Acute Technological Services (ATS) is a company that began as a one-man operation in 1991 and has seen incredible growth, due to the insight and intelligence of Michael Hayes, president and welding engineer who earned his degree from The Ohio State University.  Mr. Hayes is now supported by a team of fourteen engineers who offer over a quarter century of combined welding engineering expertise covering a broad range of specialties. ATS also has a highly trained staff of welding technicians with extensive experience in manual, automated and mechanized welding of pipe and tubing for critical applications for numerous domestic, offshore and international projects. 

ATS is unique in that it provides support to exploration, development, and transportation projects through welding engineering and consulting, research and development, and worldwide welding and full-scale production services.  It is that last segment of the business – the worldwide welding and production -- that is of primary interest to students and graduates of the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology. 

Due to the phenomenal growth that ATS has experienced within the last four years, this company is seeking to hire 75 more welding technicians within the next year.  David Pratt flew to Ohio from Houston, Texas, to talk with Hobart Institute students and explain that “the demand for our services is ever-increasing.”  

“Fabrication using gas tungsten arc, gas metal arc, flux cored arc, shielded metal arc, and submerged arc welding processes begins in the shop,” says David.  “After technicians have successfully welded critical application components and engineers on the team have inspected the parts, the team then follows the project to the site for further development, assembly, and installation.”

ATS customer base is made up primarily of the major oil companies, equipment manufacturers and service companies engaged in deepwater oil and gas production applications in the Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, Southeast Asia and South America.  ATS also handles repairs for specific projects anywhere in the world… almost.  “We won’t send workers to areas where political unrest exists,” says David.  “Their safety comes first.”

“Most of the actual welding is done topside and undersea assembly is done using remote operational vehicles (ROVs),” explains David.  “Subsea structures are placed on the ocean floor and are connected to offshore platforms by way of subsea pipelines and control lines.  Acute Technological Services has been involved in numerous deepwater projects through services such as specification development, system design, process and materials evaluation as well as fabrication applications.”

In addition to the energy industry, Acute has skill and experience in the fabrication of exotic alloy systems used in the aerospace, hydrospace and nuclear industries.  Acute has succeeded in transferring technologies between industrial disciplines, using its titanium fabrication expertise to build critical control systems utilizing titanium tubing for both military and commercial applications.  In fact, Acute has completed several critical projects for NASA including the fabrication of custom hardware now being used aboard the space station.

The critical tube welding expertise that Acute has applied to aerospace and hydrospace is used to fabricate tubing systems for pharmaceutical, food processing, and gas separation industries.  Acute has implemented orbital gas tungsten arc welding technology for new installations around the world.  Most recently, Acute participated in the fabrication and inspection of stainless steel tubing for the largest insulin plant in the world located in Montes Claros, Minas Gerais Brazil for NovoNordisk. 

The operation of ATS more closely resembles a research facility than a production plant.  At ATS, each project is unique and time is taken to develop specific welding procedures (to date, over 500 procedures have been developed) for critical welds of sub sea structures using exotic metals such as super-duplex steels, titanium, and nickel alloys.  Welders must produce near-perfect welds as each one is radiographed and serialized. 

“In most subsea applications ATS is involved with, welding is a critical path operation.  It isn’t just welding… rather, it is welding within very specific parametric control in order to produce the desired microstructure.  Today, structures are being built for service in 10,000 feet of water.  It is imperative that the welding be done with precision as we don’t want to have a failure that requires retrieval of subsea equipment,” explains David.  “Parts are designed to last 25 years in a subsea environment.” 

On-the-job training and learning while you earn becomes a way of life for employees at ATS who work ten to twelve very interesting hours each day, depending on their specific project within a clean shop.  There is a lot of variety and opportunity to enhance welding skills.  Field work is rotated so each employee has an opportunity to travel and time away does not become routine.  Any time beyond forty hours per week earns overtime pay. 

“Students who have completed the Combination Structural and Pipe Welding Program at Hobart Institute are of definite interest to us,” Pratt says.  “We know that they have reached a specific level of expertise and are open to further training opportunities.”

Health, 401K, and vacation benefits are excellent and favor the ATS employees.   Depending on their level of expertise, apprentice welders can begin at fifteen to eighteen dollars per hour while a master technician may earn up to twenty-eight dollars per hour.  Welders can advance at their own pace and may test to the next level at any time.  ATS does not require certification at the entry level, but does conduct a simple weld test to determine a level of expertise of each candidate.  All applicants must hold a high school diploma or GED equivalent.  Welding certification or associates degrees are preferred.  Serious applicants may be flown to Houston by ATS for an interview, testing, and discussion of relocation benefits.  Qualified candidates will develop the most demanded skills in the industry and earn the opportunity for advancement.

Acute Technological Services, LLC, located at 11925 Brittmoore Park Drive, Houston, Texas, is positioned to provide rapid response services to the demands of today’s energy industry for all onshore and offshore activities worldwide.  ATS is an industry leader, advancing the science of welding engineering and generating technical innovations for the energy industry through the application of new technologies and proven scientific methods.

To apply, contact David L. Pratt at dpratt@acutetechserv.com or phone 713-983-9353.  Resumes for consideration may be faxed to 713-983-8482.

For more detail about ATS, please see http://www.acutetechserv.com/

DAVID PRATT

The Manager of Welding Services at ATS is David Pratt, who has a fascinating welding career.  David comes from a long line of welders tracing back to his father and his grandfather who welded on the railroads.  From a young age, David knew and was attracted to welding.  His formal training began in high school and his life has been one of continuous learning and advancement. 

While working at Case Corporation manufacturing heavy equipment, he earned his certification as an AWS certified welding inspector after completing the Hobart Institute’s Preparation for the AWS CWI/CWE Examination.  David contracted his services to a small company, Industrial Tooling and Fabrication in Fort Madison, Iowa.    It was through his contact as a supplier of parts to ITF that he was offered a position with that company.  The company quickly grew from ten welders and one welding robot to nearly 100 welders and 20 welding robots.  Among other duties, David was utilized in the hiring, training, testing and qualifying of employees and programming of all robotic welding equipment. 

“Even though I have been a welder my entire life, without certification as an AWS-CWI, my career would not have taken this direction,” says David.  “It definitely opened doors that have been very beneficial to me including my new position with Acute Technological Services, LLC.  My career has been both challenging and very rewarding.”