Innovation, craftsmanship and local leadership took centre stage at the 2025 Welding Excellence Awards in Adelaide, where South Australia’s top fabricators, educators and industry contributors were recognised for their contributions to Australia’s manufacturing capability.
Hosted by Weld Australia, the annual awards celebrate technical excellence, safety leadership, workforce development and innovation across the welding and fabrication sectors. This year’s winners showcased how regional expertise continues to support major infrastructure and defence programs, while pushing the boundaries of productivity and quality.
Among the standout recipients was Lai Group, honoured as Company of the Year – Fabrication, which is expanding its production capacity and incorporating advanced automation into its structural steel operations. Other winners included Diverseco and W.E.S.S. for their work in providing turnkey robotics and welding technologies that help workshops improve safety and output.
The Adelaide Training and Employment Centre also received recognition for its role in preparing the next generation of welders and fabricators, emphasising the importance of education and industry partnership in addressing workforce challenges. Weld Australia CEO Geoff Crittenden highlighted that these awards reflect a sector “future-ready, resilient and competitive on the world stage.”
The event underscores a unifying theme in Australia’s fabrication industry: while automation and technology are increasingly important, so too are skills, training and human leadership in driving national capability.
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