Wilkinson Technologies, Ltd.

Robots to weld piles on the Tappan Zee Bridge project

Robots to weld piles on the Tappan Zee Bridge project

06 - 25 - 2014

Robots to weld piles on the Tappan Zee Bridge project

Dive Brief:

  • About two dozen robot welders from a Louisiana company have been brought north to work on pilings being sunk into the Hudson River bottom to begin the $3.9 billion Tappan Zee Bridge project – and that annoying both unions and open-shop contractors.
  • The contractors say there are not enough spots for nonunion welders under the project labor agreement the New York State Thruway Authority, which owns the bridge, signed.
  • Unions say that the Tappan Zee Contractors consortium keeps changing specifications, forcing the unions to change training for welders and bogging down the process. They also say that the 35% passing rate for candidates on welding tests is still the national average.

Dive Insight:

Each of the robots hired from Wilkinson Technologies requires a four-person team to operate and prevent problems from arising. The machines can work at about twice the speed of human welders. Success has reportedly been mixed.


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