Learn from the experts why thousands of European manufacturers have implemented ISO 3834 to improve productivity, quality, competitiveness and trade
The American Welding Society (AWS) and GSI - Gesellschaft für Schweißtechnik International mbH, represented by GSI SLV Munich in overall charge, have already cooperated in the organisation of the second conference about "US / European Welding Standards". The event took place at the AWS headquarters in Miami on January 26 - 28, 2014. The background to the event is the increasing demand of both European and North American companies for knowledge, experience and further education possibilities with regard to national and international requirements on manufacturing plants and products as well as to the corresponding standards and sets of rules.
In times of continuously advancing globalisation and the associated increase in the complexity of the economic relationships, ever more companies are being confronted with the questions relating to what must be borne in mind when they want to fabricate their products abroad or to sell their products abroad. The first conference about these questions was already staged very successfully at SLV Munich in 2012.
This year as well, the great interest and the high number of participants confirmed the concept of the joint event. Various lecture and discussion units on the following subjects were lined up in the proven way: manufacture of construction products made of steel and aluminium, manufacture of pressure devices as well as manufacture of rail vehicles and heavy machines.
In order to facilitate the comparison between the American and European sets of rules, the individual subjects were introduced by presentations from American and European viewpoints.
In detailed discussion circles, differences and common features were subsequently discussed intensively with companies, notified bodies and certification societies. European manufacturers which want to supply to the USA and North American manufacturers which want to supply to Europe received a lot of valuable information as a result of these presentations and discussions.
For example, the following subjects also played a significant role throughout the event: The partly different opinions about the role and responsibility of the welding supervisor during the planning, execution and assessment of orders, the significance of ISO 3834 in the USA and the associated need for the qualification of personnel and the partly different opinions about the significance of the training and qualification testing of personnel in Europe in comparison with the significance of the certification of personnel in the USA.
The subjects of this conference were embedded into the topical discussion about the economic treaty between Europa and the USA which is being negotiated at present (TTIP - Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership). The actual status of this was discussed with representatives of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
The members of the German delegation were Prof. Cramer and Mr. Wackerbauer, GSI SLV Munich, Mr. Mährlein, GSI SLV Duisburg, Mr. Gerster, Gerster Engineering Consult Ehingen, and Messrs. Ahrens and Middeldorf, GSI mbH.
Within the framework of this event, both GSI and SLV Munich intensified the working contacts to the American Welding Society (AWS), particularly against the background of the planned approval of GSI SLV München as a training and qualification testing body for welders according to the AWS set of rules. Furthermore, it was possible to discuss the details of the preparatory course for the qualification testing of Certified Welding Inspectors at SLV Munich. Deliberations about staging joint courses for International Welding Engineers were specified in concrete terms and will be followed up in the near future.
Further information about the contents and results of this conference is available from: ahrens @gsi-slv.de
It is planned to stage the next joint conference on these and other subjects at SLV Munich on June 7 - 9, 2015.