Welding professionals from across New South Wales and the ACT gathered in Sydney last night to celebrate the 2025 NSW & ACT Welding Excellence Awards, recognising the projects, people and organisations shaping the industry's next chapter.
Presented annually by Weld Australia, the Excellence Awards spotlight the skill and creativity that fuel Australia's manufacturing sector. More than just a celebration, the Awards highlight how welders, educators and fabricators are pushing boundaries and delivering outcomes that strengthen local capability.
Weld Australia CEO, Geoff Crittenden, said the Awards underscore the essential role of welding across every part of the economy. "Our NSW and ACT winners are not only demonstrating best practice, they are raising the bar for what welding can achieve. Whether it's through pioneering technology, training the workforce of tomorrow, or ensuring the highest safety standards, they're building resilience and competitiveness for the entire nation."
"The energy and ambition on display this year reflects a sector that is constantly evolving. These Awards remind us that welding is as much about innovation and problem-solving as it is about technical mastery. Our winners represent the very best of that spirit," Crittenden said.
ACT Steelworks was the winner of the 2025 ACT Company of the Year Award - Fabrication. ACT Steelworks is a proudly family-owned Australian business with more than five decades of continuous operation, growth, and innovation in the metalwork industry. For over 55 years, ACT Steelworks has contributed to landmark projects, delivered to exacting specifications, and maintained an unwavering focus on quality. They have adapted to market changes, expanded into new sectors, and consistently met the challenges of a competitive industry while upholding the values that define the company: reliability, craftsmanship, and community spirit. ACT Steelworks is a trusted partner, an employer of choice, and a proud Australian business committed to shaping our built environment with excellence.
Chess Engineering was the winner of the 2025 NSW Company of the Year Award - Fabrication. For more than half a century, Chess Engineering has been a leader in Australian manufacturing, delivering cutting-edge engineering solutions across multiple industries. From its origins in the late 1960s to its present-day operations spanning Sydney and Perth, Chess has evolved into a key player in fabrication, machining, and fitting, servicing critical sectors such as rail, mining, infrastructure, defence, and food manufacturing. Chess Engineering recently expanded into a new 13,000m2 facility in Leppington, Sydney, which boasts cutting-edge automation and robotics, like robotic welding, orbital welding machines, laser welding, and a Hyperfill dual-wire welding system.
There were joint winners for the 2025 Project of the Year: Halliday Engineering for the Landing Craft Bow Ramp Project; and Morgan Engineering for the EX8000 Boom and Arm Overhaul.
Halliday Engineering was contracted by Navantia Australia to fabricate and deliver three new bow ramps for the Australian Army's Canberra-class Landing Craft. These ramps are critical to the operational readiness of the amphibious fleet, enabling vehicles, equipment, and personnel to embark and disembark safely and efficiently. The project required the delivery of ramps that met stringent Lloyd's Register certification standards for strength, durability, and watertight integrity. The project showcases Halliday Engineering's ability to deliver excellence in craftsmanship while embedding innovation into every stage of design, fabrication, and delivery. The ramps were fabricated from Strenx 700 steel, a high-strength low alloyed structural steel requiring highly skilled welding techniques to maintain and achieve the required strength and toughness properties. Halliday developed, tested, and qualified new Welding Procedures specifically for this project, ensuring welds met the stringent requirements of Lloyd's Register and Navantia Spain.
Awarded in September 2023, the EX8000 Boom and Arm Overhaul contract involved the complete refurbishment and structural remediation of critical attachments that previously suffered from fatigue, cracking, and unplanned maintenance. Working alongside Whitehaven Coal and a third-party inspection team, Morgan Engineering applied innovative welding and inspection techniques to improve design durability, increase lifespan, and reduce downtime. The project included Over 5,000 hours of welding and fabrication, and structural upgrades including removal and replacement of 120mm-thick steel sections, full penetration weld joint upgrades, and crack repairs.
Apex Welding Safety won the 2025 Health and Safety in Welding Award. Apex Welding Safety (AWS) was established in 1994 and has played a key role in the welding industry ever since. Headquartered in St Leonard, New South Wales, the company has a network of technical specialists across Australia and New Zealand (with around 40 employees in total). Over the last 30 years, AWS has earned its reputation as a leading advocate for welders' safety in Australia and New Zealand, publishing numerous welding safety white papers, welding industry reports, and welding fume control frameworks. As the sole agent for 3M™ Speedglas™ welding helmets, Nederman, Bomaksan, and Plymovent portable local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems, Translas on-gun welding fume extraction, SPATA welding gloves, and a 3M personal protective equipment wholesaler, AWS is well placed to help businesses understand the controls that can be introduced into the workplace to better protect welders.
