The second day of the 2022 International Industry Fair was, as it is now the tradition, dedicated to welding technology. It was organised by the Krško Welding Society, the Maribor Welding Society and the SKEI Union (Slovenian Metalworking and Electrical Industry Union). Throughout the day, various professional lectures were held by various professional speakers. Special attention was given to materials and weldability, welding procedures, automation, robotization and industrial applications.
The visitors of the conference programme were first addressed by Mr. Franc Krošelj from the Krško Welding Society. “At the Society, we are extremely glad to be able to organise the Welding Technology Day for the fourth time already, in this place, in this form, and we are happy to add our small piece to the puzzle that is the International Industry Fair.”
The main purpose of the day was to publicly emphasise the importance of this industry with the exhibition and side events programme. Practically all products are welded one way or the other, but there is still a significant lack of welders in Slovenia. “The Welding Technology Day is the biggest professional welding event in Slovenia and is very important for the conservation and development of the welding profession. We should be aware that welding is a crucial part of the Slovenian industry. A considerable number of products is made using welding. This is why such meetings are of immense significance for this field,” said Dr. Andrej Lešnjak, president of the editorial committee of the Welding Technology Day. When asked how they were dealing with the problem of the lack of staff, he replied, “The lack of staff has always been present in this segment in Slovenia and we have been dealing with this problem in various ways. It is not a problem that appeared recently, in the last decade. It has been present for a much longer time. We are forced to rely on professional welders who come from other countries. The majority of them come from Bosnia and Serbia, and this is how we complete our teams with quality welding staff.”
During the day, a national welding competition was held. First, they tested their skills in a theoretical, written examination, and then they put their practical skills to the test. “The national welding competition was organised by the Maribor Welding Society. The contestants competed in two different procedures, the MAG procedure and the TIG procedure,” explained Dr. Andrej Lešnjak.
At the award ceremony, the executive director of the Celje Fair, Mag. Robert Otorepec addressed all those present: “I am very pleased that after a three-year break we gathered again for the Welding Technology Day, which became an integral part of the MIS fair.” “The National Welders’ Championship is also resounding, with excellent participation this year as well. After demanding theoretical and practical tests, we got the best welders in the country,” he added.
The winners of the National Welders Competition are:
MAG welding:
3rd place: Lihović Naser – Palfinger d.o.o. Maribor
2nd place: Emanuel Berghaus – Šolski center Ptuj, OE Strojna šola
1st place: Davud Husika – VAMAR d.o.o.
Emanuel Berghaus also received the award for best MAG welder from high schools.
TIG welding:
3rd place: Valentin Gramc – Varilstvo Popovič, Dragoslav Popovič s.p.
2nd place: Klemen Popovič – Varilstvo Popovič, Dragoslav Popovič s.p.
1st place: Branko Rakovič (former Yugoslav champion in welding)
The award for the best TIG welder from high schools went to: Vid Skaza – Šolski center Sl. Konjice – Zreče.
Best female welder award went to: Katarina Šauperl – SIRIUS Maribor.
At the same time, they also awarded the lifetime achievement award to Anton Gros.
