Coatings_Specialist__Alex_Szokolik
COATING SPECIALIST
Alex Szokolik
ith 32 years in the coatings industry, Alex Szokolik has earned the right to be called a coatings specialist. In
1991, he retired from his position at
Esso Australia, where he was responsible for evaluating coatings for offshore and pipeline application, writing specifications, performing failure analysis, and conducting maintenance coating surveys to structure the company’s maintenance program.
Since then, Szokolik has launched a new career as a consultant for his company A&A Szokolik
Consulting Pty. Ltd. (Sale, Victoria).
The scope of his work includes specification writing and reviewing, failure analysis, design and supervision of test programs, development and presentation of training programs, coating inspection, and coating surveys.
W
Training Applicators
Szokolik’s current focus in his work is education. The Australian coatings industry is only just beginning to understand the importance of qualified industrial coatings applicators, he says. Until recently, industrial applicators were an untrained group who had no recourse to a formal program of education. This situation was in stark contrast to that of house painters, says Szokolik, who are re-
152 /
Journal of Protective Coatings & Linings
quired to undergo three-year apprenticeships before achieving qualification.
When new, high performance coatings entered the Australian market, applicators were unprepared, says Szokolik. As a result, Szokolik headed the drive to develop the first training program that was conducted at a technical college. Since then, he has taken his program on the road and has developed weeklong coating and inspection courses in Vietnam and Malaysia. He is also developing in-house courses for private companies. Szokolik has seen the benefits of an increasingly educated workforce. “People came to accept coating failures as the norm. Now they are slowly waking up to see that this is not the norm.”
Alex Szokolik
ith 32 years in the coatings industry, Alex Szokolik has earned the right to be called a coatings specialist. In
1991, he retired from his position at
Esso Australia, where he was responsible for evaluating coatings for offshore and pipeline application, writing specifications, performing failure analysis, and conducting maintenance coating surveys to structure the company’s maintenance program.
Since then, Szokolik has launched a new career as a consultant for his company A&A Szokolik
Consulting Pty. Ltd. (Sale, Victoria).
The scope of his work includes specification writing and reviewing, failure analysis, design and supervision of test programs, development and presentation of training programs, coating inspection, and coating surveys.
W
Training Applicators
Szokolik’s current focus in his work is education. The Australian coatings industry is only just beginning to understand the importance of qualified industrial coatings applicators, he says. Until recently, industrial applicators were an untrained group who had no recourse to a formal program of education. This situation was in stark contrast to that of house painters, says Szokolik, who are re-
152 /
Journal of Protective Coatings & Linings
quired to undergo three-year apprenticeships before achieving qualification.
When new, high performance coatings entered the Australian market, applicators were unprepared, says Szokolik. As a result, Szokolik headed the drive to develop the first training program that was conducted at a technical college. Since then, he has taken his program on the road and has developed weeklong coating and inspection courses in Vietnam and Malaysia. He is also developing in-house courses for private companies. Szokolik has seen the benefits of an increasingly educated workforce. “People came to accept coating failures as the norm. Now they are slowly waking up to see that this is not the norm.”