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Experience the Perfect Weld Seam

14 November 2023 | 

voestalpine Böhler Welding CEO Stefan Glanz and CSO Thomas Platzer talk in the interview about current challenges in the welding world and the ultimate solutions voestalpine Böhler Welding is offering its customers to be best equipped for the future.

Interview with CEO Stefan Glanz

Mr Glanz, what major paradigm shifts do you see in the world of welding? How are technological challenges changing and what is currently the most important matter in welding technology?

The shift in customer demand towards automated welding will accelerate due to the declining number of skilled welders and the need for increased productivity. Proven expertise in welding, which is a key strength of ours here at voestalpine Böhler Welding. Supporting our customers to achieve productivity gains, meeting more documentation requirements, ensuring more care for the welders for sustainable production. I would say – these are main factors.

How is voestalpine Böhler Welding responding to these changes to ensure customer satisfaction?

We put “The Perfect Weld Seam” in focus, optimizing the components in our portfolio along with their integration and coordination with each other as a differentiator to create unique value for our customers.  Add to this our proven and renowned metallurgical and application know-how in solving our customers challenges and an excellently skilled sales team to help us create such unique value especially for our customers.

What answers does voestalpine Böhler Welding have to the demands of climate change? How is the company reducing its ecological footprint?

We have been implementing a strict energy and environmental management system for many years now,  allowing us to be able to continuously reduce emissions and energy consumption, ensuring 100% recycling of residual materials. We are pleased to see that these measures are now being followed by more and more other companies, not only to create a level playing field, but, more importantly, to accelerate the necessary countermeasures to fight global warming.

When you talk to experts and employees at voestalpine Böhler Welding, you always notice a strong team spirit and a lot of passion for the work. What makes this spirit so extraordinary?

I believe this particular passion is rooted in the nature of the welding and metal fabrications' industry. It’s the pride of producing the most durable products; it’s the pride of mastering sophisticated technologies; it’s the pride of being part of a special community.

What impressions did you gain from the trade fair?

I was delighted to see the high interest in our industry, which, apart from the large number of participants, was obvious from the many business people attending. It comes as no surprise that the megatrend of semi- and fully automated welding held a prominent place.

Did you have a particularly good experience that you would like to share with us?

I am very proud of our voestalpine Böhler Welding team. Seeing them with our current and future customers, observing their competence, their commitment means – I can be really grateful to our team!

See the full interview with CEO Stefan Glanz

Interview with CSO Thomas Platzer

Mr Platzer, voestalpine Böhler Welding is known for its welding metallurgy knowledge and the portfolio has also been constantly expanded. What is the reason why customers have such great trust in the company?

Our application & process knowledge is not only a very important part of our company’s success so far, but also one of the main pillars of our strategy. Our welding and metallurgical expertise is the backbone of our company, and we will continue to build on it to help our customers solve their welding challenges and to provide them with added value. We deliver on the expertise we promise – something that is true for us, but not for many others – and this creates trust.

All the company's success parameters have their place on the trade fair stand. Would you briefly summarize for us what your highlights are that make voestalpine Böhler Welding fit for the future?

We are showing our product innovations and welding solutions at 8 welding stations to support our customers in terms of productivity, health and safety as well as sustainability. Our complete product portfolio, coupled with the in-depth technical know-how that we have started, perfectly combines into welding solutions to provide added value to our customers. In the end, it's "The Perfect Weld Seam" that our customers are interested in.

“Experience The Perfect Weld Seam” is the motto of voestalpine Böhler Welding's trade fair appearance. Which products guarantee The Perfect Weld Seam? Would you please explain this to us in more detail?

We have taken the strategic direction of becoming the preferred Full Welding Solutions provider to support our customers in solving their complex welding challenges. The implementation of our strategic development is based on our strong portfolio of filler metals, coupled with excellent application and metallurgical expertise, complemented by welding equipment & software as well as personal protective equipment. With our experience and knowledge, we combine our product portfolio to improve customers’ productivity and reduce health and safety risks, while reducing environmental impact. In the end, we deliver “The Perfect Weld Seam”, and that is what matters most to our customers.

To deliver "The Perfect Weld Seam", we must:

  • have comprehensive know-how of welding processes 
  • have the best combination of all components in the portfolio 
  • integrate our products into a welding solution
  • use our unique metallurgical and application know-how

What topics were in the foreground during customer talks? What are the customers particularly interested in?

We have received a lot of interest in our recently and newly launched products and welding solutions. Let me present some highlights of the fair here:

  • Terra & Uranos NX: The recently upgraded power source product range, covering all requirements from manual to robotic welding.
  • CO-BRO® GUARD: Fully integrated collaborative welding cell, plug & play, including fume extraction system. With this product solution, we are the forefront of the market demands to offer collaborative welding systems that protect the welder.
  • GUARD FCW: We take the health of welders seriously as seen in the launch of the “diamondspark GUARD” portfolio of low-manganese content as well as the “FoxCore GUARD” with low chromium VI cored wires.

What impressions did you take awayfrom the trade fair?

There were many exhibitors and the interest of international visitors in what the welding and cutting industry has to offer in terms of products and solutions is great. The visitors, especially after six years since the last Schweißen & Schneiden, were also happy to meet again a refresh their contacts and networks.

See the full interview with CSO Thomas Platzer