The winners of the 2023 New South Wales and ACT Welding Excellence Awards have been announced in Sydney.
Weld Australia’s Excellence Awards are the most prestigious event on the welding industry calendar. The Awards showcase and celebrate the world-class work being undertaken by local welders, fabricators and industry educators.
This year, the awards were held at Waterview and saw the best and brightest from the ACT and New South Wales’ welding industry come together to acknowledge the incredible calibre of work achieved over the past 12 months.
According to Weld Australia’s CEO, Geoff Crittenden, “The 2023 New South Wales and ACT Welding Excellence Awards highlight the outstanding achievements of our local professionals while emphasising the industry’s unwavering commitment to excellence. At Weld Australia, we are proud recognise both companies and individuals who are pushing boundaries in welding quality, safety, and innovation.”
“Our celebrated winners this year represent both businesses and individuals dedicated to crafting innovative and sustainable strategies, prioritising safety, and enhancing the overall skill set in the welding community,” Crittenden said.
NEPEAN Engineering & Innovation won the 2023 Company of the Year Award – Fabrication. Established in 1974, NEPEAN Engineering & Innovation has become one of Australia’s largest privately owned engineering service providers. NEPEAN offers a full range of engineering services across sectors such as mining, defence, manufacturing, infrastructure, construction, aerospace.
Indigee Metals won the 2023 Indigenous Company of the Year Award. Indigee Metals is a majority Indigenous-owned and Supply Nation registered manufacturing company, being a joint venture between JNC Group (Aust) and Precision Metal Group.
Allweld Services won the 2023 Company of the Year Award – Supplier. Allweld Services is 100% Australian-owned and operated, employing over 50 staff including technical representatives and service technicians for both gas and electrical equipment. With three conveniently located branches at Beresfield, Muswellbrook and East Maitland, as well as a daily delivery service, Allweld services the needs of fabricators across the state.
Apex Welding Safety (AWS) and TSS Engineering were joint winners of the 2023 Health and Safety in Welding Award. Established in 1994, AWS specialises in welding safety equipment, supplying all forms of welding fume product controls. In 2022, AWS commissioned an independent scientific study to compare the effectiveness of welding fume product controls.
TSS Engineering won the 2023 Project of the Year Award. TSS Engineering played a pivotal role in one of Sydney’s landmark projects: the Rozelle Interchange. The Rozelle Ventilation Steelwork is a striking architectural achievement designed by Studio Chris Fox and expertly executed by TSS Engineering. The project’s primary objective was to fabricate and install architectural structures around three ventilation stacks, each standing at 25m in height.
The NSW Department of Education won the 2023 Training and Education – Organisation Award. The NSW Department of Education introduced a new program in 2019 designed to boost interest from secondary students in manufacturing and engineering courses. The WELD Hub Manufacturing program provides students with access to augmented reality welding simulators. With 80 simulators installed in 40 schools, the program is delivering exceptional results.
Nathan Kelly from TAFE NSW Orange won the 2023 Training and Education – Individual Teacher Award. Nathan delivers the Certificate III in Engineering at TAFE NSW. He has been involved in product development, as well as creating assessments and resources. Nathan is actively involved with WorldSkills Australia, organising regional competitions and a mentor for past and future competitors within the welding and metal fabrication trade. Nathan is also a highly skilled welder with extensive hands-on experience in all welding processes.
Harrison Field from A-OK Metal Fabrication was named the 2023 Young Trades Person of the Year. Harrison, age 20, is a skilled tradesman who completed his metal engineering apprenticeship and Certificate III Engineering Fabrication Trade in 2022 to the highest standard. He is currently employed by A-OK Metal Fabrication in Bathurst. Harrison is known for his exceptional welding skills and has a genuine passion for the craft. Harrison is truly self-motivated and determined to be the best in his field. The winners of the 2023 Welding Professional of the Year Award were: Alireza Samimi Mottaghi from Professional Welding Clinic for the Welding Coordinator category; David Parr from Alfabs for Welding Supervisor (with Joel Mennie from MC Quality Control named as runner up); and Shaun Brown from MC Quality Control for Welding Inspector.