2024 Recap: A Year of Challenges and Innovation in Resistance Welding
Aging equipment, soaring energy costs, and ever-increasing quality standards… The resistance welding industry faced its fair share of hurdles in 2024.
But amidst these challenges, opportunities emerged for those willing to adapt and innovate.
To gain insight into how manufacturers are adapting to these shifts, we spoke with Andy Dorr, an expert at WeldComputer, a company specializing in advanced welding control systems and support.
Andy shared his insights – gleaned from conversations with customers, manufacturers, and industry experts – on the trends, concerns, and solutions that shaped the resistance welding landscape in 2024.
Interview with Andy Dorr, WeldComputer
Q: Andy, thank you for taking the time to chat with us today. Could you start by telling us a little about your role at WeldComputer?
Andy: Thanks for having me. I’m Andy Dorr, and I oversee day-to-day operations here at WeldComputer.
I work directly with manufacturers to ensure they get the most out of their welding systems. That includes everything from installing new systems, troubleshooting existing ones, to optimizing parameters and providing ongoing support to help customers get the most out of using a WeldComputer® control.
I’m also involved in the pre-sales process and working with people considering WeldComputer to ensure we’re getting them the right system for their specific needs.
Q: Thinking back on the last year, what stuck out to you?
2024 was an interesting year. It seemed like more resistance welding manufacturers were interested in throughput and efficiency than previous years. In the past few years, we’d be discussing things like eliminating their destructive testing and scrap. But this year, the conversation shifted to include finding other ways to cut costs like reducing their energy bill.
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Q: Were there any common themes that emerged from the customers?
It felt like customers were more focused on profitability in 2024 than I can remember in years prior. Many conversations we had centered around ways that welding engineers on the floor would need to prove the ROI for their operation before they could even think about making a change.
We ended up introducing an evaluation unit program which has been really popular. People seemed to like it because they were able to test it in their own factory to see the difference from what they’re doing today.
We got a lot of positive feedback about the program, mainly because we had customers significantly lower their utility bills by reducing both energy consumption and demand charges—the extra fees that are applied based on the peak power use.
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Q: In 2023, there was a lot of discussion about aging practitioners exiting the workforce and the growing resistance welding skills gap. Did that continue in 2024?
We definitely saw more inquiries from manufacturers looking to uplevel their team’s knowledge and get the most out of their operation. A lot of manufacturers were interested in training for their teams to improve their skills and get the most out of their equipment.
We also saw growing interest from our current customers in upgrading their controls to take advantage of our Adaptive technology which helps more junior welding engineers perform like their seasoned counterparts. The Adaptive technology continuously adjusts the weld parameters in real time to ensure consistent quality, even as conditions change. It’s great to help mitigate the impacts when those senior welding engineers depart the workforce.
Read more on this topic:
- Learn more: Resistance Welding Training and Education Program
- Learn more: Resistance Welding Operator Masterclass
- Learn more: WeldComputer Adaptive Control
Q: What were some of the main reasons why manufacturers bought from WeldComputer in 2024?
Unfortunately, we definitely saw an uptick in inquiries because an older control from another vendor had unexpectedly failed and they’re now looking at an emergency replacement solution. A lot of those systems were 15, 20, even 30 years old with outdated technology, and when the control broke, it could bring production to a halt, which is very costly.
Some control vendors have lead times of months or weeks, so the manufacturer is in a really tough position. We find that customers are often pleasantly surprised to learn that our lead times can be quite short, sometimes as little as a few days for a full control,, which has been a huge help for manufacturers trying to get back up and running fast. This seemed to be happening more than usual this year.
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Q: WeldComputer is often called as a consultant to help with on-site evaluations and assist with diagnosing resistance welding issues. What were the common problems you found?
Interestingly, this past year we saw a lot of manufacturers come to us asking to help them diagnose why their new machines were not welding at the quality specifications they were looking for, or even were able to achieve what they could with their old machines.
We often needed to educate these manufacturers that just because it’s a new machine doesn’t always mean it’s better. There are differences between commercial-grade performance and aerospace-quality machine setups, especially as these manufacturers continue to weld with lighter materials like aluminium which has more complicated resistance welding properties. We helped them get the right specifications required for their application.
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Q: Thinking forward to 2025, how do you see the industry evolving as we kick off this year?
The industry is definitely focused on efficiency and reducing costs, but I think there’s also a stronger emphasis on quality and consistency – especially with industries like aerospace demanding high-reliability welds.
Sustainability is becoming a key issue in the profitability conversation. Manufacturers are looking for technologies that can help them do more with less—less downtime, less wasted energy, and fewer defects.
My assumption is that in 2025 we’ll see manufacturers gravitating toward solutions that offer real-time monitoring, energy savings, and becoming more data-driven in their approach. There will be a lot more partnership with the financial and business operations team looking at the total cost of the welding operation and long-term benefits of any investment, not just the short-term, immediate savings.
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Conclusion
As manufacturers face challenges from aging equipment, rising energy costs, and the pressure to meet stringent quality standards, many are turning to WeldComputer for both immediate solutions and long-term improvements. With quick turnaround times on emergency control replacements, a no-risk evaluation program, and energy-saving technologies, WeldComputer is helping manufacturers stay efficient and competitive in a demanding market.