“What’s the current situation between EWI and TWI?”

Recently, many of our members have inquired about the status of the EWI and TWI relationship. In response, we want to make every effort to be clear about the current business arrangement and our prospects for future interaction. To begin, it's helpful to revisit how the history of the EWI-TWI relationship led us to our current agreement.

In 1983, Ohio Governor Richard Celeste established the Thomas Alva Edison Partnership Program and Advanced Technology Applications Centers as a cornerstone of his economic development strategy, which funded the creation of a network of Edison Technology Centers of Excellence. In response to this opportunity, Battelle Memorial Institute and The Ohio State University filed articles of incorporation to form a new, independent entity and created a joint proposal to the State of Ohio for the Edison Center for Welding Research and Development. In the summer of 1984 the proposal was awarded with four million dollars in seed money and an agreement to continue supporting core research programs for an indefinite period of time (that funding continues today, albeit at a lower level). In about that same timeframe, The Welding Institute (TWI) in the UK had been looking for a means to expand its presence in the US marketplace. In December of 1984, EWI and TWI entered into an agreement giving each organization’s members full access to the capabilities, programs, facilities and publications of both Institutes. TWI’s 85 U.S. industry members became the founding members of EWI, and several TWI staff were seconded to EWI to help get the new Institute off the ground.

From the beginning, the underlying theme of EWI and TWI’s relationship has been to share membership through assignment of home territories and mutual recognition of each others’ members, but with open competition for projects. Over time EWI and TWI have continued to renew and update their agreement on a 3 to 5 year basis. The basic terms of the agreement experienced only minor changes for nearly 20 years, and thus those slight modifications and renewals were transparent to our members. Since approximately 2001, however, our strategies have been drifting apart, with EWI’s model increasingly emphasizing developing applied research projects to serve our members. The membership base being the platform that allows us to understand the broad market needs and help us to more accurately develop our core research program and capabilities.

In October 2007, EWI and TWI both agreed to redefine our relationship in recognition of the separation of our business interests. With an eye toward preserving the rights of current members, we agreed to support in a “business as usual” mode those members who had joined either organization prior to that point and continued their membership. Any new members would need to join the organization(s) from which they wish to receive member benefits. That agreement remains in force through September 30, 2009, when it is eligible for renewal.

We understand that our members have budgetary cycles and would need to plan for their technology resources well in advance of this date, should the agreement not be renewed. On behalf of EWI, I want to assure you that we will not put anyone in a situation where they are left without our support when they need it. We will work diligently with TWI to provide ample time for you to make decisions about your membership in either EWI or TWI.

Our members helped make us who we are today and we plan to remember their contributions toward our success as we move into the future. In recognition of this, we have instituted a new, simpler membership dues structure, reduced the 6 month resignation notification period to 90 days, continue to offer free literature searches through our library services group, along with free technical inquiries from our engineering staff, reduced rates on projects, access to EWI's Cooperative Research Program reports, and all the other membership benefits currently enjoyed by our members.

If you have any further questions or would like more information, please contact Nate Ames at 614.688.5135 or nate_ames@ewi.org.