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Welding industry news, market reports, articles and white papers for the welding industry professional as well as in-depth analysis of important industry acquisitions and the latest developments in welding technology.

AWS Welding Summit 2024: Making an Impact on the Welding Industry

11 July, 24 10:56 am · Leave a comment · Glorious Hightower
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The AWS Welding Summit 2024 takes place on August 7-9 in The Woodlands, Texas. Each year, professionals from varying backgrounds and representing different segments of the industry gather at the conference to share their ideas, expertise, and perspectives on a broad range of topics including emerging trends in welding.

Come See Red-D-Arc at the 2024 Welding Summit

Red-D-Arc is a leader in welding and welding-related equipment solutions. With more than 50 locations in the United States and Canada, along with a strong network of North American distributors, Red-D-Arc has an equipment fleet that includes more than 45,000 units.

Come see the Red-D-Arc team in Exhibit #54 and talk to us about our comprehensive equipment offer, including welding and heating equipment, available for rent, lease and purchase.

Don’t miss two chances to hear from Red-D-Arc expert, Lori Kuiper

On August 9, Director of Specialty Products, Lori Kuiper will deliver the closing keynote, discussing the journey from apprentice to welding engineer. She will also share a few of the ways that she is making an impact in the welding industry. Additionally, Lori will also join Monica Pfarr (AWS), Shanen Aranmor (Weld Like A Girl), Mary Jo Emrick (University of Texas at Austin), Haley Satterwhite-Day (PECI), and Welding Artist, Sarah Stork for the Do I Have to Wear Pink?” panel discussion — a powerful discussion on women in welding. The group will offer their insights about the welding industry, how they’ve navigated their professional journeys, and give their thoughts on why women’s PPE doesn’t have to just be pink.

Can’t make it to the conference, but interested in talking to us about welding equipment and process expertise for your business? Contact us to connect with a Red-D-Arc expert.

Tank Manufacturing Made Easy with Weld Automation Equipment

07 October, 23 10:41 am · Leave a comment · Colin Brown
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IMG_2087 medium

An oilfield equipment and vessel manufacturer approached Red-D-Arc for assistance with a large project. It was awarded to them at the last minute and was not their primary area of expertise. The requirement was to manufacture 25 large tanks with a timeframe of only one year. Each of the tanks was to be 5 meters in diameter by 25 meters long, manufactured using 16 millimeter thick material at a weight of approximately 45 tonnes.
The experienced Red-D-Arc Weld Automation team was able to immediately address all of the customer’s challenges. While other suppliers where insistent that the customer purchase the equipment, Red-D-Arc determined that long term rental would be their best option. This would avoid the time consuming process of acquiring CAPEX approval to purchase such a large amount of equipment and would further increase the profitability of the project. The manufacturer also had questions on how to avoid ovality and transverse movement of the sub-assemblies. Red-D-Arc experts were on-hand to provide the right advice and the right equipment to address these challenges.
The rental equipment included:
• 6x 10 tonne turning roll sets
• 10x 60 tonne drive rolls
• 47x 30 tonne and 60 tonne idler rolls
• 7x submerged arc packages with LT7 tractors and DC600 power sources
Red-D-Arc worked very closely with the company to ensure their success, providing comprehensive training and on-site assistance. After the successful completion of this project the company has become recognized in their market and are receiving new orders from similar customers in the industry. Furthermore, they anticipate being awarded “phase 2” of this project.


Tank Fabrication Equipment

Red-D-Arc carries a variety of equipment useful for the construction and maintenance of storage tanks including:

weld automation button

Training Experts to Serve the Welding Industry

08 May, 23 8:46 am · Leave a comment · Peter Germanese
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Red-D-Arc is always striving to make sure that we can offer our customers the equipment they need to get their job done, on time and without fail. However, we know that there’s so much more to what our customers do than just welding equipment. It’s critical for us to have a deep understanding of what our customers are working on so that we can offer them the welding packages, including equipment and accessories, that are going to help them be as efficient as possible on the jobsite. That’s what it’s all about for us—leveraging our expertise to help our customers find the best solution for every job.

