ACU_November 2016 Final Draft

GLOBAL NEWS
Robotic welder closes gap on job orders
at FAST Global Solutions
GLENWOOD: A room-sized robotic
welder quickly seals steels without
complaint at a major manufacturer of
WASP ground support equipment for
the airline and cargo industries in this
Minnesota town.
Fast Global Solutions says it purchased
the welder, the CLOOS Q1501008 E-
Large System with two robots, to
support increased global demand for
FAST products.
“Our line of WASP ground support
equipment is known around the world
for quality, and the CLOOS robotic
welder ensures consistent quality and
faster production times,” said Eric
Kolstoe, FAST's vice president of
manufacturing.
CLOOS makes identical welds on each
piece of equipment, which increases
service life and confirms consistent
quality. The robotic welder also can be
programmed to do 3D spatial checks
prior to placing every weld.
The checks act as a second set of eyes,
allowing the team to see that welds are
correctly positioned on the seams
every time.
The robot supplements FAST's
growing welding team in Glenwood.
Welders program the robot to handle
long, standard welds since it can
manage that in a fourth of the time as
can be done otherwise.
The skilled team tackles shorter, more
complex and customized welds. The
combination ensures quality products
that are completed quickly.
FAST's team of nearly 100 welders,
who are certified by the American
Welding Society, participated in
classroom training on the robotic
welder, where they learned basic
concepts and operational safety
measures as well as practiced service
protocols.
After completing the classroom
training, welders transitioned to onthe-job
training to refine their
programming skills.
“This machine is a major step in the
p l a n t o continually i n t roduce
advanced technology throughout
FAST's manufacturing facilities,”
Kolstoe said. “It's been a great addition
t o o u r g a m u t o f h i g h - t e c h
manufacturing equipment, which
increases capacities while continuing
to ensure the level of quality
synonymous with the FAST name.”
Since FAST added its first robotic
welder in 2003, the company has been
introducing larger units and more
pieces of high-tech manufacturing
equipment to enhance productivity
and quality.
T h e C L O O S w e l d e r j o i n s a
manufacturing fleet that includes
plasma laser cutters, large-scale press
brakes, automated powder-coat
painting lines and more to support
providing quality equipment quickly.
FAST has grown by more than 70
percent in the past two years to meet
the needs of its growing customer
base. Company growth has come
through advancements of technology
in manufacturing equipment as well as
200,000 square feet in additional
manufacturing space.
WFS gets cargo handling and trucking contract from PIA
LONDON: Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has won a threeyear
contract to provide cargo handling and trucking services for
Pakistan Inter-national Airlines (PIA) in the UK.
The Paris-based WFS, the world's largest air cargo handler with
annual revenues of €1 billion, will handle export and import cargo
for PIA's wide-bodied flights at London Heathrow, Birmingham
and Manchester, connecting customers in the UK with
Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.
At Heathrow, cargo carried onboard PIA's 10 flights a week will be
managed at WFS' Building 551 in the airport's World Cargocentre.
WFS also operates cargo terminals at Birmingham and
Manchester airports. PIA operates 10 flights a week from
Manchester and four services a week from Birmingham.
“This is another important contract win for WFS. PIA has
recognized the value of having a single cargo handler at all three of
its online airports in the UK, which we are also able to connect
using our UK coastwise trucking network,” said Cliff McKrell,
Operations Director, UK & Ireland at WFS.