Lead Manufacturing Welder

Experience: 3 to 5+ years of heavy manufacturing welding experience, with proven leadership or lead-hand responsibilities.

Certifications: High school diploma plus vocational training or valid welding certifications (AWS or equivalent).

Technical and Fabrication Skills: Advanced Welding Proficiency: Expert-level mastery of MIG (GMAW), TIG (GTAW), and Flux-Cored (FCAW) welding on structural steel, stainless steel, and aluminum plates. Leak-Tight Fabrication: Experience in specialized welding techniques required to build hermetically sealed, leak-proof enclosures capable of holding high-pressure cooling oils or fluids. Blueprint & Schematics Reading: High proficiency in interpreting complex engineering drawings, fabrication blueprints, and international welding symbols. Rigging & Heavy Equipment Operation: Skilled in operating overhead cranes, jib cranes, forklifts, and heavy rigging equipment to position massive steel transformer tanks safely.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Team Supervision: Ability to delegate daily shop tasks, manage production schedules, and motivate a team of production welders to meet tight plant deadlines. Mentorship & Training: Experience coaching junior apprentice welders, guiding them through new procedures, and helping them prepare for qualification testing. Conflict Resolution: Strong communication skills to handle workplace disputes, manage floor safety compliance, and coordinate smoothly with plant managers.

Quality Control and Compliance: Code & Standards Knowledge: Deep familiarity with industrial welding standards such as AWS (American Welding Society) D1.1 structural welding code, ASME section codes, or localized standards. Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Awareness: Knowledge of post-weld inspection methods, including visual testing (VT), dye penetrant testing (PT), and magnetic particle testing (MT) to ensure weld integrity. Responsibilities Unique to Liquid Filled Transformer Manufacturing Manufacturing liquid-filled (oil-filled) transformers significantly changes the welding requirements. Because these tanks must hold hot insulating oil under constant pressure for decades without a single drop escaping, the technical demands focus heavily on sealing integrity and containment. The specialized skills required for a lead welder in a liquid-filled transformer plant include:

Leak-Tight Fluid & Pressure Containment: Hermetic Sealing Expertise: Deep understanding of multi-pass welding techniques that eliminate microscopic gaps, pinholes, and interlaminar porosity where oil could seep out. Defect Prevention: Flawless mastery of heat-input control to prevent distortion or cracking along the long, continuous seam welds of the transformer tank. Specialized Inspection & Leak Testing Pressure & Vacuum Test Coordination: Experience prepping tanks and checking welds during nitrogen pressure tests or hydrostatic oil tests. Penetrant & NDT Knowledge: Proficiency in executing or supervising Liquid Penetrant Testing (PT), dye checks, and using ultraviolet (UV) leak-detection tools to spot surface defects before the tank is painted or filled. Visual Standards: Applying strict visual testing (VT) benchmarks to catch undercut or lack of fusion early in the production line. Industry Codes & Heavy MetallurgyAWS D1.1 Compliance: Mastery of structural steel welding codes, with a specific focus on the criteria required for heavy steel plates (= 1/8 inch thick) used in massive power equipment. Material Traceability: Knowledge of Mill Test Reports (MTRs) and tracking welding rod oven temperatures to keep moisture out of low-hydrogen electrodes. Air Carbon Arc Gouging: Skill in using "air arc" torches to cleanly gouge out back-welded roots or dismantle/repair old transformer tank lids without contaminating the inner chamber. Leadership in a Liquid-Filled Environment Weld Procedure Specification (WPS) Enforcement: Ensuring the entire shop floor strictly adheres to prequalified welding procedures to maintain product consistency. Apprentice Weld Certification: Assisting the quality manager or a Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) in preparing production welders for their qualification tests.

Benefits: Kodion Energy currently offers 80 hours of PTO after the first 90 days of employment, along with a medical insurance stipend. We will implement a more robust benefits package when our new 180,000 sq ft warehouse and offices open in early 2027.

Company Description: Kodion Energy manufactures custom-engineered solutions delivering reliable power to industries worldwide. At Kodion, we ensure businesses, communities, and families receive uninterrupted energy, with no compromises At Kodion Energy, innovation and reliability drive everything we do. We are committed to advancing transformer technology by delivering products that meet the highest standards of quality, performance, and safety.

Company Description: Kodion Energy manufactures custom-engineered solutions delivering reliable power to industries worldwide. At Kodion, we ensure businesses, communities, and families receive uninterrupted energy, with no compromises At Kodion Energy, innovation and reliability drive everything we do. We are committed to advancing transformer technology by delivering products that meet the highest standards of quality, performance, and safety.