Improving Global Quality of Life

implementation of smart systems. In addition, there are needs for inspection of new processes such
as friction stir welding and new materials that are not typical in the shipbuilding industry.
Cost Control: There is a need to apply Lean Principals to create more efficient fabrication operations
and eliminate non-value added activities.
Standards: Material standards and standardisation includes items that support the application of
“best-practice” commercial and government standards that support rapid data acquisition, design
engineering, and efficient production operations.
Occupational Health & Safety: Technologies are needed that improve worker safety, health, and
reduce environmental impact while not significantly increasing the cost of time of ship construction.
Workforce Development: The shortage of skilled welders and other skilled crafts leads to the need
for innovative methods of workforce education, training, and development. This area includes
programmes to attract, develop, and retain qualified welders and other personnel to support
shipyard operations.
9.8.8 The IIW select committee Shipbuilding
The IIW select committee Shipbuilding was established as a working group during the IIW Annual Assembly
in San Francisco in 1997 to bring greater collaboration in international shipbuilding in the IIW member
countries. The objective of the IIW group, was and still is, to create an international forum for technology
transfer and information exchange and should be a meeting point for shipbuilders. The basic programme is
achieving the correct emphasis on practical, useful approaches to industrial management in shipbuilding.
Based on the scientific and experimental research efforts, the activities are application oriented. The WG
goals have been achieved by sharing knowledge in the various areas to the extent that this is possible,
without revealing confidential information vital to the individual shipyard’s competitive situation.
9.9 Building sector
The general term “buildings” encompasses the whole array of structures, including those used for offices,
factories, schools, hospitals and apartments, to name a few. Domestic houses are exempted from the general
category of buildings.
Buildings are inherently large structures, typically involving shop assembly of the building’s components
followed by field erection. They are often one-of-a-kind structures, eliminating the option of design by trialand-error.
Buildings are expected to last for many decades, and during the life of a building, the structure
may be modified for new uses.
Thousands of lives are dependent on large buildings being reliable, even when subjected to the often hardto-predict
forces of nature, whether due to tsunamis, hurricanes, tornados or earthquakes. Buildings are
also the target of terrorists where blast loads from street-level truck bombs are of concern.
For major structures (over five storeys high), two primary building systems exist: steel construction and
concrete construction. Both types are in fact “composite” construction, employing components made of both
materials. Steel construction uses steel beams and columns with foundations and floors made of concrete.
Concrete construction utilises concrete columns, beams, floors and walls, but reinforcing steel (“rebar”)
gives concrete the ability to resist tensile loads. For pre-stressed concrete construction, steel cables are used
to induce compressive stresses.
128 Improving Global Quality of Life Through Optimum Use and Innovation of Welding and Joining Technologies