In order to continue building that knowledge base and ensuring our associates have the expertise they need to offer best in-class guidance to our customers, we are committed to ongoing training of our team. Recently, a group of our associates attended the Welding and Red-D-Arc Core Product Knowledge 101 training led by Weld Automation Specialist, Frank Carbone, from our West Region. Frank is a former Engineering Member of Lincoln Electric and a welding instructor. He has also designed many of the welders offered by Red-D-Arc, such as the Red-D-Arc GX300. The training was held in Arlington, TX and offered attendees a chance to apply their welding knowledge to specific Red-D-Arc welding equipment rental offers and expand their capabilities to support customers with product and application expertise. Red-D-Arc Welding and Automation Specialists, Herschel Barnett and Joe Rios, partnered with Frank to deliver the training.

We’re delighted about training even more welding experts. Attendees agreed that the training was “very informative” and offered a great “understanding of the equipment we offer and the processes that go along with them” making all attendees certain that the “knowledge gained here will be used on a daily basis for years to come.” We can’t wait for our next session and to continue building on the expertise that our customers have valued so much.

The knowledgeable Red-D-Arc team of welding specialists are always ready to help you find the best solution to meet your welding equipment needs. And with options to rent, lease or purchase equipment, you can count on us for the flexibility your business requires. Don’t hesitate to contact sales anytime online or by phone at (866) 733-3272.

6 Essential Tips for Hurricane Preparedness for Businesses

04 May, 23 3:01 pm · Leave a comment · Peter Germanese
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Hurricanes can be dangerous and cause major damage and power outages that may impact business operations for a short time or a significant duration until normalcy is restored. This is why managers and owners need to have a hurricane preparedness plan in place that keeps staff informed about what actions will be taken should a disaster strike. Let’s get into 6 important steps for ensuring your business is ready to handle the situation.

  1. Create an Actionable Hurricane Preparedness Plan
    Create a document listing the procedures that should be followed after a hurricane. The plan should clearly list each team members role when a storm is approaching, during the event and after it passes. Things to include are duties such as shutting off equipment, communicating with vendors and suppliers and building security.
  2. Keep Power Generators on Hand
    Generators provide your business and equipment for power that may allow you to continue certain operations after a hurricane cause a power outage. Unless you want to implement a complete operational shutdown, having generators included in your hurricane disaster plan is a must. Obtaining one just prior to, during or after a storm can be next to impossible due to demand.
  3. Backup Data on the Cloud
    Losing data and key documents due to a storm or damaged equipment can be a real problem for your business. However, data doesn’t have to be lost forever if you choose to include keeping it backed up on a secondary platform like cloud-based storage. This plan will give you remote access to the information, even if you cannot be physically in your business.
  4. Have a List of Emergency Contacts for Your Team
    After gathering a list of emergency resources and contacts, such as utility companies, hospitals, emergency services and other key assistance providers, make a copy of this document for each staff member and distribute it to them.
  5. Establish an Evacuation Plan
    Should the hurricane be particularly dangerous and long-lasting, employees will need a way to get off the property. This requires having a plan that includes assembly points, evacuation routes and allow for the accounting of each person on the premises. Practicing the evacuation procedures ensures that the plan can be followed appropriately.
  6. Provide Staff with Proper Hurricane Preparedness
    Personnel should be provided with training for a hurricane preparedness plan to be truly effective. Make sure they know the plan concerning what action to take at each stage of a storm. Performing drills routinely before hurricane season is especially important. However, consider running through the plan with them during the season as well.

Be Ready for the Storm with A Thorough Hurricane Preparedness Plan
While hurricanes occur more frequently in certain regions, they can happen anywhere making having a plan in place a must for all businesses. Get your company and team ready with generators, emergency contacts, data backups, evacuation planning and training to allow business to continue after a hurricane. Waiting until a storm approaches is too late and can leave you in a bad situation.

 

Lori Kuiper Featured on Arc Junkies

17 February, 23 6:51 am · Leave a comment · Peter Germanese
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Red-D-Arc’s Orbital Welding and Pipe Product Manager, Lori Kuiper, recently sat down with Jason Becker to record an episode of the Arc Junkies podcast. Arc Junkies is a welding podcast that is on a mission to help, educate and inspire the next generation of welders. Lori was joined by Red-D-Arc’s Welding and Automation Specialist, Bryson Ward.  During the conversation, Lori, Bryson and Jason discussed a variety of welding topics and some of the latest trends in the industry. They also delved into Lori’s journey to becoming an expert in the industry and what it takes to build a solid career in welding today.

