April 11, 2024
Tony Anderson, respected internationally for his expertise, named to Welding Engineering Technology Hall of Fame at Ferris State
Tony Anderson, a leader in the welding industry respected internationally for his skills and devotion to the field, was named to the Welding Engineering Technology Hall of Fame at Ferris State University this week.
“For more than 50 years, Tony’s incalculable contributions to the Welding Engineering field and Welding Engineering Program have been invaluable,” said Ken Kuk, chairman of the Hall of Fame board. “He has been a key advisory board member, conducted student industrial tours and aluminum welding seminars, and provided employment opportunities for numerous interns and graduates of the Ferris State University Welding Engineering Program.”
Anderson’s career began in 1968 at Vickers Shipbuilding in Barrow-in-Furness, England as an apprentice welder, working mainly on nuclear submarines. He then spent eight years in South Africa working in various roles for several welding companies.
Anderson relocated to the United States in 1988, accepting a role as a welding engineer, working on military and agricultural projects for Lockwood Corporation in Nebraska. He returned to South Africa for an appointment at the South Africa Institute of Welding and was appointed to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, based in Vienna Austria.
He returned to the United States in 1996 and was recognized as a world-class expert in the welding of aluminum as technical director and training manager for AllcoTec Wire/ESAB North America and as director of Aluminum Technology for ITW Welding North America.
The Welding Engineering Technology Hall of Fame was established in 2016 to acknowledge leaders who have excelled and achieved success in the welding industry and are linked to the Ferris State program.
Anderson is the 21st person to be inducted into the hall, which is located in Swan Hall on Ferris State’s Big Rapids campus.
He has been retired for two years but continues to assist people in the field as a consultant.
“I’ve been in the industry for 50 years and I’ve really enjoyed working with Ferris and working with your graduates,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed it, and I appreciate this. It’s a great honor.”