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  • Welding Positioners: Making Welding Jobs Safer, Faster, and Easier

    Welding Positioners: Making Welding Jobs Safer, Faster, and Easier

    For manufacturers and welders in today’s competitive business environment, the ongoing welder shortage means they need to provide excellent results with fewer resources and shorter lead times. Manufacturers must meet production and customer demands, while welders must keep up with productivity requirements. 

    But how can companies meet targets without overworking their employees to exhaustion and dissatisfaction if they can’t hire new welders? To solve this, they must explore sustainable ways to maintain productivity. This is where automation comes in.

    From increasing productivity to improving product quality and promoting shorter workweeks for employees, automation has emerged as a boon to several industries, particularly manufacturing.

     

    Welding Positioners to the Rescue

    One of the top automation tools that promise results and respite for welders is the welding positioner, a device designed to increase a welder’s comfort and maximize their time and energy.

    If you’re looking to purchase one, our nexAir team can help you Forge Forward confidently by filling you in with all the essential details. And if you’re on the fence about whether you need a welding positioner for your company, taking a look at their top benefits may help convince you.

     

    Benefits of Welding Positioners

    Improved Safety

    Rigging with cranes and dealing with large fixtures and weldments that weigh hundreds of pounds is not only difficult for welders but hazardous, too. A welding positioner enhances operator safety by eliminating the need to manually hold and adjust materials and weldments. Furthermore, welding positioners make it easier to access hard-to-reach areas, unlike standard handling equipment, allowing savings on time and energy.

    Increases Return on Investment (ROI)

    Welding positioners offer a high ROI as they help streamline manufacturing and assembly processes. This results in maximized labor hours and resources and increased efficiency and productivity. Overall, welding positioners contribute to higher throughputs, reduced consumables, and eventually, bigger profits.

    Furthermore, welding positioners also make it easier for new employees to learn their job quickly, reducing time spent on training.

    Improved Weld Quality

    While newbie welders can use the positioner for better results in less time, seasoned welders can use the positioner to produce flawless welds effortlessly.

    Furthermore, welders traditionally subject themselves to dangerous or awkward positions to get the right angle to reach far-off weldment parts, often resulting in inaccuracies. Welding positioners eliminate errors arising from manual handling and manipulation of components, thus significantly improving weld quality and accuracy.

    Additionally, when welders feel safe and comfortable, they can focus on producing the best results.

    Improved Ergonomics

    Ergonomics is all about comfort and productivity. Positioners will help reduce your employees’ fatigue since they’ll no longer need to kneel, bend, or assume awkward and dangerous positions to complete their job. Since welding positioners can rotate up to 360 degrees, the welder only needs to adjust the positioner, not so much their body.

     

    Forge Forward With nexAir KnowHow

    A welding positioner is ideal if you’re looking to enhance the safety of your work environment. It’s also an excellent investment if you’re short on welders and want to retain skilled team members by streamlining processes and making their job safer and less stressful.

    nexAir provides industry-leading welding positioners engineered by pioneers in the field and capable of handling components up to 35,000 pounds. Our nexAir KnowHow team can train your employees to use them optimally for peak performance and longevity.

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    Manufacturing downtime costs American companies billions annually. When production lines halt due to gas supply issues, every minute translates to lost revenue, missed deadlines, and frustrated customers. At nexAir, we've spent decades developing solutions that keep manufacturing operations running smoothly.

    The Hidden Costs of Gas-Related Downtime

    When manufacturers calculate downtime costs, they typically focus on labor and lost production. However, gas supply disruptions create cascading effects that multiply these losses:

    • Production rescheduling that disrupts carefully optimized sequences
    • Rush shipping fees to meet customer deadlines despite delays
    • Quality inconsistencies when processes restart after interruptions
    • Overtime costs to catch up after unplanned stoppages
    • Reputation damage when delivery commitments are missed

    For a typical mid-sized manufacturer, each hour of downtime represents $5,000-$10,000 in direct and indirect costs. Our analysis shows that gas-related issues cause 7-12% of total manufacturing downtime - a substantial opportunity for improvement.

