FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ESAB Corporation Celebrates 120th Anniversary
NORTH BETHESDA, Md. – September 12, 2024 – ESAB Corporation, a focused premier industrial compounder, is pleased to announce this September marks the 120th anniversary of the company. Since its inception in 1904 in Sweden, ESAB has become a global leader in fabrication and gas control technology with its groundbreaking products, workflow solutions and unique business-management system, ESAB Business Excellence (EBX).
“This incredible milestone would not be possible without the dedication of our associates around the world and our relentless focus on driving innovation and continuous improvement, which have been the cornerstones of our growth for more than a century,” said Shyam P. Kambeyanda, president and CEO, ESAB Corporation. “As we continue to build on the legacy that was established 120 years ago, we remain committed to raising the bar of our performance by creating superior value for our customers and delivering on our purpose of Shaping the world we imagine.”
Global celebrations
Throughout the month of September, associates around the world will participate in various celebrations and community engagement activities focused on “120 Years Strong, 120 Years Powerful, 120 Years ESAB.” One celebration in particular holds significant importance – associates in Gothenburg, Sweden, the birthplace of ESAB, and the family of ESAB’s founder Oscar Kjellberg are joining together for a celebratory “yellow carpet” event to mark this shared milestone.
This anniversary milestone also coincides with ESAB Corporation’s annual company values-focused associate celebration. Throughout the month, the company will spotlight and award associates that embody the company’s values – Shared Success, Help Each Other Win, Always Improving, Purposeful Leadership, Every Voice Valued.
Additionally, the company released a short film documenting key moments in its history over their last century of growth – from the shipyards of Gothenburg, Sweden to becoming a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange.
A legacy of innovation
In 1904, Swedish engineer Oscar Kjellberg produced the world’s first coated welding electrode, a heavily fluxed electrode that substantially improved the quality of weld metal, and, with that, Elektriska Svetsnings-Aktiebolaget (ESAB) was born. Today, with its comprehensive suite of light-industrial, heavy-industrial and robotics and automation products, the brand serves industries that serve the world, including shipbuilding, healthcare, research, aerospace, automotive, pipelines, power generation, repair & maintenance, process industry, transport and mobile machinery and more.
ESAB has also expanded to more than 40 global and regional brands – including AlcoTec®, Cigweld, GCE®, InduSuite™, Soldexa, TBi, Thermal Dynamics® and Victor® – and is located across six continents and 147 countries. The company’s portfolio features some of the most celebrated equipment on the market spanning welding and fabrication and gas control, including the ESAB Rebel Multi-Process (launched in 2014) and the award-winning ESAB Renegade VOLT™ ES 200i Battery Powered Stick and TIG Welder (launched in 2023). Most recently, the corporation launched GCE Zen-O™ and Zen-O Lite™ portable oxygen concentrators, Warrior Edge 500 CW with RobustFeed Edge CX, the Rustler series, Rogue 210 EMP Pro, and FloCloud, a gas monitoring software solution.
Creating a global premier industrial enterprise
ESAB Corporation successfully made its initial public offering as an independent publicly traded company in 2022 after separating from Colfax Corporation. Since then, ESAB has established itself as an industrial powerhouse with a laser focus on growth and innovation. With a rich history of successful acquisitions of leading gas control and fabrication brands like Victor and GCE in 2014 and 2018, respectively, Kambeyanda has renewed the company’s focus on growth through strategic acquisitions. Of note, since 2022, the brand has acquired Ohio Medical (USA), Swift-Cut (UK), Therapy Equipment Limited (UK), Sager S.A.S. (South America), Linde Industries Private Limited (Bangladesh).
Under Kambeyanda’s leadership, ESAB Corporation has put a large focus on sustainability, issuing reports in 2023 and 2024. Detailed within, the company has committed to 50 percent reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 2035, and 50 percent global electricity coming from renewable energy sources by 2030. The report also detailed that three manufacturing facilities already receive 100 percent renewable energy, including the newly renovated facility located in Denton, TX, and two facilities located in Brazil. Additionally, since Kambeyanda took the helm in 2016, ESAB has reported a better than industry average Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) since 2017.
Looking to the next 120 years
Looking forward from this remarkable milestone, ESAB Corporation continues to think even bigger, extending its shared values and resources to the communities where associates live, work, and do business. Aligning with this 120-year anniversary, ESAB Corporation has recently established a new corporate giving program that will make contributions to causes that matter most to its local communities, guided by the following pillars for giving: education and workforce development, health and wellbeing, sustainable future and workplace inclusion.
ESAB has recently placed a cross-functional focus on workforce development as it recognizes its role in the understaffed welding industry. In 2023, ESAB launched its Future Fabricators initiative, which offers scholarships and supports programs that help bring tools and welding expertise to local communities and make ESAB equipment accessible to help create a strong foundation for the next generation. Additionally, ESAB continues its support for Welder Underground, an apprenticeship program created by Brooklyn-based nonprofit The Collab-Orators to empower a new generation of welders and metal fabricators through an innovative six-month “earn while you learn” program.
On a global scale, ESAB India’s new ESAB-Welding Centre of Excellence at Irungattukottai Industry Park has trained more than 100 students annually with a 100 percent placement record, in addition to training 30,000 individuals at the Taratala Welding Institute for nearly a decade. And out of ESAB Europe, the Ore Projects, in which ESAB has provided extensive PPE equipment, is a mentoring initiative offering free metal fabrication training for youths with a focus on the growing number of women who are taking up welding in Britain.
In addition to fostering and introducing initiatives that provide opportunities within the industry, ESAB looks to continue its commitment toward product innovation by delivering new efficient, high-productivity solutions that are developed with input from customers and built with the expertise and heritage of a global manufacturing leader with 120 years of experience driving innovation.