Welding for Better Infrastructure
Published on : Saturday 09-11-2019
India faces a severe shortage of skilled welders so essential for the growing infrastructure projects and the success of Make in India.
It is not a profession anyone aspires for. There is no prestige associated with it. In fact it is looked down upon even by those who are not professionally qualified for any other work. Yet it requires skill and dexterity. Anyone can learn it though, given some interest. And those who excel in it, are really paid well. The best part is, India at the moment has tremendous shortage of trained personnel in this trade – about 1.2 million – according to the apex body representing the discipline, which traces its origins to the Bronze Age, though the modern version was invented only in the mid-19th Century. Throughout the history of evolution of man and the use of metals, some kind of crude welding has existed, the most basic being hammering two pieces of metal together to form a bond.
“Welding is seen as a labour job that has no respect and dignity. In addition it is associated with dingy workplaces and unhealthy working conditions,” says Vijay Agwan, Welding & Fabrication Consultant and Regional Director (West), Indian Institute of Welding (IIW). “Yet it is a job that needs skills and also pays well – up to Rs 500 per hour. Welding is an important function in manufacturing and infrastructure building and it is important to build shills by attracting the younger generation,” he adds. Vijay Agwan and other office bearers of the Indian Institute of Welding (IIW) recently held a roundtable with the media to highlight the issues facing the welding industry in India.
According to the IIW release, welding is an integral part of manufacturing process and hence the welding industry is poised for a vibrant change. In India, welding contributes significantly to the GDP in several ways, such as welding intensive industries, auxiliary products, complementary goods, employment, and user industries. To boost manufacturing growth, it is vital to introduce high productivity welding processes, cost effective designs and reliable quality control methods. Welding of exotic materials poses technological challenges may lead to development of superior welding processes and quality assurance. The role of information technology is being harnessed for producing better products, better quality systems for improving the manufacturing growth.
The IIW estimates say India has a short supply of 1.2 million welding professionals including welders, cutters, fitters, equipment operators and also engineers and inspectors. For a country that is focussed on building world class infrastructure, all projects – Roads, Railways and Bridges, Power and Shipping – are highly reliant on the right metal joining technology which can only be successfully executed by trained and certified manpower. Today, a number of infra-projects in India are using welding and cutting operators from China, Russia and East European Countries as the country is facing a shortage of skilled welding manpower. There is a certain irony in this situation, especially since unemployment is a serious issue in the country. The challenge is to make the trade interesting for the younger generation in a scenario where the nature of jobs is changing and evolving rapidly. On the one hand automation is causing a major shift making a lot of labour redundant, while on the other hand jobs like welding are in need of these very hands and reskilling can help achieve the balance.
In fact the IIW has petitioned the Union Ministry for Skill Development about shortfall on account of growth-led increased job openings and replacing the retiring workforce. The current shortage of 1.2 million welding professionals may balloon to 1.35 million in the next 3 years. In view of the planned Rs 100+ lakh crore investments in infrastructure development including road/rail/bridges/internal waterways and power over the next 5 years The IIW has sought positive action from the Skill Development Ministry to promote and propagate welding education of International Standard in India.
While addressing the media R Srinivasan, Spokesperson & Past President of IIW expressed his reservations about timely execution and completion of adding 90,000 MW power generation capacities and creating new construction assets of Rs 52 lakh crore due to insufficient skilled workforce. The National Mission of building 20 kilometres of new highways each day is already falling behind. The ‘Make-in-India’ campaign has surged the growth prospects of Manufacturing Sector but hue and cry of perennial skilled labour shortage have become vociferous in the construction, automobile, power and defense sectors. Skilled welding professionals at all levels; pipe and plate welders, supervisors and welding engineers continue to be in short supply. The Union Government’s skill development machinery which targets to skill over 500 million Indians by 2022 must work to overcome the severe shortage in employable skills of the Indian workforce.
The IIW has offered to partner with the Union and State Government machinery to up-skill Indian youth and overcome the shortage of competency-certified welding workforce. Kamal Shah – Chairman, Mumbai Branch, IIW, said “We are keenly soliciting participation of bureaucrats and public sector companies in the International Congress 2020 and Weld India 2020 Expo being held in February 2020. The IIW will host a daylong session on ‘Role of Welding in Urban/Public Infrastructure – Bridges’. Subject experts from oil & gas, thermal, nuclear, defence, automobiles across the globe are being invited. IIW-India plans to invite participation from senior officials of Public Works Department and Urban Local Bodies of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Karnataka. The Indian Institute of Welding is also keen to seek participation of National Highway Authority, Indian and Konkan Railway officials.”
In February 2020, Navi Mumbai will play host to two major events in the national welding calendar – the International Congress 2020 (IC 2020) scheduled for February 6-8, and Weld India 2020 Expo from February 7-9, plus a concurrent event – YPIC, Young Professionals International Congress. The venue for these events is the CIDCO Exhibition Centre Vashi New Mumbai.
Organised by the Indian Institute of Welding (IIW), the theme of IC 2020 is Advanced Welding Technology & Quality Systems for Developing Economies.
Among the topics to be discussed at IC 2020 are: advanced welding and cutting processes and welding consumables for conventional and emerging materials; additive manufacturing and smart fabrication technologies; welding design, fabrication, automation and simulation; micro and nano joining processes; industry 4.0, IIoT and its application and benefits to welding processes; and skill development, education and training in welding.
Weld India 2020 is a 3-day International welding technology, metallurgy, material testing and non-destructive testing, speciality welding & fabricating and allied products industries exhibition. Organised by the Mumbai Branch of IIW, Weld India 2020 presents an opportunity to the leaders in welding equipment and consumables and allied industries like material testing and NDT, fabricators and specialised welding companies engaged in activities like cladding, maintenance, hard-facing, rebuilding and repair, additive manufacturing, etc., to display their wares and attract prospective customers.
Contact: IIW India, Mumbai. Tel: 022-25772637, 25794252. Email: [email protected]
