If you were an early human on this planet, centuries could pass and life would be virtually the same for your descendants as it was for you. Then, someone invented, for example, the wheel, and life was different for subsequent generations. And so, slowly, each improvement and invention was added to the total of human knowledge.

As the ancients made their ascent to civilization, not only did their life changes become more pronounced, but so too did the rate at which these changes occurred. Whereas technological leaps in early man's life could be measured in 500-year increments, his increased knowledge, experience and technical sophistication eventually made 100 years the benchmark; then 50; then 10. In modern times it's been estimated that the total of human knowledge doubles every five years. And with the Internet at the world's fingertips, the knowledge doubling now occurs even faster.

The rapidity at which human experience and knowledge are growing influences not only how we live, but also how we earn our living. And so we ask the following question: From the standpoint of a job shop fabricator, is professional life better today than it was a decade or two ago?

There is no simple answer to this question, but if I had to give one it would be a resounding "Yes!"

In considering this response, two general observations can be made. The first is that improved welding equipment, consumables and techniques, which have made less experienced welders become proficient faster, have also made highly experienced welders better. This is important at a time during when most skilled welders in the workforce are approaching retirement and when customers are demanding higher quality fabrications.

Bob Gardner is a Certified Welding Instructor (CWI) and a Certified Welding Educator (CWE) who occasionally tests and reviews products in this magazine. He also is proprietor of his own shop, Gardner Marine and Welding. Upon reflecting on his decades in the fabrication business he made the following comment: "Never before has a weld shop owner had so many different ways to attack a problem. Although equipment has become more sophisticated, it still takes a very skilled welder to achieve results."

A second observation is that weld shop productivity and quality have improved. Advances in computer, software, laser, automation, and control technologies have made welding job shoppers more productive and better at what they do. Integrators of these technologies have developed automated fabricating workstations that increase the output and quality levels of fabricating operations. These workstations are affordable, have relatively small footprints, and their working envelopes are increasing in size.

Unfortunately, these observations are not reflected in every job shop in the country. Those shops that have not invested in modern technologies may still be getting work, but that work will tend to be smaller, low-end jobs. More progressive operations, that have stayed competitive through their investment in performance-enhancing technologies, will maintain a keen competitive edge and successfully compete for the bigger, more sophisticated contracts.

Dean Peters is principle at Syntactical Communications, Cleveland, Ohio. Peters formerly was chief editor of Welding Design & Fabrication, Gases & Welding Distributor, and Foundry Management & Technology magazines. He may be reached at dpeters@penton.com