Welding expertise brings the world together
When joining semi-finished products, the quality of the joints is usually decisive for the product. At the SKZ Plastics Centre in Würzburg, specialist personnel are trained for these tasks. Education made in Germany in this field is also attracting increasing international interest.
International participants at welding training course in Würzburg (July 2025) (Photo: SKZ)
SKZ increasingly trains joining processes internationally
The joining of plastics has a number of special features that need to be taken into account. At the same time, the processes are often used in sensitive areas such as critical infrastructure. For example, when welding pipes. And this is where education made in Germany is a real export hit. For many years now, companies worldwide have been drawing on the expertise of the SKZ Plastics Centre in Würzburg.
The SKZ has been actively involved in training plastics welders for decades. In Germany, several thousand participants complete a course at the institute every year, ensuring high-quality welds in pipeline and container construction. This specialist knowledge is also increasingly in demand internationally. ‘We regularly receive enquiries from abroad asking us to conduct training courses directly on site. In some countries, we offer annual training courses in collaboration with a partner. But we also offer courses to unskilled workers on large construction sites to prepare them for the job before they start work,’ explains André Lazovic, deputy group leader for education in joining and surface technology.
SKZ trainers travel far and wide – training courses in the USA or the Middle East are now standard. But course participants also enjoy coming to Germany. ‘We now frequently hold courses in English at our training locations in Germany. This allows us to respond to growing demand and also enables companies that only have a few participants and cannot afford to bring a trainer to their premises to take part,’ says Lazovic.
Participants now visit the SKZ from many countries within and outside Europe. German quality standards are thus increasingly becoming an export hit in training and further education. The in-depth knowledge of SKZ experts forms the basis for high-quality products worldwide.
