IIW 2016 Annual Report

REGIONAL ACTIVITIES AND LIAISON WITH DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

GOAL: To promote the IIW and its Member Countries in all regions of the world for the mutual benefit of all

Mr Chris Smallbone (Australia) Chair: WG-RA

IIW AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS By supporting events of relevance around the world, the IIW has the opportunity to not only foster welding-related technology exchange, but to also have a presence in a wide range of re- gions, with the potential for the expansion of IIW membership and take-up of IIW programmes. In 2016, a number of events were supported in Germany, Spain, P.R. China and France and some exciting events are planned for 2017. The first-ever Western European IIW International Congress is to be held 17-19 May 2017 in Metz, France, titled ‘Welding, additive manufacturing and associated non-destructive testing’. India will be holding its 5th IIW International Congress in Chennai in December, with a parallel Young Pro- fessional International Welding Conference (YPIC) and welding exhibition, while a YPIC will be hosted by DVS in Halle in August 2017. Serbia will also host an IIW International Congress in 2017. Of particular interest is a raft of events planned for the region of Russia and the Customs Union which have resulted from on-going communication since the WG-RA meeting in July 2016. As well as two technical conferences, the first IIW Interna- tional Congress in Russia and the Customs Union region will be run jointly in 2018 by IIWMembers the Russian Welding Society (RWS) and the National Agency for the Control of Welding (NAKS). Some of the countries in the Customs Union Area are not IIW members so this will be a great opportunity to promote the benefits of IIWmembership. The WG-RA has always provided a forum for all IIW Member Societies to discuss and develop strate- gies to promote welding and IIW programmes around the world for the benefit of the people in these regions. Joint projects and meetings with other IIWWorking Units demonstrate a great team spirit and excellent cross-fertilisation of ideas. I will be retiring from my position as Chairman WG-RA after 21 years of service since 1993 and I would like to thank the great numbers of ma- gnificent individuals from IIW Members and other organisations involved in WG-RA who have contributed to the excellent work and success of IIW in improving the quality of life in so many countries through the optimum use of welding.

In 2016 the WG-RA continued to provide a very successful forum for the discussion, promotion and delivery of IIW services and activities to the regions of the world. ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL WELDING CAPABILITY WG-RA introduced a new project entitled Esta- blishing a National Welding Capability (NWC) in 2013 as part of its WeldCare Programme. This is actively promoted through the delivery of re- gional workshops discussing building blocks and implementation for NWC, attended by govern- ment, industry and other local organisation re- presentatives. As an example of a country building its NWC in cooperation with IIW, the Indian Institute of Wel- ding incorporated the NWC project into its ‘Wel- ding for Nation Building’ Project. During 2016, the Indian Institute, in cooperation with IIW Study Group Welding Research Strategy and Collabora- tion (SG-RES) and WG-RA, held the 6th IIW Wel- ding Research and Collaboration Colloquium and other key events during its Jubilee celebrations. Such colloquia, held in regions around the world, promote research linkages particularly for young professionals. Another initiative during the Ju- bilee included development of a welding educa- tion programme under India’s National Welding Training and Certification Scheme (NWCTS). WORKINGWITH KINDRED ORGANISATIONS In the framework of a Memorandum of Unders- tanding (MOU) was signed with WorldSkills In- ternational in 2006, WorldSkills speakers make regular presentations at WG-RA and Commission XIV Education and Training meetings to maintain communication and cooperation. A very suc- cessful 2-day workshop, Showcasing Successful National and Regional Activities in Establishing a National Welding Capability, was run jointly by WG-RA and C-XIV during the 2016 Annual As- sembly, attended by more than 50 people. During 2016, an MOU was also signed by IIW and the European Welding Association (EWA) to promote cooperation particularly in the field of health and safety in welding.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2016 IIW