Alpin Weld is a company that has completely redefined the standards in rope access and offshore welding. An innovative approach and a real passion for working at the highest level have made her one of the leading players in the industry.

In the offshore sector, precision and quality are fundamental aspects that determine the success of a project. The Alpin Weld team is perfectly prepared to cope with any, even the most demanding, task.

The beginning of the journey up

The genesis of Alpin Weld is the story of Adam Kozłowski and Paweł Rudacki, who successfully transformed their vision and competences into a dynamically developing company offering professional services at heights, especially in the field of welding.

– We started 15 years ago in the oil and gas sector. We worked as a welding service on mining and drilling platforms, the so-called drillships. We have been engaged by various very large companies, including Semco Maritime or Houlder. In 2018, we learned about the IRATA system and transformed our skills to be able to work as rope access welders – says Adam Kozłowski, president of the management board.

It was then that the idea for my own company was born. The founders of Alpin Weld identified a certain niche on the market, which they decided to develop, capitalizing on their many years of experience and expertise. Vice-president of the management board, Paweł Rudacki, points out that the industry is facing a noticeable lack of experienced welders who can professionally perform their work at heights.

– Until we entered this sector, it was usually industrial climbers who tried to become welders. However, we knew from our own experience that this could not be possible. There is no way for someone who works with ropes to learn to weld in such a difficult environment, he explains.

– Our idea was to transform welders who have experience working in shipyards, workshops, steelworks and power plants into rope access technicians – he adds.

The recruitment process for Alpin Weld is quite specific. While ensuring that a person is an excellent welder, the company must also verify the issue of fear of heights and space anxiety.

– For this purpose, we send our potential employees to our friendly training center RelyOn Nutec in Gdańsk (formerly GoRopes – editor's note), where they can put on a harness, hang on the ropes themselves and check whether they have these fears. After this initial verification, we start preparing the welder to work at heights. We send such a candidate to GWO, IRATA, SOFT courses or other typical offshore training, which ends with obtaining appropriate qualifications and certificates – emphasizes Rudacki.

Synergy of competences

Kozłowski and Rudacki's assumption can be considered downright revolutionary in its intuitive simplicity. Alpin Weld focuses on combining the competences of experienced welders with experts in workplace safety.

– We have people responsible for health and safety at work. These are so-called Level 3 IRATA technicians who have extensive experience in rope access. They ensure that our welders are safe and create working conditions that allow them to focus on welding work. Their safety during work is constantly monitored by a person whose task is to ensure this safety – says Kozłowski.

Currently, the company has 30 rope access welders with outstanding skills in their profession. The quality of the services they provide is noticed and appreciated all over the world, which makes Alpin Weld a recognized brand.

All contracts and framework agreements concluded by the company are naturally subject to confidentiality clauses, but it can be said that the Alpin Weld team works most often on the German and Scandinavian markets. They recently amazed everyone by completing another welding project involving welding transformer stations to foundations in the North Sea in 25 hours when the client expected it to take approximately 5 days. – Importantly, we did it not only quickly, but above all qualitatively. There were no corrections, the client did not raise any comments and, most importantly, the work was carried out in compliance with all health and safety rules – emphasizes Rudacki.

It should be noted that Alpin Weld is not only a certified welding company. Kozłowski and Rudacki also offer non-destructive testing (NDT), which is extremely important in quality control of marine structures. Thanks to rope access, Alpin Weld experts are able to quickly identify problems and take appropriate action.

– The comprehensiveness of our services is what makes us stand out on the market. We carry out NDT tests ourselves, which are then verified by an independent laboratory and we then carry out repairs ourselves. Our clients appreciate this because they do not have to use additional efforts and resources – notes Kozłowski.

Alpin Weld's offer is valuable especially in the offshore wind farm sector.

– Wind turbines are steel structures exposed to external atmospheric factors, which unfortunately partially destroy these structures. This is a common problem that opens the way for us to work on turbines. Through NDT testing, we identify the type of problem. In addition, we have staff who can repair any weld or other thing on the construction. We examine not only the joints in the monopile structure, but also in the gondola structure. The premise is very intuitive. The windmill is high, so to get to this place you have to organize it somehow. There are, of course, various types of trolleys, baskets and elevators on the market that can be used. However, access to certain structural elements of the turbine will be difficult, very expensive or sometimes even impossible. All these devices have their advantages and disadvantages. We, through rope access, can create an environment for repairs in the place where we need them. We save time, money, and, above all, we do it precisely – illustrates Paweł Rudacki.

Expansion and the future

The company does not intend to rest on the laurels of its past successes. Founders are constantly looking for new markets and customers to continually scale their business. Their ambitious goal is to obtain the status of an NDT laboratory, which will allow them to expand the scope of services and meet the most stringent quality standards.

The history of Alpin Weld is an example of determination and an innovative approach that is truly transforming the industry. The company not only meets the expectations of the most demanding customers, but also creates the future of the dynamically developing offshore industry. A unique approach to employee training, integrating welding and safety competences and consistent pursuit of the highest quality make Alpin Weld stand out on the global market. Adam Kozłowski and Paweł Rudacki are constantly looking for new opportunities and raising the bar, which puts them in a leadership role, setting the direction for the future of the sector in Poland and around the world.