The Centerfire system also reduces students’ educational downtime and frustration levels, Borinski said. By using a threadless contact tip with a large diameter tapered base that fits snugly into the diffuser and is locked in place by the nozzle, the Centerfire consumables make it nearly impossible for students to set incorrect contact tip recesses or for the tip to come loose inside the nozzle.

“With our old brand of consumables, if we didn’t screw the contact tips in properly they would come loose and literally fly out of the end of the gun. That can really add to the frustration of a beginning welder,” Borinski said.

Though he’s pleased with the guns and consumables, Borinski noted that it’s Bernard’s customer service that will keep him as a customer when their equipment eventually needs to be replaced. “To us, a gun is a gun,” Borinski said. “We can figure out on our own how it operates. Still, we were really impressed when a Bernard representative came out and offered to exchange any of our guns for free if the stock model didn’t perfectly fit our lab set ups.”

Bernard’s Gun Exchange Program allows anyone who receives a standard Q-Gun or Dura-Flux gun as part of a power source or wire feeder package to exchange the unused gun for a new gun with different cable length, neck, handle or trigger configurations.

Bernard also provided Borinski with product information and support prior to and following his purchase to ensure the guns and consumables he ordered would meet his needs.

“Sometimes the educational community gets sheltered from a lot of the outside activities that are going on. We don’t get exposure to the different equipment options that are out there,” Borinski said. “When Heidi Ewoldt, Bernard’s Inside Technical Sales Manager, called us and spent time explaining all of the equipment options and configurations available, it told us that Bernard wanted more than a quick sale. They were committed to our success.”

Reaching out to the community

Like Bernard, San Diego Continuing Education understands the importance of strong partnerships, and of adapting its products to its customers’ needs. In order to meet the evolving demands of area industries, Borinski annually meets with an advisory committee composed of business and union leaders to discuss the skills and knowledge they look for in new employees.

“If we taught what we wanted to teach and not what the employers in the area need, then we’re sending them people they can’t use and wasting our students’ time,” Borinski continued. “We must have our pulse on the industry in order to be a relevant educational institution.”

Student Monica Bolden practices her self-shielded flux-cored skills on sections of thick mild steel plate using the Dura-Flux gun.

In the last few years, Borinski said, the advisory committee has been asking for employees with “soft skills,” such as blueprint reading, teamwork training, lean manufacturing processes and other skills that go beyond laying a weld bead.

“The job market is very competitive now,” Borinski said, “and those students with additional skills, who can add value to the organization, are going to have a significant advantage during the interview process.”

That’s why the school partnered with the AWS to form a curriculum that provides students with the knowledge and skills they need to become AWS Certified Unlimited in FCAW upon graduation. The unlimited designation is a guarantee that the student can perform code-quality welds in the 1-G, 2-G, 3-G and 4-G positions using the FCAW process. This certification, combined with the schools blue print reading and teamwork curriculum, gives graduates a strong advantage when applying to one of the area unions, Borinski said.

The school’s approach to welder training has resulted in numerous opportunities for its graduates in area businesses. One example is the school’s partnership with General Dynamics NASSCO, one of the San Diego’s largest employers. Through the partnership, General Dynamics NASSCO has hired over 400 of the program’s graduates in recent years.

The main reason San Diego Continuing Education tried the Bernard guns and consumables was that they came packaged with the wire feeders and power sources the school purchased. Still, after using them without a single failure for the last 18 months, Borinski said one of the first questions he will ask when purchasing new equipment will be whether they accept Bernard guns and consumables. Luckily for him, Bernard’s products are adaptable to almost all major power source and wire feeder brands.

Chuck Taber is District Manager for Miller Electrical Manufacturing