Achilles Kakelo
SPARKING CUTTING EDGE WELDING TECHNOLOGY AT A DEMANDING SHIPYARD
Welding codes govern and guide welding activities to ensure safety, reliability, and quality of the applicable weldment or welded structure. A Coded Welder is a terminology used for an approved welder against a particular standard. Such welders have passed tests to prove their ability to perform a specific welding type or standard. Meet Meet Achilles Kakelo, a Coded Welder employed at Namdock’s ship repair yard at Walvis Bay. This is his story.
CHILDHOOD
Achilles Kakelo, was born at Ondjodjo village, near Oskakati, in Oshana region. Both his parents were unemployed and the sale of traditional brew was the family’s main source of income. “Yes, we had it tough, but our parents raised us well, nonetheless. I grew up in a loving family”, Achilles shares.
A playful and sporty youngster, Achilles loved football - and it was this early fascination with the code that earned him the nickname, Zox. “Yes, I was crazy about soccer. I had a soccer ball and my sibdlings would tell that wherever I went, that ball was at my feet. My sister loved my trickery on the pitch and then started calling me by this name. I remember asking her what the name meant, and she couldn’t answer. But, somehow, the name just stuck”, he recalls.
“I liked the name and I’ve been Zox, ever since. Even here at work, my colleagues also call me Zox”, Achilles explains.
CAREER CHOICE
Achilles is a proud product of David Sheehama Secondary School at Outapi, in Omusati, where he completed Grade 12 and where he also excelled in basketball.
Achilles had boyhood aspirations of becoming a medical doctor. However, realizing that his Science and Mathematics grades were not meeting expectations, he had to abandon his ambition to enter the medical field. “I was disappointed when the results came out, I must admit. But, after some introspection, I realized that I perhaps I had to embrace the fact that I’ve always loved working with my hands. I said to myself that perhaps I had to shift my focus to something more practical”, he shares.
An experience he had in Grade 10 when he observed other boys being trained in the finer detail of welding, is what guided Achilles in his decision to opt for training in this particular occupational trade. “I don’t know what happened that day, but it was like a spark that ignited. I guess how they were able to fabricate something useful out of pieces of metal just fascinated me”, he adds.
TRAINING
Achilles’ applied and got accepted at the Valombola Vocational Training Institution at Ongwediva, where, under the instruction of this institution’s seasoned trainers, acquired his Level 3 Welding and Metal Fabrication qualification.
“I think the reason why I enjoyed the training course so much could be ascribed to the fact that I had such a strong interest in the field. I was at my happiest in the workshop when I could put on my protective gear and welding goggles and work under the supervision of my trainers. Somehow, it all just came naturally. It felt as if it was where I belonged; that I was born to do this”, he says.
The welder training programme at Valombola VTC includes an intense focus on welding and cutting practices, the metallurgy of welding, as well as quality standards in welding. “I was privileged to have had such competent trainers. You know, welding is actually very difficult to do for most people, because it takes years and years of practice, on top of learning how to do it. Our trainers were seasoned and skilled people and they just made it so easy for us to acquire the skills”, Achilles shares.
LABOUR MARKET ENTRY
Job hunting was successful at the first attempt. After graduating in 2007, Achilles relocated to Erongo and submitted his curriculum vitae at Namdock, as soon as he arrived in Walvis Bay.
“I was very fortunate. My very first job application and I was successful. Look, I didn’t even know what it was that Namdock was doing. All I heard was that if you were a qualified welder, you could work there. So, knowing that I didn’t have any work experience, I applied. They called me in the very next day for an interview, and here I’m still – working at their shipyard”, Achilles notes.
“You start at the bottom rung of the ladder and you work your way up. Everyone does. So, you need to be flexible and adjust because you are transitioning into a different world. This is not your workshop at the training institution where you often have more than one attempt at getting something right, anymore. Here, it’s about production deadlines and quality targets. It’s about getting it right at the first attempt”, he stresses.
HIGHLY SPECIALIZED WORK
The difference between certified welders and coded welders is all down to the demonstrated degree of mastery over specific welding methods. Coded welders pass an international coding standard that is suitable for various welding works, including pressure vessels, pressure pipework and other critical applications, such structural steelwork applications.
Achilles has benefitted from exposure to international shipyards and best practices. According to Namdock’s Workshop Foreman, Daniel Vitumbo, Achilles ticks all the boxes and understands these expectations well. “We have quality inspectors and we need to keep to the requirements set by the International Standards Organisation. There are specifications and procedures that need to be adhered to for the shipyard to maintain its certification”, Vitumbo explains.
