The Nordic Welding Expo 2012 trade fair that ended in Tampere on Thursday, October 25, portrayed – in collaboration with 80 exhibitors – the central and significant role of welding in our society. In addition to products, services, and latest solutions, the exhibition brought out a wealth of latest information and discussions on future prospects. Other exhibitor countries, in addition to Finland, were the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, and Estonia. In parallel with the NWE Expo, Expomark Oy organised the Energy 12 fair and the EnergyForum 12 event. For all events the total number of visitors at the Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre in the three days was 8,975, of which 2,826 visitors registered primarily for the NWE Expo. The next NWE fair will be held in Tampere in 2014.
Welding is required in almost every industrial field, which is why a specific exhibition has so well managed to maintain its place. Welding, joining, and cutting professionals had, for the fourth time, an excellent opportunity to create contacts and networks, and to join forces in discussing best practices in the field at the Nordic Welding Expo in Tampere.
– Feedback received from the NWE fair revealed that the exhibitors were particularly pleased with the quality of the visitors. One clear indication of the fair’s success is that several notable players in this field made preliminary reservations, already during the current event, for the Nordic Welding Expo 2014 fair, says Project Manager Raimo Pylvänäinen from Tampere Trade Fairs Ltd.
Toni Paalanen from Pietarsaari is the new Finnish young welder champion
At the fair, the Welding Society of Finland (WSF) organised the third Finnish Championships for young welders. In this event, people who are under 21 and students at a vocational school, and who also already have some working experience, compete against each other in the art of welding. There were more than 20 participants in all, and the top eight took part in the finals held at the fair. On Thursday, October 25, the title of Finnish Champion for young welders was given to Toni Paalanen (Optima (name of school), Pietarsaari (location)). In the competition, second place went to Ville-Pekka Virtanen (Savo Consortium for Education, Kuopio), third place to Fredrik Djupsjöbacka (Optima, Pietarsaari), fourth place to Santeri Haanpää (Sataedu, Kankaanpää), fifth place to Olari Kalde (Sataedu, Kankaanpää), tied for sixth place were Aleksi Ylipaasto (Sataedu, Kankaanpää) and Oskar Östman (Optima, Pietarsaari), and eighth place went to Joni Härkönen (Salpaus, Lahti).
– This year, the Finnish Championships welding competition saw the fiercest battle yet between the participants that placed first and second. The best two competitors will be attending the Nordic championships, organised in Stockholm in two weeks. This competition for young welders is called the Nordic Welding Competition. He who fares better in Stockholm will be Finland's representative in the WorldSkills competition that is organised in Germany next summer, states the Finnish competition's director Seppo Paloluoma of the WSF.
Welding awards given to GaV Group Oy, the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, and Optima
On Tuesday, October 23, the NWE 2012 exhibition was opened by Pekka Heikonen, CEO for Pemamek Oy Ltd. Chairman of the Welding Society of Finland (WSF), Ismo Meuronen, gave the Vuoden Hitsaushuippu (Top Welder of the Year) award to a distinguished company, controlling authority, and training organisation. GaV Group Oy was awarded as the welding company. The arguments for this stated that GaV Group Oy has developed its production in a determined manner, and utilised robotic welding in the serial production of exacting pressure equipment and welded assemblies. Using robotics in welding has had a remarkable effect on welding productivity, and it also enables importing the company’s pressure equipment know-how. The nuclear reactor regulation unit of the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) got the welding controlling authority award this year. This unit has worked purposefully and uncompromisingly in the field of nuclear safety control, starting in the 1970s and continuing to this day in the ongoing OL3 project. A significant part of their work concentrates on quality control in manufacturing and welding, with the aim of ensuring the safety of welded pressure equipment and other machinery and structures in demanding long-term use. As a welding trainer, the Metal and Machinery training team of the vocational upper secondary school Optima was the recipient of this year’s award. For several years, the team has worked in an exemplary, active, and fruitful manner in training young welders.
On the fair’s opening day, the WSF also awarded the best theses required for a diploma and articles in the Hitsaustekniikka (Welding Technology) magazine. The best thesis in 2010 was Tandem MAG – Welding of Steels Grades 960 MPa by Risto Ylikangas. For 2011, Severi Anttila’s Mechanical and Corrosion Properties of Ferritic Stainless Steels Welded with Ferritic Filler Metals was chosen as the best thesis. The best article in the Hitsaustekniikka magazine in 2010 was Lujat ja ultralujat alumiiniseokset sekä niiden hitsattavuus (Hard and ultra hard aluminium alloys and their weldability) by Jouko Leinonen. Mekanisoitu hitsaus – Ai, mitä varten? (Mechanised welding – Oh, what for?) by Kari Lahti was deemed the magazine’s best article in 2011. Finally, a special mention for best diversions went to the Hitsaustekniikka magazine’s Eero Nykänen, whose comics situated in the world of welding have lightened the magazine’s look for a number of years now.
The WSF and Tampere Trade Fairs Ltd continue their cooperation – the new E Hall in use in 2014
The Nordic Welding Expo was organised for the first time in 2006. Since the beginning, the aim has been to create an event specifically for welding professionals, and one that is continually developed in the long run. The majority of the fair’s exhibitors have attended the expo ever since the first year. The Welding Society of Finland (WSF) and Tampere Trade Fairs Ltd are working together to organise the next NWE event in 2014. By that time, the new E Hall at Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre (TESC) that will be completed in 2013 will also be at the fair’s disposal. The technical solutions provided by the new hall will provide an excellent venue for a professional trade fair of this kind. At the expo, Tampere Trade Fairs Ltd donated 5,000 euros to the WSF, for the purpose of supporting future development in the field of welding.
All media materials and a link to the picture bank at the event’s media page at www.nordicweldingexpo.fi (Media).
FURTHER INFORMATION: www.nordicweldingexpo.fi
Tampere Trade Fairs Ltd, www.tampereenmessut.fi
Raimo Pylvänäinen, Project Manager, tel. +358 400 671 923, [email protected]
Tanja Järvensivu, Communications Manager, tel. +358 50 536 8133, [email protected]
Meri Mattila, Communications Assistant, tel. +358 400 914 877, [email protected]
Welding Society of Finland:
Jouko Lassila, Executive Director, tel. +358 40 589 7071, [email protected]
© Koodiviidakko Oy - Y-tunnus 1939962-1