It was announced today that a welding start-up with a strategy for optimizing working processes has partnered with blockchain platform SIMBA Chain as well as software developers Flexsible to enable better documentation and communication across the welding supply chain.
Using SIMBA’s blockchain technology, WeldChain will enable people in welding-related industries to share and store information in a permanent, immutable, secure, and confidential way.
Few people know about the inefficiencies of welding documentation processes better than Kurt Gilson. Having spent 30+ years in the construction industry including as a CEO, Gilson knows that different industries, owners, and contractors have different documentation methods. These differences lead to discrepancies and poor communication, leading to wasted time and the need for rework.
“Welding is a tightly regulated activity, especially as it concerns the quality of the weld and compliance with codes and standards that protect the public from the hazardous or pressurized fluids in the piping systems,” Gilson says, “Documenting this activity is currently an inefficient, fundamentally paper-based process. So, leveraging my knowledge on the business side of things, especially the cost of documentation and verification, I figured I could use blockchain to bridge the gaps and mitigate the issues. And WeldChain was born.”
Seeking to build the best platform possible for WeldChain, Kurt started looking for ways to begin developing, eventually finding SIMBA’s Simple Platform, a low-code platform for developing and testing applications. The team at SIMBA introduced Kurt to Flexsible, who specializes in blockchain and software development, who will build WeldChain on SIMBA’s high-powered blockchain Enterprise Platform.
Gilson says, “From first contact in mid-March to having a proof of concept in only three months, we’re on schedule to have a minimum viable product (MVP) on select customer sites by mid-September; things have been moving pretty quickly!
SIMBA Chain CEO Joel Neidig says, “SIMBA Chain is excited that WeldChain has chosen us to develop its groundbreaking blockchain-backed business model utilizing our SIMBA Enterprise Platform. Given our own background in the manufacturing space, we understand the very sizable potential of putting the industry’s verified welding information on a blockchain. Our platform provides the robustness that will enable WeldChain to scale”
Flexsible’s founder Nate Zapata says “We’re thrilled to be brought in on a blockchain project that breaks into a new use case for this technology. Blockchain technology has immense potential and WeldChain’s mission of putting welding information on the blockchain showcases its ability to modernize multiple industries, including construction. We are proud that with decades of experience in such an emerging technology Flexsible will provide the development services needed to support WeldChain’s scalability.”
