will enable all delegates to participate and share in the outcomes of the event.