“It’s about taking pride in what you do and about embracing the standards and procedures. I can stand back after a weld and tell myself with confidence that my weld was executed as per the prescribed procedure and that it meets the standards. I’ve mastered the skill and I need to maintain my mastery”, Achilles emphasizes.
CODING SYSTEM
The welder coding system is a set of tests that demonstrate that a welder can carry out work to international industry standards. A key benefit of this system is its efficiency at showcasing exactly who has the required skills, and who doesn’t. Depending on the job, some codes are more varied and general, but often they are specific and require an individual method. Achilles is multi-coded.
“You have to earn your stripes in this line of work. I acquired my codes through commitment and dedication to the task at hand. There are several procedures and each have their own quality requirements. I’m now multi-coded, meaning I’m at a stage where I’m equally confident with whatever the material, whether stainless steel or aluminum, or whatever the method, whether its argon or stick welding, or whatever the location, whether big pipes on the shipyard, or a job on a vessel”, Achilles highlights.
Asked about his favourite procedure, Achilles doesn’t hesitate in highlighting the CuNiFe method. “This is a special method and the name comes from the three chemical elements where Cu is copper, Ni is nickel and Fe is iron. We rarely use it in the industry and it is also somewhat of a tough procedure to master. Initially, I struggled, but I’m good at it now. I guess I took it on as a challenge and kept on going back to it until I could do it well, he shares.
“I’m now multicoded, meaning I’m at a stage where I’m equally confident with whatever the material, procedure, or location”.
INTENSE PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENT
Coded welders in the maritime sector play an important role in the shipbuilding and repair process. Rigorously trained and certified, their welds must ensure strength and uniformity, while eliminating any form of latent abnormalities which could during the life of a ship cause a crack and lead to both loss of ship, and life.
Achilles’ employer, Namdock, specializes in ship repair. High-tech, state-of-the-art floating dry dock facilities, backed up by highly skilled welding teams have contributed to the company’s growing reputation in the ship repair, engineering and fabrication sectors.
According to his supervisor, Claudia Antonio,
Achilles is considered a key member of the Namdock welding team. “I’ve known him since 2007 – that was before I became his supervisor and was just a more experienced colleague. Today, Achilles is the best welder at Namdock. I prefer to work with him, because he is so dedicated to the task at hand; always available; always punctual; and what’s more, he always gives you quality. And for a supervisor, that peace of mind that a job is done well is what is so important”, she explains.
FUTURE AMBITIONS
Despite his stellar growth from an inexperienced graduate to seasoned shipyard welder, Achilles harbours ambitions to further advance within his employer’s structures.
“I’m good at what I do, but this is definitely not the end of the road for me. On the contrary, I see myself growing into more senior positions here at Namdock, and in our shipyard. This company has given me an opportunity and because of its investment in an inexperienced welding trainee, I am where I am today. I would want to be in a position where I too can give others such opportunities”, he explains.
“In fact, I love working with the apprentices Namdock takes in and I think I will be well placed in some sort of a trainer capacity, where I’ll have more time and opportunity to impart my knowledge and skills to the rookies joining our shipyard. I also would love to see more ladies joining the fray. They can do this work too. Just look at my supervisor, Claudia. She’s an excellent example”, Achilles shares.
FAMILY MAN
“You have to earn your stripes in this line of work. I acquired my codes through commitment and dedication to the task at hand”
Away from the busy shipyard, Achilles turns his focus to fiancée, Hilde Abed, whom he first met at Valombola VTC at Ongwediva. He admits to being very shy the first time he met the lady who would become the mother of his three children. And it was Hilde who approached him first when she saw him in Walvis Bay, years later.
“There I was in the store, not understanding why such an attractive lady wanted to speak to me. She looked different and only when she reminded me, did I recognize her. That was the beginning of our relationship and I’m so lucky to have her in my life”, Achilles shares.
“I’m immensely proud of him. He is a hardworking and responsible man. The fact that his employer values him as a key team member and that he continues to excel in his work is so important to him. He looks forward to going to work every day. He looks after his family and he is at his happiest when he can spoil us with visits to the mall, or for dinner at the steak house”, Hilde shares.
Achilles Kakelo. Skilled, proficient and disciplined, he is embracing his passion for his work. To the rest of us, his story underlines the value of finding joy and fulfilment in our work; that the only way to do great work is to love what you do. And, more importantly, that those of us who haven’t found our passion yet, must keep looking, and not settle.
He loves what he’s doing. Like Achilles, you too can ‘Live Your Passion’ as a Coded Welder.