Pipeline Inspection Certification Program Could Prove a Benefit to AWS Certified Welding Inspectors This graphic displays the structure of inspector certification programs. (Courtesy of INGAA.) American Welding Society (AWS) Certified Welding Inspectors (CWIs) could potentially benefit from a new pipeline inspection certification program jointly developed by the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), INGAA Foundation, and Canadian Energy Pipeline Association along with its foundation. These pipeline trade associations in the United States and Canada have voted to endorse a program to ensure all pipeline inspectors doing work for their member companies are certified by 2018. The new certification program uses, as its base requirement, the American Petroleum Institute (API) 1169 Pipeline Inspector Certification test. This certification has also been revised to meet industry requirements in Canada. Additional certifications are required for specialty inspectors, such as AWS CWI and Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB) Level 2 for welding, plus National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) Level 2 for coating. The program developed by INGAA and its partners will not allow grandfathering into certification from other programs. All inspectors will be required individually to obtain the certifications required by the program. There is no ability to apply for equivalent certifications. Training for the appropriate certifications is available from AWS (aws.org) as well as CWB, API, and NACE. This new program could prove beneficial to AWS CWIs as more companies and regulatory bodies adopt these guidelines. Where fully adopted, this will require that all weld inspection be done by an AWS CWI or a CWB Level 2 Inspector. The program is expected to be fully implemented over the next two years. In addition, AWS CWIs now doing inspection on pipelines will need to obtain the additional API 1169 certification to continue working where the new guidelines are adopted. Faraday Future Breaks Ground on $1Billion Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Facility Faraday Future recently hosted a ground breaking for its manufacturing facility, where electric and technologically advanced vehicles will be built, at Apex Industrial Park in North Las Vegas, Nev. This $1-billion, 3-million-sq-ft, 900-acre development will create approximately 4500 direct jobs over a 10-year period. The production facility will be connected, futuristic looking, and environmentally conscious. The mobility company intends to use up-to-date advanced manufacturing equipment to produce its vehicles, including robotic automation, laser measurement and vision systems, autonomous material delivery, and aluminum joining along with coating technologies. Operations will cover body, powertrain/battery pack, and final vehicle assembly as well as paint operations. “We are moving extremely quickly for a project of this size,” said Dag Reckhorn, VP of global manufacturing at Faraday Future. “Our aim is to complete a program that would normally take four years and do it in half the time, while still doing it right.” The ceremony was attended by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak, and many officials. “We are thrilled to have chosen Nevada for the home of our first manufacturing facility and are deeply committed to bringing our investment to the state,” added Reckhorn. International Thermal Spray Association Offers Scholarship Opportunities The International Thermal Spray Association, a Standing Committee of the American Welding Society, has up to three graduate scholarships worth $2000 each to be awarded each calendar year. Applications will be accepted through July 15. For more details, including criteria requirements, visit the scholarship section at thermalspray.org. Mechanized Unit Construction Process to Save More Than $1 Million Annually at Ingalls The Navy Metalworking Center, Johnstown, Pa., is leading a Navy ManTech Integrated Project Team to improve unit assembly, preoutfitting, and kitting of components within the Ingalls Shipbuilding unit construction areas. Mechanizing unit construction processes, currently done manually, can save more than $1 million per year for the ships constructed by Ingalls. The Integrated Project Team will focus on improvements NEWS OF THE INDUSTRY 12 WELDING JOURNAL / JULY 2016 Pictured with shovels at the mobility company’s ceremony for its new development are (from left) Tom Wessner, VP of global supply chain at Faraday Future; Ding Lei, cofounder, global vice chairman at SEE Plan at LeEco; Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval; and Dag Reckhorn, VP of global manufacturing at Faraday Future. (Courtesy of Bizuayehu Tesfaye/AP Images for Faraday Future.)
Welding Journal | July 2016
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