We’re excited to hear all of the wisdom that Lori and Bryson shared. The episode drops on Monday, February 20 so be sure to check it out. You can listen to Arc Junkies on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.

 

Labor Shortages in Welding: Is There a Solution?

26 December, 22 9:23 am · Leave a comment · John Levan
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The manufacturing skills gap in the U.S. could result in 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030, according to a new study by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute. The cost of those missing jobs could potentially total $1 trillion in 2030 alone. Manufacturers are increasingly looking to solutions like robotics and automation to bridge the gap.
Because welding is an essential part of manufacturing, many concerns are focused on the welding industry, which has been facing a shortage of workers for several years. The American Welding Society, an organization supporting the welding industry and its workers, predicts that the country’s workforce will need 400,000 welders by 2024.
Along with machinists, carpenters, and other tradespeople, the versatile, skilled welder who can handle several welding methods has suddenly become a scarce commodity. The demand for skilled welders has been outpacing the supply and continues unabated, leaving many wondering what happened.

What’s causing the shortage of welders?

The causes of labor shortages in welding and other skilled trades can be attributed to several factors, but one of the primary causes stems from an aging workforce. Older tradespeople, many from the so-called baby boomer generation, are reaching retirement age faster than companies can replace them.
Over half of all skilled trades workers are 45 or older, and predictions indicate there will not be enough new workers to fill these openings. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for welders are projected to grow two percent from 2022 to 2031, considerably slower than the average for all occupations.
Despite limited employment growth, about 47,600 openings for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers are expected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of the openings will result from the need to replace workers who either retire or find different occupations.
However, although an increased rate of retirements might be the leading cause of fewer welders, it certainly isn’t the only one. (more…)

Miller’s Latest Dynasty TIG Welders Now Available for Rent and Lease

28 October, 22 1:16 pm · Leave a comment · Peter Germanese
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Red-D-Arc is now offering Miller Electric’s NEW lineup of Dynasty 210 TIG Welder, Dynasty 300 TIG Welder and Dynasty 300 Multprocess Welder for both rental and 36-month Welder-Logistics lease. These TIG welders feature a more intuitive user interface which allows you to unleash more capabilities, take on more complex jobs, and consistently produce quality welds. 

For more information click here

AWS Welding Summit 2022

19 August, 22 2:23 pm · Leave a comment · Peter Germanese
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Come join us at AWS Welding Summit 2022 in The Woodlands, TX on August 24 – 26 8:00AM – 4:30 CT

Red-D-Arc’s Lori Kuiper, Product Manager of Orbital, Heating & Pipe, will be speaking on Pre & Post Heat Treatment and Emerging Trends in Welding. This will contain data that is valuable to your businesses future success. Afterwards, connect with Lori Kuiper and national account managers Chuck McCabe and Jonathan Forte.

 

Sourcing Welding Equipment During Supply Chain Interruptions

21 October, 21 9:25 am · Leave a comment · Steven Featherstone
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preheating process pipe

There are no shortage of reasons for current supply chain issues and correspondent price increases, but it would be safe to say that we’ve never experienced anything like this in recent history.

For contractors, fabricators and other industry segments that require welding services, it’s more viable than ever to consider equipment outsourcing as a means of fulfilling existing orders and contracts, not to mention the ability to quote on new business opportunities without having to worry about having access to the most suitable equipment in sufficient quantities.

The basic tenet of rental versus ownership, is the idea of paying for equipment use, without the complexities and inconveniences of the cost of equipment ownership. These costs are often referred to as “hidden costs” as they are frequently overlooked when determining the total cost-of-ownership. To cite just a few examples, fleet owners not only have to arrange for back and forth transportation of equipment to their job sites, they also have to arrange and pay for storage and servicing of the equipment when not in use. If the equipment becomes out of date due as a result of being superseded by a new product, or if a new welding process is required, they can be stuck with obsolete or non-suitable equipment that has to be disposed of, or at the very least, loses some of its utilization potential. For servicing, maintenance and troubleshooting challenges, paid in-house personnel or outside service shops need to be retained and relied on to keep the equipment up and running, as well as certified or calibrated to meet published operational standards.

