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FOUNDATIONS FOR SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION
Lippold took on the role of Chair of the Editorial Board. Also, at that time, open submission
to WiW was introduced to allow manuscripts to be submitted directly to the journal without
prior screening and recommendation by the IIW Working Units. This process allowed
papers to be screened by the editors first and then reviewed by the appropriate Working Unit
Chair before going through the peer review system, if considered acceptable. This change
allowed greater improvement in quality and diversity in the submission of papers. Over 170
papers were submitted by open submission in 2015, with 30 of this total entering the peer
review system. All three editors were justifiably proud that WiW was to publish 90 papers
in the six issues in 2015, all of the highest quality resulting in the publication of over 900
pages of fundamental and applied research associated with materials joining.
22
In addition to the continuing role of WiW as the flagship for IIW,
an important part of the 2013-2017 business planning process was the
opportunity to implement modern communication technology for global
technology transfer.
23
It is difficult to believe that, looking back to 1990,
the main asset of IIW in terms of communication was an elementary global
telephone system that made it easier to contact people all around the world
and little else.
24
At that time IIW also had a rather antiquated computerised
database listing technical documents that had been prepared by its respective
Working Units. The aim of the database was to make the documents, which
were stored on floppy discs, available to industry at a cost of CHF 2 250 for
the full set.
The database covered topics such as welding processes and allied technology, physics
of welding, design and fabrication, fatigue of welded structures, welding terminology, etc.
This was really the first attempt by the Institute to enter a ‘brave new world’ in the use of
computerised systems for both information storage and the dissemination
of technical documentation. Further progress was minimal despite
continual advances in computer technology although IIW was to
further update the database and software when Windows and DOS
versions became available in 1995.
In embracing technical change the Institute introduced
an electronic bulletin board in 1994 that was not successful and
was little used since it failed to stimulate interest among members.
Interest in the database also started to decline around the mid-
1990s, in all probability due to the increasing costs of updating
information to current subscribers of the database.
However, two important initiatives that did attract
keen interest were the publishing of the 1st edition of
Fatigue
Design of Welded Attachments and Joints
by Prof. Dr-Ing.
Cécile Mayer