Wateringen, The Netherlands, 2 July 2026
The global shortage of skilled welders is placing increasing pressure on shipyards worldwide. As experienced welders retire and fewer new professionals enter the trade, many yards are struggling to maintain productivity while meeting growing demand and increasingly complex vessel projects.
According to the American Welding Society, the United States alone is expected to face a shortage of approximately 330,000 welders by 2028. Similar challenges are affecting shipyards around the world, making labour availability one of the industry's most pressing operational concerns.
To support the conversation around this challenge, SILICON has published the whitepaper Rapid Arc Welding: Solving the Maritime Welder Shortage. It explores how automation and digital welding technologies can help shipyards reduce their dependence on scarce skilled labour while increasing productivity and consistency.
"Five years ago, conversations with shipyards were mainly about productivity. Today, they're increasingly about capacity. Many yards simply don't have enough qualified welders to keep production moving. That's exactly why we decided to publish this whitepaper," says Damian Wawrzyniak, Global Maritime Specialist at SILICON.
Rather than focusing on technology alone, the whitepaper examines the wider impact of the global welder shortage and shares practical insights into how shipyards can modernise production and become less dependent on scarce skilled labour.
The whitepaper Rapid Arc Welding: Solving the Maritime Welder Shortage is available for download at: https://silicon.nu/contact
