February 2018 Meeting Announcement – Special Guest: Dale Flood 2018 AWS President

Greetings AWS East Texas Section Members & LeTourneau Student Chapter,
Join us in welcoming the 2018 AWS President, Dale Flood. Dale, will be presenting on: “MECHANIZING THE WELDING INDUSTRY“

WHEN: Wednesday, February 21, 2018 at 7:00 PM

LOCATION:
“Great Room” (1st floor) of the Allen Family Student Center (#39) map attached
2100 S. Mobberly Avenue, Longview, TX 75602
Map

SPEAKER: 2018 AWS President Dale Flood

TOPIC: MECHANIZING THE WELDING INDUSTRY

The US automotive industry has installed a new record of approximately 17,500 industrial robots in 2016. In the last seven years, the operational stock increased by about 52,000 units.1 The International Federation of Robotics says 2.6 million industrial robots will be installed worldwide by 2019.2 The American Welding Society estimates we are going to need more than 370,000 welders in the next 10 years.3 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, fewer than five percent of the nation’s welders are women.4 Do you think these statistics will not affect you?

What is a person supposed to do when robots start taking over an industry? It started with automotive, moved to heavy industrial equipment, then to all sorts of sheet metal components and what is next? Pipe? Structural components? Do you ever think, “They might be able to do this in a factory but they cannot do it in a fab-shop and especially not on a jobsite. Think again!

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.5 Do you have a game plan? We do!

Notes:
1) International Federation of Robotics Chicago Apr 25, 2017
2) MachineDesign Aug 4, 2017
3) AWS’s This Week in Welding ([email protected]) Aug 5, 2017
4) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
5) Charles Darwin

We hope to see you there.