Hobart announced the grand opening of its new Customer Experience Center. Located in Troy, Ohio, the space has been designed to provide customers and distributors with technical, product, and customer service support.
“Our entire industry is threatened by a shortage of qualified welders, so our focus is on developing products that ensure weldability and productivity,” says Blake Heim, commercial director at Hobart. "This facility allows us to mitigate that industry pain point by providing the highest level of support to the industry. We can offer our distributors and salesforce the knowledge they need to provide filler metals that are easier to use and drive productivity."
At about 9,000 sq. ft., the center has plenty of space for its on-site demonstrations of Hobart filler metals, as well as total welding solutions from other ITW Group companies such as Miller Electric, Bernard, Tregaskiss, and Jetline.
Within the center, is the Customer Applications Lab (CAL). CAL features a variety of welding equipment, including:
- The Hercules automated MIG welding system from Hobart, Miller, and Tregaskiss
- Semi-automatic welding stations
- Submerged arc welding equipment
- Pipe positioners
- Plasma cutters
- Advanced process equipment
The lab is used by Hobart welding engineers to develop and test procedures to help customers improve productivity and quality.
“The CAL offers our customers a great opportunity to improve their businesses. It allows us to bring in their parts or mock them up and apply the preliminary work to advance their welding processes,” says Tre’ Heflin-King, applications engineering manager at Hobart. “Our customers are able to see the filler metal and welding equipment solutions in action before putting them into production. They can also try new technologies here.”
The Customer Experience Center also houses a classroom where training on filler metals, new welding technologies, welding best practices, and more is held for distributors and ITW Welding sales team members. Along with the classroom is the weld training lab. This lab consists of smaller power sources, as well as TIG and stick welding machines, offering the opportunity for hands-on training with new equipment and filler metals.
For those who are unable to visit the center in person, an online training lab is available, featuring fully equipped welding stations and multiple cameras.
“Ultimately, this new space is designed to benefit everyone involved: customers, distributors, our sales team, and Hobart,” adds Heim. “It sets the foundation for mutually beneficial growth and learning, so everyone reaps the rewards.”
