In early April of this year, Ben Myhre, a Welding Trainer for Felling's Weld Training Center and Kyle Wald, the V.P. of Engineering for Felling Trailers, Inc., obtained their Certified Welding Inspector Certifications through the American Welding Society. Myhre will utilize his CWI certification to provide a higher level of training for his welding students he teaches at Felling's Weld Training Center. For Wald, the knowledge gained from the CWI certification will play an intricate part in engineering Felling's extensive model offerings. The pair will also work together to create a set of Felling Trailers Certified Weld standards that will be implemented throughout the company. " Our long-term goal is to become an AWS Certified shop," said Kyle Wald, PE, CWI V.P. of Felling's Engineering Department.
AWS is the worldwide leader in certification programs for the welding industry. Since the CWI (Certified Welding Inspectors) program inception in 1976, AWS has certified 97,000+ welding inspectors alone, plus thousands of more working professionals across other certification categories. AWS requires a minimum score of 72 percent in each of the three sections of the test: Part A, a two-hour, 150-question, closed-book test on fundamentals; Part B, a two-hour, hands-on test of 46 questions that requires the test-taker to use visual inspection tools and a sample code book; and Part C, a two-hour, open-book test of 40-60 questions that calls for finding the right code in the right code book. If the test-taker fails any part of the exam, he has to wait a year and also take 40 hours of additional professional training before retaking the exam.
Myhre and Wald completed approximately 80 hours of online training covering subjects such as Fabrication Math I, Fabrication Math II, Metallurgy I: Fundamentals Safety in Welding, Science of Non-Destructive Testing, Understanding Welding Symbols and Welding Fundamentals. Following this, the two then completed an additional 40-hour Certified Welding Inspector seminar that took place at a Testing/Training Center in Bloomington, MN. "There was a lot crammed into one week. We were up studying until 10:30-11 pm every night because we wanted to make sure we knew our codes and facts," said Ben Myhre, Felling's Weld Trainer. "I've taken a lot of tests in my career, and this test was pretty intense, very encompassing," said Wald. "Having Certified Welding Inspectors on our team demonstrates Felling Trailers' commitment to its quality standard and customer satisfaction. Ben and Kyle's accomplishments took much effort, and all of us at Felling Trailers, Inc. commend them on their achievement," said Brenda Jennissen, CEO of Felling Trailers, Inc.
For more information, visit www.felling.com.
This story also appears on Truck and Trailer Guide.
