What are the responsibilities and job description for the Shop Pipe Welder position at RK?
Description
The Shop Pipe Welder is a highly skilled member of our fabrication team, responsible for producing precise, high-quality welds and assemblies that meet the strictest industry and customer standards. From interpreting blueprints and weld symbols to setting up fixtures and performing X-ray quality welds, this role requires technical expertise, craftsmanship, and attention to detail at every stage of production.
In this position, you’ll work with advanced equipment—including overhead cranes, weld machines, and precision measuring tools—while collaborating with fabricators, foremen, and superintendents to keep projects on schedule. Your ability to fit, weld, and assemble process piping, hydronics, and pressure vessels to ASME and B31 codes ensures every product is built to last and delivered with excellence.
Shop Fitter Welders are valued for their hands-on expertise, reliability, and commitment to safety. Their work lays the foundation for field success, ensuring every system fabricated in the shop is accurate, durable, and ready for installation.
RK Industries is a second-generation family-owned company led by brothers Rick and Jon Kinning. With seven specialized business units working together, we deliver construction, fabrication, manufacturing, and building services with a focus on safety, quality, and craftsmanship.
People join RK for the craftsmanship, complexity, and the ability to make a real impact. Our in-house capabilities mean employees see their ideas become real solutions, creating meaningful collaboration and clear visibility into how work gets built. Growth happens through challenging projects, mentorship from experienced builders, and opportunities that stretch your skill set.
With RK University, accredited apprenticeships, competitive benefits, and deep community investment, RK offers the stability of a family-owned company with the opportunity and momentum of an industry leader.
Position Summary
Perform trade specific quality work consistent with CAD/FAB and Energy procedures to ensure product meets or exceeds customer expectations.
Role Responsibilities
Safety: Our unmatched culture of safety is our foremost core value, guiding everything we do each day: Health, Safety, & Environmental
Awards: Whether in Construction, Manufacturing, Fabrication, or Service, RK Industries is highly recognized and accredited throughout the industry: Accreditations & Recognition
Benefits: RK Industries offers competitive benefits to support your growth and well-being: Benefits & Rewards
Philanthropy: RK Industries not only builds our community through our projects, but also invests in it by supporting local services for over a decade through the RK Foundation: RK Foundation
Development: Through RK University, we provide hands-on training and development opportunities that empower employees to advance their careers and grow within the company, to include leadership and technical learning opportunities, we well as our accredited apprentice program: RK University & RK Apprenticeship Program
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
RK Industries, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other status protected by applicable law
The Shop Pipe Welder is a highly skilled member of our fabrication team, responsible for producing precise, high-quality welds and assemblies that meet the strictest industry and customer standards. From interpreting blueprints and weld symbols to setting up fixtures and performing X-ray quality welds, this role requires technical expertise, craftsmanship, and attention to detail at every stage of production.
In this position, you’ll work with advanced equipment—including overhead cranes, weld machines, and precision measuring tools—while collaborating with fabricators, foremen, and superintendents to keep projects on schedule. Your ability to fit, weld, and assemble process piping, hydronics, and pressure vessels to ASME and B31 codes ensures every product is built to last and delivered with excellence.
Shop Fitter Welders are valued for their hands-on expertise, reliability, and commitment to safety. Their work lays the foundation for field success, ensuring every system fabricated in the shop is accurate, durable, and ready for installation.
RK Industries is a second-generation family-owned company led by brothers Rick and Jon Kinning. With seven specialized business units working together, we deliver construction, fabrication, manufacturing, and building services with a focus on safety, quality, and craftsmanship.
People join RK for the craftsmanship, complexity, and the ability to make a real impact. Our in-house capabilities mean employees see their ideas become real solutions, creating meaningful collaboration and clear visibility into how work gets built. Growth happens through challenging projects, mentorship from experienced builders, and opportunities that stretch your skill set.
