Making investments in new technology & equipment can feel more of a risk in these uncertain times, especially for smaller businesses such as Daver Steels, not just because it involves a financial commitment but also because each new acquisition requires the team to invest a significant amount of their valuable time. Taking opportunities when they arise is a must though as we strive to make continuous improvements through out the company to our working practises & refine our offering to our customers.
We started using the welding management software WeldCloud Notes in 2023 & it has been trialled by our in house Responsible Welding Coordinator Darren Spalding, who oversees the PQR & Welder Qualification management at Daver Steels & Daver Minianchor Ltd. This is a requirement of our welding quality system under ISO 3834, which both companies hold. The software has made it easier to write & produce new welding procedure specifications (WPS), as well sharing project information & welding traceability data with our customers. The software is constantly being updated and worked on from the feedback that Darren and other users provide.
ESAB’s WeldCloud Productivity works alongside WeldCloud Notes, connecting weld plant via blue tooth to the software for monitoring purposes. Daver Steels have been trialling this also, using it to monitor arc time, weld sessions, volts, amps, wire speed all welding values. There is an option to trace consumables & batches of wire to a project using the barcodes from the packaging that are scanned in to log the relevant information. We are working towards being able to log the operator, part id, assembly id, consumption data such as filler, & the specific WPS using barcodes or QR codes. ESAB will produce codes for us if the item has a data sheet and is not a ESAB product. There is the facility to create our own codes for the operators and WPS’s. It is an exciting step forward in being able to gather real time data & provide full traceability where our customers require it for nuclear projects & the like.
A team from WeldCloud & InduSuite came to visit our factory in Sheffield to make a film all about how the software supports welding management at Daver Steels & features interviews with Director Lee Stones & RWC Ex CL3 Darren Spalding.
