Opening of the Flux Core Wire Plant
8th-9th November 2007 saw the meeting of Distributors of Lincoln Electric and the opening of the Flux Core Wire Plant in Dzierżoniów. About 240 people took part in the event, many of them clients, distributors, scientists from the welding industry and the management of Lincoln Electric. Alojzy Kajzerek describes the event in detail in his article published in the issue 1/2008 of the Newsletter of the Welding Institute in Gliwice, extracts of which we reprint below:
We were invited to:
Dzierżoniów – the company Harris Calorific International
It can be said that the Polish region the most often visited in the recent years by the editor’s office of the Newsletter of Welding Institute is Dolny Śląsk and this mainly due to the LINCOLN ELECTRIC BESTER S.A. company in Bielawa. Newsletter representatives participated in the opening ceremony of the Training Centre and Technology Centre WELDTECH in Bielawa, and the 60th anniversary celebrations of Lincoln Electric Bester. In
addition, almost a year ago (6th of October 2006) they attended the opening of the Harris Calorific International plant which manufactures blowpipes for welding and gas cutting in Dzierżoniów. In November 2007 the editors of the Newsletter were once again invited to Dzierżoniów where an opening ceremony was held for the new Harris Calorific International plant which produces flux core wires.
The Harris Calorific International company is an offspring of the American concern Lincoln Electric, considered to be one of the largest welding corporations in the world. In 2002, after taking over the company Bester in Bielawa, they decided to locate its Central Europe division here, which explains the investments in Bielawa and in Dzierżoniów 10 kilometres away, described in the Newsletter.
Only 20 years ago the city of Dzierżoniów was considered to be one of the most important Polish centres for the radiotechnical industry, but after the political and economical changes ushered in 1989 it became a city with one of the highest unemployment rates in Poland. To counter this trend, also found in other cities of the Dolny Śląsk province, new imperatives
were put in place to encourage investment in the region from foreign companies. For this purpose Wałbrzych Special Economic Zone was created as well as in 1997 in Dzierżoniów one of four subzones comprised by the Wałbrzych Zone. At that time, it covered the area of 15 ha and now covers as many as 79 ha. The two above-mentioned Lincoln Electric plants fall
within this zone.
The opening ceremony of the flux core wire production plant was organized on the 8th-9th November 2007. Among the 240 people invited to Dzierżoniów were clients and distributors of Lincoln electric, representatives of scientific institutions, the employees of Harris and the representatives of the former Bester.
The representatives of the management of Lincoln Electric concern were also present. Ceremonies began with traditional speeches by the principal participants, they being:
- Mr David LeBlanc, the President of Lincoln Electric Europe,
- Mr Tom Angelino, the Vice-President responsible for sales in Lincoln Electric Europe,
- Mr Santiago Torrent, the Operational Director of Lincoln Electric Europe,
- Mr Julio Barona – the Director of the newly opened plant,
- Mr Krzysztof Grzegorczyk – the Commercial Director of Lincoln Electric Bester S.A.
and honorary guests:
- Mr Marek Piorun, Mayor of Dzierżoniów
- Professor Jan Pilarczyk – the Director of the Welding Institute in Gliwice.
The official switching on of the production line of flux core wires was performed by Zbigniew Pawłowski, Marek Piorun and Julio Barona.
At present, flux core wires otherwise known as Outer Shield 71C and 71MH with a diameter of 1,2 mm are being produced at the plant. They are used mainly in naval constructions. Up to 200 people are employed at both plants.
When official ceremonial duties were over, the guests had the chance to visit both Harris production plants, the one producing flux core wires and the other manufacturing blowpipes for welding and gas cutting. Welding shows were also organized, during which volunteers could test their welding abilities and even find themselves offered employment opportunities within the industry. The event continued throughout the evening in the beautiful rooms of the Książ castle in Wałbrzych, where guests were invited to test their consumption capacities during a party called „Knight’s feast” as well as their fitness levels in the „Knight’s
Tournament”.
The second day of festivities (09.11) saw two planned visits, one to the plant of Lincoln Electric Bester in Bielawa and another to the Książ castle, the largest castle in the Śląsk province and the third largest in Poland after Malbork and Wawel. Książ castle, whose oldest parts date right back to the Middle Ages, was owned by the Hochberg family between
1508 and 1941. The Hochbergs also owned land around Pszczyna and the castle in Pszczyna, which has been developed into an interiors museum.
Finally, it is only left to thank the hosts for their warm hospitability and for displaying great skill in combining an in-depth technical program with welcome moments of relaxation within the beautiful setting of Książ castle.
