Business of Welding: Pitching In

It’s always good to get feedback, and lately I’ve been getting quite a lot. I’ve always taken the position that my columns should cause people to stop and think, then hopefully “engage.” Even if you don’t always agree with my line of thinking, hope- fully we can agree that saying or doing nothing rarely leads to progress.

If you have been following my column for the last couple of years you will likely have noticed that I’ve shared a lot of information about what the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB) and the Canadian Welding Association (CWA) are doing. While I do work for them, the purpose of this column is not to pitch their services. Rather, the focus is to shine a light on what I see as a series of national problems that cut across the welding industry and are in need of national solutions.

With that in mind, CWB/CWA as the only national welding organizations, tend to be, by default, both the map and compass for change. Frankly, while it’s interesting to know what is being done locally by others, I always find myself asking: how do these activities solve the bigger underlying problems? Most of the time the answer is: they don’t. And therein lies the problem—regional reach and influence are after all, well, regional...

Regions have their rights and are empowered to make change within their jurisdiction as they see fit. That’s all well and good, but industry is rarely highly regionalized, and generally needs to take a more national perspective when it comes to finding work, materials and skilled labour. Gone are the days when your only customers were your neighbours, and the local schools met all of your training and workforce needs. Yet, here we are in 2014, still somewhat stuck in the past. Clearly there’s a need for change, a need for action, a reshaping of the industry.

So, whatever your feelings may be with respect to the CWB or CWA, they are well positioned to help.

They represent a unique value for the industry as they are able to do things that the industry by itself is unlikely, or unable, to do. Further, they are focused nationally and for the good of the industry. You want change? It can be delivered, and at this point it’s not so much how, but when.

HOW YOU CAN HAVE A SAY IN THE FUTURE OF WELDING WITHIN CANADA

What does it take to reshape an industry? First, there must be a clear set of key issues that need to be addressed, then there must be a degree of panic related to these issues, and finally there must be recognition that solutions are needed now—before all is lost. Sound familiar?

It’s where we are right now. We now know that education, job portability, offshoring, productivity, cost of material and production as well as staffing are issues shared by all, and are things that are not going to fix themselves, even with the best intentioned individual or local effort.

What’s important to understand is that these issues are not local, or even provincial—they are national, even international, in scope. While some may find it convenient to consider these issues as “regional,” the facts are that problems associated with finding a job, or employees, or business, or even keeping a company profitable all tie back to issues that are “big picture.” Simply trying to fix the problem in one province does not fix the underlying issues, in fact, in some cases it actually makes it worse. Let’s face it, all employers, everywhere, need good welders, favorable tax and utility rates and steady access to contracts. All welders, everywhere, need access to good and ongoing education, job prospects and the ability to go where the work is (or find work at home). “Fixing” these issues out west only creates problems for those out east. People and industries in British Columbia, Alberta, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland all need the same things, so why not work together nationally to help fix the problem?

FOR INDUSTRY, BY INDUSTRY—PUT YOUR HAND UP TO HELP

So, in recognition that at the national level someone has to lead, the CWB will be creating a number of national action advisory groups focused on the following key welding-related industries: structural; pipe and pipelines; pressure vessels; transportation and manufacturing/repair.

The goal is to develop and then implement industry-driven solutions—this is the start of a “for industry, by industry” action plan, without the burden or delay of committees and unnecessary bureaucracy. Basically, you tell CWB what is needed and they go to work to make it happen at a national level.

If you are involved in one of these industries and want to provide insight into what a national solution might look like then I would encourage you to contact CWB at info@cwb- group.org. This gets you a place at the table and an opportunity to help define a new national commitment to fixing our collective problems.

While I keenly recognize that large national problems are rarely solved overnight, I also understand that they will never get solved if everyone is focused locally. With your support things can change faster, and for the betterment of everyone. So, please put your hand up and pitch in to create a stronger industry.

Ian Campbell is Director of Marketing and New Product Development with CWB.