Lincoln Electric held an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of its new Welding Technology & Training Center in Cleveland. The center focuses on training welding educators, engineers and industrial professionals who are advancing welding in schools and industry globally. The center also provides advanced technical welding training for professionals, as well as a comprehensive portfolio of educational solutions that can be used to launch welding training at customers’ own facilities.
The education portfolio includes an extensive educational curriculum, virtual reality and technology-assisted training tools, industry-leading welding and cutting solutions and robotic cells.
“Our new Center is a strategic investment to help our customers and educational partners grow using leading solutions,” said Christopher Mapes, chairman, president and CEO of Lincoln Electric. “Our educational offering and leadership in automation solutions provide meaningful solutions to address the skills gap and capacity constraints facing customers in our industry.”
“We are committed to providing students and customers with the relevant skills and knowledge needed to support career and technical schools, advanced manufacturing and infrastructure growth,” said Jason Scales, business manager, education, Lincoln Electric. “Our education model will shape the next generation of welders, managers and industry leaders.”
Located on the campus of Lincoln Electric’s headquarters in Cleveland, the new 130,000-square-foot facility represents a $30 million investment in training. It features 166 welding and cutting booths, a virtual reality training lab with 10 VRTEX virtual reality welding simulators, as well as extensive seminar and welding school classroom space, a 100-seat auditorium. Later this year the center will become an American Welding Society accredited testing facility.
