I love this industry, and it’s been good to me.

There’s a lot of talk these days about the lack of skilled workers in the welding industry and most of the talk is negative:

“Manufacturing’s new problem: Finding workers” Green Bay Press Gazette

“Where have all the welders gone” Wall Street Journal (subscription req’d)

“Manufacturers must offer future” Milwaukee Journal Sentinal Opinion

I like to look at the positive side of it. If you like to create things from metal, or would like to learn how– the metal fabrication industry is wide open, and full of opportunities.

Just look at what’s on TV. ­ Nascar would be nowhere without skilled fabricators–each car is hand built.  And while Jesse James and his company West Coast Choppers, and The Teutul’s from Orange County Choppers ­ are some of the most visible, the list of successful fabricators is long, and full of people that have carved out a great living and life style in this industry.

The metal fabrication industry is huge and diversified.  From Pipe welding on large construction projects like power plants, water treatment plants, desalinization plants to aircraft, and ship building to high purity and process pipe welding for micro chip, medical device, food and beverage production to special interest race cars, hot rods, custom motorcycles, bicycles, experimental and production aircraft — the list goes on, and it’s getting bigger.

I predict that we are on the verge of an explosion in specialty welding and fabrication for emerging technologies like: Hydrogen fueled vehicles, personal power generation and storage, solar powered homes and more. I have listed a few resources in this blog, which can be very helpful.  Spend some time researching the links provided and see what you can gleen from them.

If you’re interested in starting a business in the metal fabricating industry, here’s a few of my suggestions for getting started:

• Do what you love
• Look at the big picture
• Use the internet to reach your market
• Create a global business model
• Work from home
• Don’t quit your day job (yet!)
• If you don’t have a day job get with it ASAP!
• Don’t wait for the right time. Do it now.

What you’ll need:

• A good up to date computer
• High speed internet connection
• Phone with vanity or 800 number
• Domain name
• Email address to your domain
• A supportive spouse
• Good credit rating
• Some start up capital
• A network of like minded people
• 5-7 years of dedication

This blog offers a fresh and brutally honest perspective on welding industry news, reviews of innovative companies and products, and profiles of those who are making an impact in the metal fabrication industry.

What we hope you’ll find: tips, tidbits, perspectives you won’t find elsewhere, as well as insights, original interviews and more that should be of interest to the metal fabrication market worldwide. We promise to keep the content fresh, and interesting.

This Blog is primarily written by Jim Watson (aka Joe Welder), a master fabricator, welding equipment designer, industry professional, online distributor, and owner of Arc-Zone.com, Inc.

Contact us with your suggestions, comments, corrections, errors, praise or flames. We will be editing comments for SPAM, and inappropriate content (you know what that means!)