With RK University, accredited apprenticeships, competitive benefits, and deep community investment, RK offers the stability of a family-owned company with the opportunity and momentum of an industry leader.
Position Summary
Perform trade specific quality work consistent with CAD/FAB and Energy procedures to ensure product meets or exceeds customer expectations.
Role Responsibilities
- Operate trade specific machinery and trade specific tools (i.e., calipers, weld gauges, tape measures, and other welding hand tool).
- Read, interpret and follow basic blueprints, diagrams, engineering drawings, specifications, weld symbols, bills of materials, and other written instructions or procedures to accurately create equipment and products..
- Identify product defects and effectively communicate defects to project foreman.
- Follow P&IDS for assembly tracks on projects.
- Create specific weldment set-ups and fixturing to meet geometric requirements.
- Working with overheard cranes, jib cranes, and forklifts.
- Work closely with other fabricators, welders and laborers to improve their skills and provide training.
- Maintain weld machines using preventative maintenance methods.
- Continually evaluate weld machine performance and technology to improve cycle times.
- Assist shop foreman or superintendent with production tracking and to insure production goals are met.
- Communicate status of orders to the foreman or shop superintendent.
- Prioritize work flow through effective communication with management staff.
- Perform prioritized work flow assignments as directed by foreman or shop superintendent.
- Ability to maintain welder certification per customer and company procedure specifications.
- Perform X-Ray Quality Welds on process piping, hydronics, and pressure vessels.
- Using shop blueprints, Fit up X-ray quality weld joints.
- ASME Pressure Vessel, Piping, Welding to B31.1, 31.3, 31.9 Criteria.
- Maintain a clean and safe work area.
- Other Duties as assigned.
- 5 years of experience, 3 years welding experience minimum preferred.
- Familiarity with welding on a rotator, understands fitting up with a rotator in mind.
- Knowledge of various welding techniques, including MIG and ARC welding processes. Familiarity with TIG a plus.
- Knowledge of metallurgy.
- Knowledge of manual and mechanical welding techniques.
- Knowledge of pipe trade tools (Two-Hole Pins, Center-finders, Pipe wraps, Angle finders)
- Prior to being hired must be capable of proficiently passing 6G FCAW weld test.
- Within one week of hire must be capable of passing a 6G GMAW weld test. Also to include SMAW, GTAW, pulse highly desired skills.
- At 60 Days after being hired, employee must provide his/her set of hand tools. ( Hammer, pliers, channel locks, sockets, tape measurer... etc.)
- At 90 days after being hired, is able to meet productions goals.
- Receives minimal supervision, coordinates own tasks with a specific range of responsibilities under established procedures.
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
- Requires judgment or initiative in resolving issues and making recommendations.
- Work outside, inside, and in dusty, noisy and hazardous areas.
- Work in high places, tight places, confined spaces and/or other adverse locations.
- Climb, balance, squat, kneel and crouch.
- Work in all types of weather.
- Must have working knowledge of all trade materials and tools.
- Ability to lift and carry 51 to 75 lbs. occasionally, and/or 31 to 45 pounds of force frequently, and/or greater than negligible up to 16 to 22 pounds of force constantly to move objects
Safety: Our unmatched culture of safety is our foremost core value, guiding everything we do each day: Health, Safety, & Environmental
Awards: Whether in Construction, Manufacturing, Fabrication, or Service, RK Industries is highly recognized and accredited throughout the industry: Accreditations & Recognition
Benefits: RK Industries offers competitive benefits to support your growth and well-being: Benefits & Rewards
Philanthropy: RK Industries not only builds our community through our projects, but also invests in it by supporting local services for over a decade through the RK Foundation: RK Foundation
Development: Through RK University, we provide hands-on training and development opportunities that empower employees to advance their careers and grow within the company, to include leadership and technical learning opportunities, we well as our accredited apprentice program: RK University & RK Apprenticeship Program
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
RK Industries, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other status protected by applicable law