    From Reactive to Proactive: The Supply Continuum

    Most facilities follow a predictable pattern in their gas management evolution:

    Stage 1: Reactive Management At this stage, facilities order gas when they notice supplies running low or, worse, after running out. Emergencies are common, and disruptions are accepted as "part of doing business." One automotive parts supplier operating this way experienced 14 production interruptions in a single quarter.

    Stage 2: Calendar-Based Management Facilities advance to scheduled deliveries based on estimated usage. While better than the reactive approach, this method still results in either excess inventory (tying up capital and space) or shortages when usage spikes occur. A plastics manufacturer following this model maintained 40% more cylinder inventory than necessary while still experiencing occasional stockouts.

    Stage 3: Consumption-Based Management Our telemetry systems monitor actual gas consumption, automatically triggering orders based on usage patterns rather than calendar dates. This approach virtually eliminates both stockouts and excess inventory. 

    Stage 4: Integrated Supply Management The most advanced approach connects gas management directly to production planning systems. Upcoming production requirements automatically adjust supply parameters, ensuring resources are precisely aligned with needs. A medical device manufacturer using this approach reports zero gas-related downtime for 27 consecutive months while operating with minimal inventory buffers.

    Our expert KnowHow™ in industrial gas applications allows us to guide customers through this evolution at a pace that makes sense for their operations.

    Customizing Solutions for Maximum Uptime

    Manufacturing environments vary dramatically in their gas requirements and operational constraints. We've developed flexible approaches that address these differences:

    • For high-volume, consistent usage operations, our bulk systems eliminate the cylinder handling that frequently causes supply disruptions. Bulk installations include telemetry monitoring and automated ordering to prevent outages.
    • For variable-demand environments, our microbulk delivery systems provide the benefits of bulk supply with lower volume commitments. These systems reduce handling requirements while maintaining the flexibility needed for changing production schedules.
    • For specialized applications requiring multiple gas types, our gas management programs combine cylinder tracking, usage monitoring, and automated replenishment. This comprehensive approach ensures that specialty gases are always available when needed, regardless of how infrequently they might be used.
    • For multi-site operations, our enterprise supply programs coordinate deliveries and optimize inventory across locations. By treating the organization's gas requirements holistically, we minimize both stockouts and excess inventory across the network.

    This consultative approach ensures that manufacturers receive solutions aligned with their specific operational patterns rather than generic "one-size-fits-all" systems.

    Beyond Traditional Supply: Integrated Services for Total Reliability

    Maximum uptime requires more than just reliable gas delivery. Our integrated services address the full spectrum of gas-related reliability factors:

    Equipment maintenance programs that prevent system failures before they impact production Technical gas specialists who resolve application issues that could otherwise cause production problems Safety training that prevents accidents leading to downtime events Emergency response capabilities that minimize impacts when unexpected events occur Supply chain redundancy that ensures continuity despite regional disruptions

    These services complement our supply solutions to form a comprehensive reliability strategy. By addressing both everyday operations and exceptional circumstances, we help manufacturers Forge Forward with confidence that gas-related disruptions won't derail their production targets.

    Measuring Success: The Results That Matter

    The ultimate measure of any downtime reduction strategy is its impact on production metrics. Our manufacturing customers consistently report significant improvements after implementing our comprehensive gas management solutions:

    Downtime reductions of 85-95% for gas-related issues Inventory cost decreases of 20-30% through optimized supply management Administrative time savings of 5-10 hours weekly through automated ordering and tracking Production schedule adherence improvements of 3-7% due to improved supply reliability

    These performance gains translate directly to bottom-line benefits that typically deliver ROI within months rather than years. More importantly, they allow manufacturers to confidently make delivery commitments, knowing that gas supply issues won't compromise their ability to perform.

    Don't let gas supply issues impact your productivity. Contact us today to explore our tailored solutions.

    Looking out for your future

    Get your career going on the right track with nexAir

    Industry Knowledge and Expertise

    Find out how nexAir KnowHow has impacted businesses all over the Southeast

    nexAir in the news

    Our expertise makes us more than a valuable partner, it makes us headlines

    nexAir is always open!