(more…)

Steel Erectors 48th Convention Trade Show 2021

28 September, 21 11:21 am · Leave a comment · Red-D-Arc Welderentals
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seaa tradeshow steel erectors

Red-D-Arc will be at the SEAA 2021 Convention & Trade Show  in Orlando, FL on October 12-14, 2021.

Drop by our booth to say hello and learn about some our latest equipment offerings.

Event Details

Welding Cobot Solves Production Challenge for Ontario Auto Parts Manufacturer

30 June, 21 3:11 pm · Leave a comment · Red-D-Arc Welderentals
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When a major auto parts manufacturer asked an Ontario fabrication shop to weld 50,000 parts in just 2 months, they took the job immediately; then they had to solve the problem of how to get that much welding production done within such a short time time period.  Read about how the adoption of welding cobots helped them deliver in this article from Shop Metalworking Technology magazine.

“If you turn this down once, you will never see a job like this again.”

 
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Welder shortage: Key is efficiency, not automation

02 April, 19 1:31 pm · Leave a comment · Colin Brown
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Note: This article first appeared in BIC Magazine

In industry, a growing trend is the idea to use orbital welding as a solution to the mounting problem of welder shortages. It is a well-known fact there are just not enough pipeline welders to go around (no pun intended). By 2020, the American Welding Society expects the U.S. will face a shortage of 290,000 welders. Companies in other business sectors — from food service companies to banks — attempt to solve labor issues and increase efficiencies by utilizing automation to replace workers. Is automation, specifically orbital welding in this case, the way to improve operating factors and productivity?

(more…)

Red-D-Arc Feature in Tank Storage Magazine

30 January, 18 4:49 pm · Leave a comment · Colin Brown
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AGW Automatic Girth Welder 3 Oclock Welder - Tank Storage Mag
Red-D-Arc was featured in the December/January issue of Tank Storage Magazine in an editorial titled “Rental welding equipment for storage tank fabricators”. Tank Storage Magazine is an industry leading publication, reporting exclusively on the bulk liquid storage tank and terminal sector.

The storage tank construction industry is highly competitive and fabricators gain a significant advantage by leveraging Red-D-Arc’s rental fleet of automatic tank welding equipment. Red-D-Arc supplies specialized automatic storage tank welding equipment to companies in the tank fabrication industry for projects all over the world.

Along with our specialized tank welding equipment comes a highly knowledgeable and experienced team of Red-D-Arc technicians. Sayer Hendricks – storage tank welding equipment specialist at Red-D-Arc is quoted in the article: “A fabrication company without prior knowledge of the equipment, is able to rent a turn-key tank welding automation system and increase their welding productivity by 40-50%. With on-site training, service and support, our customers are up and running quickly and making 100% x-ray quality welds without fail”

The full article is available here: Rental welding equipment for storage tank fabricators

Welding Equipment Assists With Offshore Wind Farm Projects

17 November, 17 3:20 pm · Leave a comment ·
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A Red-D-Arc customer based out of the UK was awarded three large offshore wind farm projects …all commencing simultaneously. This manufacturer was comfortable taking on so many large scale, specialized projects because they have a reliable, knowledgeable, tier 1 supplier capable of meeting all of their welding and weld automation equipment needs! Red-D-Arc was able to quickly accommodate all of the welding equipment requirements for the project, providing more than 150 welders and a variety of weld automation equipment. The equipment consisted of multi-operator welding paks, diesel welders, advanced power sources, wire feeders, submerged arc welding packages, and rotators.

Two Red-D-Arc technicians were assigned to the facility to install, service and maintain the equipment to minimize downtime. The facility allocated a permanent workshop and storage container for back-up equipment which could be used to quickly replace any equipment as necessary. With Red-D-Arc’s support, the customer was able to work on all three projects simultaneously and avoid lost time due to equipment breakdowns.

Dry Ice Blasting – Save Money, Reduce Waste and Increase Efficiency

13 November, 17 11:45 am · Leave a comment · Red-D-Arc Welderentals
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IMG_0766~2

A project manager approached Red-D-Arc with an interesting challenge. Their power plant stack had a failing paint system which needed to be prepped for repainting in order to prevent further corrosion. They needed a method of prepping the surface of the 60 foot tall stack which could be performed without the use of scaffolding and would not produce any residual waste, since it might interfere with sensitive components.

