Paisley Cameron: Turns the Tables on Turn-Around Repairs

Paisley Cameron P.Eng , a welding engineer at Brask Inc – a Texas-based fabrication shop, combines her creativity with her vast welding knowledge to make the seemingly impossible “turn-around repairs” – possible. Because repair is almost always a more cost-effective solution over replacement, and downtime is costly, her solutions are much appreciated. For nearly ten years, Paisley has been working with companies to find resolutions to their plant and equipment issues.?

Paisley chose welding as her field of study because of the combination of its artistic and scientific components. And, this combo is why she has demonstrated success with difficult issues during turn-arounds. Where most contractors would give up and need to start from scratch, Paisley finds a way to repair the problem – usually in an unconventional method. Her extensive welding and metallurgical engineering experience includes design, new construction, maintenance and turn arounds in the petroleum industry, as well as both domestic and international fabrication shops and mechanical contractors. She works closely with the American Welding Society (AWS) and its standards and codes.

She has the unique perspective of working in the field and in the office as a woman in a mainly male-dominated career.?“I like to put my hood down, strike an arc, and see for myself why a weld isn’t working. It helps me analyze the situation from more than one viewpoint and that’s usually the time when I ‘earn my stripes’ with the guys I’m working with. Unfortunately, I’m seeing a trend of welding engineers that understand the science and metallurgy, but lack the practical knowledge gained by actually welding and working in the field. Hopefully that changes as they advance in their career.

"We need to be the next generation of welding knowledge when our mentors – the icons of welding – retire.”

She’ll be sharing her experiences on turn-around repairs during this year’s Welding Summit. “I attended last year’s Summit and it was a very valuable experience. I learned a great deal from the presentations, but just as valuable were the conversations I had with other attendees on how and why they were using standards and codes unfamiliar to me,” says Paisley.

“I love learning from others in this field, there are so many knowledgeable individuals with years of experience. It’s really a ‘Who’s Who in Welding’ at the [Welding Summit] conference – so many of my mentors were there and I made connections with a lot of new people as well.”