Member Article

Welding Development Centre recruits four key positions as part of growth strategy

The Welding Development Centre (WDC) has expanded its team in response to a rising demand for its consultancy, training, and certification support services.

South Shields headquartered WDC, which delivers a range of expert welding solutions across multiple industries including oil & gas, nuclear, aerospace, marine and automotive, has seen turnover increase by 57 percent over the past nine months as the economy continues to open up.

In response, it has created four new roles of business development manager and non-destructive testing (NDT) manager, as well as adding to its welding expertise with the recruitment of an additional welding engineer and welding technologist.

WDC also recently moved from its previous base in Jarrow to South Shields where it has secured additional office space alongside its world-leading welding centre. Managing director Peter Lyons, himself a certified International and European welding engineer, is also the business and technical director of sister company NECIT Services, a global leader in inspection, audit, and expediting services.

The growing success of WDC is partly due to the synergy that exists between the two companies, its growing reputation for excellence and the resumption of many engineering projects previously stalled due to the pandemic.

Peter said: “We have created a centre of welding excellence that is setting new standards in training and consultancy services that support clients in delivering beyond international standards, regulations, certifications and specifications.

“We also provide the expertise businesses need to train welders and gain the necessary accreditation that allow them to compete with much larger organisations for contracts.

“We have experienced a huge increase in work, partly due to our growing reputation for excellence as well as the resumption of engineering projects as economies continue to open up as restrictions around the pandemic ease.

“Much of our work was secured through word of mouth and personal recommendation but the creation of the two new roles of business development manager and NDT manager underlines our ambition to grow and expand into new sectors.”

Brian Cowell, from Newcastle, joins WDC as NDT manager after spending four years as welding and coatings manager with United Utilities. He has more than 13 years’ welding experience, working with such companies as Aker Solutions, Kvaerner, Kiwa Inspecta and CCB Subsea.

Aberdeen-based Alexander Flett has been appointed business development manager, tasked with growing the business overall, as well as strengthening its position in the Scottish market.

Starting out as a welder in 1997, he progressed to sales manager and business development roles with companies including Quickflange, Linvic Engineering and Harlen Fabrication. His most previous role was as business development manager for Air Liquide in Aberdeen.

Stephen Carr, from Ashington, joins WDC as a welding engineer, while Sean Peatfield, who will continue to be based in Aberdeen, has been appointed as welding technologist. Stephen has almost 40 years’ welding experience, having joined the company from Flexible Engineering Solutions, where he was quality, health, safety, and environment manager. Sean brings an array of practical experience having progressed from mechanical testing technician, to welding surveyor and welding technology manager.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Natalie Witterick .