Red-D-Arc’s Blasting Specialists suggested dry ice blasting (DIB). Dry ice blasting is an environmentally sustainable cleaning and surface preparation method. It uses dry ice pellets which requires absolutely no clean up, unlike traditional surface preparation methods like grit, HP water and chemicals. Not to mention, dry ice blasting is very fast, effective and inexpensive.
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The 5 Most Common Mistakes Found by Welding Inspectors

10 August, 17 9:04 am · Leave a comment · Red-D-Arc Welderentals
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welding-inspection-01Welding inspectors have a responsibility to the company they work for and the general public to ensure that weld quality is satisfactory.  Failure to fulfill their duties can result in property damage, injury, and death.  Most welding inspectors, therefore, take their job very seriously.  Welding inspectors spend years honing their ability to detect and size welding discontinuities and defects.  While they must be proficient at identifying all discontinuities and defects, some of these weld irregularities are more readily detectable than others.

1. Surface Porosity

Porosity is gas that has been trapped in the weld; this results in cavity formation within the weld.  Porosity can cause reduced weld strength.  Welding inspectors who are not trained in other forms of nondestructive testing are limited to viewing the surfaces of welds.  So while not all forms of porosity can be detected by a welding inspector, porosity that extends to the surface of the weld can.
(more…)

New Red-D-Arc Branch in Regina, Saskatchewan

09 June, 17 2:43 pm · Leave a comment · Colin Brown
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Red-D-Arc Regina Saskatchewan Branch

Red-D-Arc has opened a new Branch in Regina, Saskatchewan to serve the growing demand for welding, weld automation and power generation equipment rentals in Western Canada.

Cody Sauer is the branch coordinator at the new Regina location. Coming from the oil, gas and potash industry, Cody is very knowledgeable and looking forward to helping our Saskatchewan customers with their welding needs.

The next time you need welding equipment or advice in the Regina area be sure to stop by the branch, or give them a call at 306-522-1874.

Induction Heating Speeds up Repair of the World’s Largest Rock Crusher

09 January, 17 2:47 pm · Leave a comment · Geoff Campbell
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Induction heating coil on large metal piece
Red-D-Arc staff at the Moncton, New Brunswick branch recently helped a customer save time and money repairing the world’s largest rock crusher through the use of induction heat. The hydraulic cylinder that operates the pressure plates used by the enormous rock crusher needed to be brought to a temperature of 500 °F and that temperature needed to be maintained for 3 full days. This was required in order to allow welders to repair the lifting tabs on the cylinder. Normally 3 workers would have used blow torches to heat the metal which would have taken 2 weeks or longer. Red-D-Arc Induction Heating Equipment allowed them to get the job done in less than half the time. Induction heating has many applications in construction, shipbuilding, hydro dam maintenance and bridge building. Red-D-Arc technicians are recognized in the industry for their innovative application of this technology, ready to meet any variety of customer challenges. (more…)

International Pipeline Conference & Expo

23 September, 16 8:35 am · Leave a comment · Geoff Campbell
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International

Red-D-Arc will be attending the International Pipeline Conference & Expo in Calgary – September 27-29, 2016. If you’re planning on attending, drop by booth #2101 and talk to our equipment specialists to learn more about how we support pipeline operations around the globe.

Red-D-Arc carries a wide range of equipment for the pipeline industry including induction heating equipment, pipe end prep, multi-process pipe welders, orbital welders and generators.

Visit the Conference website

Visit the Expo website

Map:  Hyatt Regency & Telus Convention Centre

Customer Project: Tesla Gigafactory

01 September, 16 11:17 am · Leave a comment · Geoff Campbell
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Nevada – The Tesla Gigafactory, which produces lithium-ion batteries for Tesla Motors, will be the second-largest facility (by usable space) in the world, once all construction phases are completed. Staff from our Branch in Sacramento have been on site since ground was first broken in 2014. Red-D-Arc has been working closely with contractors on the project, providing a fleet of welders and generators, expert advice, and ensuring equipment performance and availability.

Our experts regularly consult on large scale construction projects and help solve the challenges around equipment procurement and maintenance faced by engineering project managers. Contact an expert for insights and advice on your next construction project.

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Airgas, an Air Liquide company, is the nation's leading single-source supplier of gases, welding and safety products. Known locally nationwide, our distribution network serves more than one million customers of all sizes with a broad offering of top-quality products and unmatched expertise.