Kemppi won the 2025 Company of the Year Award - Supplier. Kemppi is a leading manufacturer and supplier of welding solutions. The company was founded in 1949 and has helped shaped the industry by solving welding challenges. Today, Kemppi employs over 650 professionals in 16 countries. More than 40 years ago, Kemppi developed the first inverter power source, and was the first to move from analog to digital welding technology. They also introduced the world's first universal welding management software (WeldEye) and digital welding procedure specifications (dWPS). Kemppi's commitment to the industry, clients and partners is unshakable; they go above and beyond, working with key stakeholders to innovate and make the welder's life easier, while imbuing it with greater value.
The three winners of the 2025 Welding Professional of the Year Award were: Rasoul Pouriameanesh from AWI Steel Infrastructure for the Welding Coordinator category; Oliver Hatfield from MC Quality for the Welding Inspector category; and Dave Mitchell from MC Quality for the Welding Supervisor category.
Cooper Thornely from Alfec Industrial Engineering was named the 2025 Young Trades Person of the Year. Cooper has always had a keen interest in metal work, starting from a young age with blacksmithing and forming into his now job as a boilermaker. He is a dedicated and hard working young man that strives to produce work to the best of his ability. Completing training at CIT (Canberra Institute of Technology) in Fyshwick earlier this year, Cooper is part of the WorldSkills training squad and has hopes of representing Australia in Shanghai in September 2026.
Youngho Jeong from Halliday Engineering was named the 2025 Trades Person of the Year. At Halliday Engineering, the saying goes: "What do you need welded? We have the man." That man is Youngho Jeong, a welder whose skill, versatility, and personality make him one of the company's most valued tradespeople. Youngho has proven his ability time and again in the toughest conditions. Whether welding upside down, in trenches, with mirrors, or with electrodes bent into shapes that test ingenuity, he consistently delivers to the highest standard. His capacity to work quickly and accurately in challenging environments is matched by his pride in getting it right the first time, no matter the circumstances. His expertise covers the full spectrum of Halliday's materials and processes, steel, stainless steel, aluminium, and exotic alloys and he often combines techniques to refine weld procedures and drive productivity.
Shane Michael from The Outsource Institute won the 2025 Training and Education - Individual Teacher Award. Shane is an Engineering Trainer at Outsource Institute, bringing nearly three decades of hands-on experience in welding and fabrication. Shane's career has spanned roles with companies such as Wisely Group, Monadelphous, and RCR Tomlinson, where he contributed to large-scale projects. Known for his advanced welding skills, leadership in major refurbishments, and innovative use of augmented reality training, Shane is equally respected for his approachable, student-focused teaching style. His blend of technical expertise, forward-thinking use of technology, and genuine care for learners make him a deserving winner.
Emre Taskin won the 2025 VET in Schools Student of the Year Award. Emre is a Year 12 VET Manufacturing and Engineering student whose dedication, skill, and passion for his trade are clear. Emre has demonstrated both natural talent and an unrelenting drive to refine his skills. He has completed three work placements that highlight his enthusiasm and commitment, including two with Mainteck Services. Impressed by his work ethic, initiative, and technical ability, Mainteck requested that Emre return for an additional placement and provided him with a formal letter of recommendation — a testament to the respect he has earned in the workplace. Within school, Emre has played an instrumental role in shaping the learning environment for his peers. He took initiative in setting up new machines in the metals workshop, including levelling the lathe to ensure accurate machining and assisting in the installation of the CNC plasma cutter. His willingness to invest his own time during breaks and after hours reflects his deep commitment to mastering his craft and supporting others.
Macfab Engineering won the 2025 CEO's Award. Macfab Engineering was established in 1998 by Michelle and Wayne Clarke and has grown from a five-person operation working out of a trailer into one of the most respected structural steel fabrication and installation companies in Australia. Today, Macfab Engineering employs approximately 75 skilled staff, delivering the fabrication and installation of projects like bridge components for freeways, heavy structural steel for commercial buildings, and welded products for the rail sector. With the capacity to fabricate, weld, and process over 3,400 tonnes of structural material annually, Macfab is well-equipped to deliver multi-million-dollar contracts. Macfab's success is underpinned by innovation, rigorous quality and safety management, sustainability initiatives, and strong community engagement.
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About Weld Australia
Weld Australia represents the welding profession in Australia. Its members are made up of individual welding professionals and companies of all sizes. Weld Australia members are involved almost every facet of Australian industry and make a significant contribution to the nation's economy. The primary goal of Weld Australia is to ensure that the Australian welding industry remains locally and globally competitive, both now and into the future. Weld Australia is the Australian representative member of the International Institute of Welding (IIW).
