"SVESTA-2007"
Welding.Robotic.Steel.

Book "SVESTA-2007" provides systematized economical-statistical information on the current state and development of the welding market in different countries of the world for a period of 2004 through 2006. "SVESTA-2007" gives quantitative and cost parameters of the output, consumption and export-import of equipment and consumables for welding and related technologies. "SVESTA-2007" presents the information on the world, regional and national markets of welding robots and steel, which is still the basic material for the fabrication of welded structures, the above information being presented in separate subsections.

"SVESTA-2007" is intended for the attention of managers and chief welders at factories, as well as for a wide range of welding specialists involved in technical-and-economic studies, production engineering and commercial and foreign-economic activities.

Editors-in-Chief

Authors of the collection

Translators

Editor

FOREWORD

Welding and related technologies play an enabling role, and are indispensable technologies for joining and treatment of materials, in almost all metal-working sectors of the manufacturing and construction industries around the world. Current welding engineering is characterised by ongoing growth in the numbers and areas of application of innovative technologies. These enable the drawbacks of traditional methods to be avoided and the level of scientific and engineering contributions to welding fabrication to be raised. The latest studies conducted in a number of countries show a continuous growth of real contribution of welding to the national economy of these countries.

The advancement of welding fabrication and increase in scientific know-how are based, first of all, on the achievements of fundamental and applied welding science. This is coupled with ongoing in-house and application innovations, and active diffusion of new types of welding products and other technology into industry, where it is adopted and adapted for production. This process of technology diffusion is supported by education, training, qualification and certification of people to become technology receptors in industry.

The increase of welding engineering output is directly related to intensive growth of worldwide production and consumption of steel as a basic structural material, as well as a growing demand from manufacturers of steel structures and parts for new power-saving and high-performance welding equipment, advanced welding consumables and innovation technologies for joining and treatment of materials.

Economic-statistical estimates of the volumes of manufacturing and the consumption of welding engineering products, as well as understanding of the structure and dynamics of the world and national welding markets, provide an understanding of the characteristics of the worldwide, regional and national welding industries. Radical changes have occurred in the structure of the welding markets in the early 21^st century due to the formation and rapid development of fundamentally new science-intensive equipment and advanced welding consumables. For example, the application of welding robots is continuously growing and contributing significantly to increases in the volumes of production of welding fabrication.

Statistical information on the main indicators of the growth of worldwide and national welding fabrication, and its significant contribution to global economies and foreign trade, forms an important guideline for scientists, researchers and developers of new welding engineering products, technologies and other innovations. Not only this, but such information also highlights the importance of welding, and its contribution to the quality of life in both developed and emerging economies, in the eyes of world leaders and decision makers.

The International Institute of Welding (IIW), through its Business Plan and Project “To Improve the Global Quality of Life Through the Optimum Use of Welding Technology" which is supported by its 52 member-countries world wide, is focusing on six key areas including, amongst others, the recognition of the value of welding, improving the image of welding and the production of an authoritative White Paper to represent the welding industry at all levels of decision making around the world.

The publication of this book, “Economical-Statistical Data on Welding Production SVESTA-2007”, by the E.O.Paton Electric Welding Institute (Ukraine) can contribute significantly to the goals of this IIW Project, and has been supported by the participation of a number of IIW member countries.

Chris Smallbone
President, International Institute of Welding (2005-2008)

INTRODUCTION

The International information-statistic book “SVESTA-2007” is the next publication of the E.O.Paton Electric Welding Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. This book is compiled on the basis of questionnaire answers of organizations of IIW member countries in accordance with a unified questionnaire of IIW (WT-1 and WT-2). In addition, the book includes statistical data on the state-of-the-art and prospects of development of the welding industry and economy of individual countries published in the world welding periodicals, annual reviews and forecasting of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) and International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI). The book is published under the support and auspices of the International Institute of Welding (IIW) and European Welding Federation (EWF), as well as the national welding societies and research centers of a number of the IIW member countries.

Our experience and opinions of specialists of other countries show that the systematized economical-statistical information about the status of the current world, regional and national productions, consumption and foreign trade of welding equipment and steel as a basic material for welded structures is, undoubtedly, of a practical interest both for scientists and for developers of high welding technologies and advanced equipment for welding and allied technologies. This is justified by the fact that during recent years a clear interrelation has been established between the demand for definite types of welding equipment and volumes of consumption of steel metal products in the industry and construction. This information provides nowadays the necessary orientations in formation of the new research trends of definite R&D projects characterized by the novelty and necessary competitiveness at the world market, which is especially important under the present conditions of the world economy globalization.

The information in the book is presented in the form of reference tables and graphs.. Material representation is peculiar by its laconic form and most suitable for next analysis or use as a reference. The book introduces new chapter “World and Regions”, then follow the chapters that contain data on separate countries included into definite regions. Structure of the chapters is of the same type and consists of three subject subchapters. The first one contains information about quantitative and cost characteristics of production, consumption, export-import of equipment and consumables for welding and allied technologies (brazing, coating, cutting, etc.). The second subchapter gives information about industrial robots, which are reasonably classed with the most advance equipment for automation of welding manufacturing. The third subject subchapter is devoted to the production and consumption of steel, keeping its positions as a basic structural material for the manufacture of welded structures.

In 2007 the work under the auspices of UNO and with participation of the national statistic bodies has been finalized for ordering a single international codification of types of industrial products, export-import types of products and forms of economic activity, including the appropriate chapters on welding equipment and welding consumables. Unfortunately, it should be outlined that most national welding societies and research centers of the IIW member countries have almost no information on welding manufacturing in their countries. This explains, in particular, the fact that many IIW member countries could not fill up the IIW forms (WT-1 and WT-2) of the questionnaire for subsequent adding of an appropriate information into the book “SVESTA-2007”.

The E.O.Paton Electric Welding Institute of the NAS of Ukraine and authors - compilers express their sincere acknowledgement to authorities of IIW and EWF for the support in publishing “SVESTA-2007”, national welding societies and research centers of Germany, Poland, Russia, India and other countries for the presented data and all organizations and specialists of other IIW member countries that rendered assistance by providing national publications on statistics or economy of welding manufacturing.

The Editorial Board of book “SVESTA-2007” will greatly appreciate if the readers and representatives of national welding societies, centers and companies-manufacturers of welding products will send comments on the practical value of the publication, and also critical comments as to its content.