Members upbeat with engagement and activities envisioned at the 49th EWF General Assembly

PORTO SALVO, Portugal - Dec. 12, 2016 - PRLog -- The General Assembly of EWF brings together, every six months, all its members in a quest to drive the industry forward and lead adoption of its qualification system. These meetings provide a unique opportunity for its members to discuss, plan and revise future actions and activities as a response to the market needs, as identified by each member.

This Assembly also had some very important milestones, including the handover of Presidency, a lively workshop among the members, an open workshop around SAT EN1090 and recognition of top achievers with the Best Welding Coordinator 2015 Award.

Within a full first day agenda, a special moment took place with the changing of presidents' ceremony. Every three years a new president is elected from the members. The actual president, Mr. Henk Bodt will end his mandate by the end of 2016 and Mr. Chris Eady will be from 2017 onwards the new elected president of European Federation for Welding, Joining and Cutting.

"I am honoured to have been nominated for this role, and truly humbled that my friends and colleagues across Europe have such confidence in me", said Chris Eady. "I am really looking forward to my term of office as president and to contributing more to the development of EWF and its unparalleled support to industry".

During his tenure, Mr. Eady will encourage the EWF network to increase the availability of internationally recognised products and services that address industry requirements and needs, support employment and enable career progression.

To Mr. Henk Bodt, who is stepping down at the end of the year, "When I started the honourable job of President of EWF, there were a lot of challenges. Not all of them have been achieved, but the most important one, the compliance with the European Competition Law, was completed successfully. EWF has become respected as a neutral organisation representing the European welding industry in- and outside Europe. The respect stays also with the EU, recognizing EWF as quality organisation and a source of knowledge in the field of welding".

For more than 25 years, EWF promotes the interests of the international welding industry through its members.

Workshops to drive adoption of key standards

In the days that followed the members have participated at the SAT EN1090 Conference, where Stefano Mora (Italian Institute of Welding) held a presentation about the accreditation standards. During the workshops, EWF members were tackling and analyzing the examination as a part of the certification and qualification system. The goal is to continuously improve the EWF System with the participants needs, market needs, technology development and current challenges.

EWF Award – The Best Welding Coordinator

The EWF Award for the Best Welding Coordinator distinguishes every year the outstanding contribution to the quality of welded production. The award is given to a European Welding Engineer that has exceled on the responsibilities of a welding coordinator in accordance with ISO 14731 and ISO 3834-2, EN 15085-2 or EN 1090-1. This year's award goes to Dr. Clint Wildash, currently a Senior Principal Welding Engineer at Onesubsea UK Ltd, Leeds, UK.

Clint's career in welding has spanned four decades starting with an apprenticeship in fabrication and welding, to his present position of leading a team of welding engineers and technicians supporting welding production, qualification, research and development and training in the field of welding engineering at Onesubsea UK Ltd. "After my apprenticeship, where I learned to use all the conventional arc welding processes, and apply them to a range of metal fabrications, my interest in the field of welding and yearning to learn more about the theory led me to enter further education." - says dr.   Clint Wildash in his statement.

About the European Federation for Welding, Joining and Cutting

EWF is a pioneer in implementing a harmonized qualification and certification system for joining professionals. Through European projects EWF has been innovating in training methodologies, and involved in the development of new technologies and uses for joining. Through its member organisations, EWF has established a firm link to the local industry, providing knowledge and training as well as participating in research initiatives that address the most pressing questions and challenges in the field of joining technologies.

http://www.ewf.be