Premium quality requires exceptional skills
Complex processes, working under heat and pressure as well as zero tolerance for errors — the job is demanding and varied. It requires specific expertise in metals, an absolutely steady hand and the ability to set the perfect weld to the nearest millimeter. Skills that industrial companies are literally fighting for on the job market, as welders are very much in demand in times of a shortage of skilled workers.
To give the field of work the visibility it deserves, both internally and externally, PALFINGER hosted the in-house Weld Cup in Lengau. Between June 12 and 15, together with Fronius as a sponsor, PALFINGER was looking for the company's best European welders. “Welders are indispensable and become increasingly important for PALFINGER as well as the entire industry. As a provider of integrated complete solutions, every single step must be right. However, without optimum weld seams, our products would not be able to withstand their demanding operating conditions,” says Gottfried Rumpl, Vice President Operations Fabrication EMEA, PALFINGER AG. “As part of the Weld Cup, experts from various PALFINGER sites demonstrated their impressive skills and once again confirmed PALFINGER’s high quality.”
20 hours of welding time in just three days: The PALFINGER Weld Cup
A total of eight PALFINGER plants from Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Poland, Slovenia, Germany and Austria sent their best welders to compete in the PALFINGER Weld Cup. They met at the PALFINGER Campus, the company’s largest production site, and, under the experienced eye of Bernhard Eicher, Head of PALFINGER apprenticeship training, solved complex and challenging tasks involving various welding positions and PALFINGER-specific seams.
Even away from the competition, factory tours in Lengau, Köstendorf and Elsbethen as well as common activities made for an exciting program. The conclusion was the award ceremony on June 15 in Lengau - with the prize going to Damir Smajlovic ahead of second place Dejan Gavranović (Plant Maribor, Slovenia) and third place Rumen Ivanov (Plant Cherven Bryag, Bulgaria). In addition to goodies from PALFINGER and Fronius for all participants, the winner also received the Weld Cup trophy and — as a big surprise — a high-quality welding machine provided by Fronius. “Welding is often associated with dark workshops and loud noise levels, but thanks to modern technologies and new types of welding tasks, things are quite different now,” emphasizes Roland Lechner, VP Human Resources EMEA, PALFINGER AG, “it’s more about high precision and a connection between human and machine. This combination of skills is fundamental to the premium quality of our innovative solutions, and we want the people who deliver these skills to feel our appreciation.”
