Welding Lab: Expanded State-of-Art Facility for In-house Training

L-R: Mike Werner, Bob Hankel, Blair Haverstraw

More than 40 store managers and outside sales representatives from Central Welding Supply and Pacific Welding Supplies upgraded their expertise on the latest Lincoln Electric technology at a 3-day event held the last week in February 2020.

The training was the first event held in a newly expanded Welding Lab, remodeled to meet the ongoing needs of a growing staff of industry experts. Together, store managers and our sales team represent over 1,000 years of expertise from on-going training in-house, from real life case studies and years of experience in the field, as well as professional welding certifications.

Mike Werner, Technical Sales Representative from Lincoln Electric, was a foundation of support for the project, providing the latest Lincoln Electric equipment for hands-on training in the Welding Lab. Mike provided classroom training and direct guidance for hands-on operation. Bob Hankel, Vice President Sales, Pacific Welding Supplies in Auburn, WA, was inside lead on the Welding Lab project with Blair Haverstraw on the team for the facility construction and implementation of technology. Blair and Peter Benton, Technical Specialist and Outside Sales staff in Auburn, WA set up and configured equipment for the event, and Shelly Buol and Sarah Thompson coordinated scheduling and training materials.

The newly remodeled Welding Lab includes 5 separate welding booths, each configured with different welding equipment and processes, along with a CNC plasma-cutting table and a variety of other fabrication equipment. The Lab design offers an assembly line for “hands-on” training from one process to the next… all state-of-art technology.

In-house training isn’t new. Welding experts on staff have received in-house training for decades, as well as vendor training and new technologies previewed at industry expos. The opportunities for experts to share wisdom with each other is the foundation for the excellent service that is our mission. The new Welding Lab expands those opportunities with a ready place for hands-on sharing and current expertise on new and emerging technologies.

Congratulations to the team that made it happen, and Thank You for the benefit it will extend to our mission of excellent service and expert knowledge – at every location.