Recommendations to Companies Performing Welding in the three West African States 134

Table 16. Recommendations to companies performing welding in West African states.

Challenges

 Welding personnel should be educated on the use of protective equipment and should be entrusted to use them

 Waste from welding workshops must be disposed appropriately through

 Management should focus on welders and also device strong management methods to develop welders quality and productivity levels

 The welding workshop must be managed separately from other departments so that proper records and documentation could be tracked.

 Total welding management principle or lean management principles should be practiced to improve issues in quality and productivity in welding

Lack of government support

 Government should allocate funds for developing welding technology through research activities

 Government should institutionalize welding technology education and training right from the teacher training institutions through to the university level

 Government should support organizations which are into welding to create the awareness of how welding can help towards nation building

Poor Welding

 Companies should engage their welding operations with mechanized systems and consider the extensive use of other welding processes in addition to SMAW to harness the full potentials of welding technology while assigning welding personnel to other duties to increase welding productivity.

 The use of MIG/MAG should be embraced fully since it is highly competitive with SMAW, thus has higher productivity rate than SMAW.

Welding economy issues

 Companies should strive to have partnership with foreign companies to create strong welding manufacturing network and also accept on “win-win” agreements were applicable.

 Universities and higher educational institutions should endeavor to establish cooperation with foreign institutions in welding technology and also accept on “win-win” agreements were applicable.

9.2 Recommendations to Finnish Companies and Higher Education Institutions

Establish as a welding company or through partnership

Finnish companies can establish companies in the three West African states and thus rely on the strengths and opportunities of the markets but also work on the weaknesses in the countries. This is very vital because the markets as discussed are the newly emerging markets in welding in Africa especially the Ghanaian market and the Cameroonian market. This draws the attention to the latest success stories of Finnish companies such as Metso, Outotec and Wärtsilä in the Ghanaian market and also YIT in Cameroonian market. However, even though the Nigerian market has had long history in welding operations and the market seems to be saturated, there is still room for exploration.

Moreover, those Finnish companies which may consider entering the markets through partnership should pay critical attention in the selection process. Actually, this research work has created solid networks to companies in Ghana, thus easing preliminary search for partnership in the case of Ghana. Moreover a model has been created to serve as a platform to guide in selecting welding partner companies or subcontractors. One essential suggestion is to enforce stringent welding management systems between the partnering companies since issues with regards to this aspect if often overlooked or ignored. In addition, whichever way is considered, it is also very essential for the Finnish companies to introduce and promote Finnish working culture so as to effectively nature the mindset of the workforce while utilizing the cheap cost of labor in the said regions. The implementation of quality and productivity systems in the companies should also be considered. Figure 8 illustrates a model for selecting subcontractors in the West African countries.

Figure 44. Model for selecting subcontractors in West Africa.

Establish as a welding qualification / certification body

There is a huge potential success to establish as a welding certification body especially in the Ghanaian market and the Cameroonian market since international companies currently operating in this welding business are very few. In this sense, those Finnish companies which will be offering subcontracting jobs to some companies or partner companies in Ghana, Nigeria or Cameroon would somewhat rely on a Finnish certification body to perform qualification or certification of welding personnel,

equipment and machines, welding workshop and environment, and the entire welding system in use as well as providing welding quality test services.

Moreover, currently there is lack of certification bodies certifying individual welding personnel on the Ghanaian market especially. Usually, the norm has been that some certified welders are those engaged in welding projects or working in companies.

Ceasing this opportunity would help create a “bank of welders”. However, since companies are not interested in certifying welders, such companies would turn to employ welders from this created “bank of welders”. In some circumstances, contractual agreement for employment could be made between the companies and the certification body, and in turn between the certification body and the welding personnel.

Establish equipment and consumables distribution channels

There is high demand of welding equipment and machines in Ghana and Cameroon. For those Finnish companies which have distributors in Nigeria, it is also necessary to establish distribution channels in Ghana and Cameroon as well if only those markets are of interest. More so, the welding electrode market should also be considered imperatively. Actually, building an electrode producing plant in Ghana would be a great investment because currently there is no such factory in Ghana as well as the entire West African region.

In addition, Finnish companies should device new ways of distributing their products to the growing industries such as the oil and gas, mining, food and energy industry in the West African states. By so doing, a strong customer portfolio could be established and in turn, the Finnish companies could sell their expertise and technology in welding to other welding manufacturing companies in the markets.

Establish as a welding education and training partner

Higher education institutions in Finland, the Finnish Welding Institute, Finnish companies and the Finnish government should encourage and establish partnership agreement to educate, train, quality and certify welding personnel and interested

individuals under the International Institute of Welding standards in West African states where welding organizations have not got to the level to affiliate with the international institute of welding to provide such services.

The Ghanaian Institute of Welding which was recently created but not affiliated to the International Institute of Welding would somewhat rely on this partnership to promote welding education, qualification and certification in Ghana. Even though, in Nigeria there is the Nigerian Institute of Welding providing qualification and certification for both welding personnel and companies, there is still the need for partnership. On the other hand, there is no Welding Institute in Cameroon and this could be an opportunity to explore in Cameroon.

Also this partnership would help in capacity building so that higher institutions in Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria who don’t have direct links to build cooperation with higher institutions in Finland would have that privilege to create cooperation with Finnish higher institutions. Figure 46 illustrates a model for establishing cooperation / partnership between institutions in welding technology.

Figure 45. Model for establishing cooperation/ partnership.