Thu, 16 November, 2023
2023 is the 100th anniversary of The Welding Institute so, to celebrate, we have been speaking with various Professional Members of The Institute to see how it has impacted their careers as well as getting their memories of their careers and membership.
This week we hear from Alan Gifford, who began working in the laboratory of a small chemical factory in 1946 before moving to boilermakers Internal Combustion Ltd (ICL), where he realised a passion for metallurgy.
Alan tells us about becoming a Professional Member of The Welding Institute as his interest in welding and testing of welds took over from his work on failures and materials control at ICL.
As an active member and later Chairman of the East Midlands Branch of The Welding Institute, Alan’s influence led to him becoming a member of The Institute’s Council and Chairman of the Quality Board.
Winning many accolades during his career, Alan showed himself to be an avid supporter of both TWI and The Welding Institute – a status that continues to this day!
In addition to talking about his ties to The Welding Institute, Alan opened up about his career, which has seen him work on many notable projects, including a contract to build the heat exchangers for AGR Windscale, building the nuclear plant at Trawsfnnd in North Wales, and nuclear heat exchangers in Dungeness. He has also worked on projects for the chemical industry and in oil and gas, as well as producing the first boiler drum in the UK using electro slag welding.
You can read all about these and other career accomplishments, as well as recollections of his membership of The Welding Institute in Alan’s engaging interview on The Welding Institute website, here.