With a career spanning over 45 years and satisfied clients based across the globe, Dave Riley or ‘DR Welder’ as he has come to be known, has been offering advice and the benefit of his years of expertise  to all businesses, be they large, multi-national corporations, or small, local firms with equal dedication and practical results.
Since beginning his career in 1965 working as an engineer for British Rail in York, Dave Riley has specialised in sheet metal fabrication, and more specifically, welding. He gained an extensive list of qualifications, all at distinction level.
 
QUALIFICATIONS

City & Guilds Certificate in Fabrication
Full Technological Certificate in Engineering Design
Ordinary National Certificate in Engineering
City & Guilds Final Certificate in Welding:
Gas, MMA, MIG, MAG, TIG, Plasma & Synergic

As an employee of British Rail Dave gained an understanding of a number of areas of fabrication and construction, these include:
British Rail 1964 to 1980
· Engineering Apprentice at York Carriage Works
· Sheet Metal Work Instructor
· Welding Instructor (all Disciplines)
· Press Shop Inspector
· Fabrication Inspector
· Welding Inspector
· Jig & Tool Draughtsman
· Design Draftsman
· Design Trouble-Shooter
· Welding Engineer
· Welding Consultant
· Overseas consultant working in China, Singapore, Taiwan, Bombay (Mumbai) Hong Kong, France and Germany

His international career took off in 1979 when appointed to travel to Taiwan to oversee the final modifications of 65 railway coaches sold to Taiwan by British Rail. His former boss, Geoff Bellis, retired mechanical engineer and member of the institute of mechanical engineers, reports that
“David pursued a career in the inspection and quality control of welding, never forsaking the practical skills of his trade. We worked closely when the design of mainline Mark III carriages were adapted for suburban 20m high density stock, I as Project Manufacturing Manager and David as a Welding Technologist. The decisions we made at that time became the benchmark for the thousands of EMU carriages using IZ steel made at York.
 
In 1978, we manufactured thirteen 5-car electric trains for Taiwan. Faults were found in the design of the carriage when British Rail was introducing anti-roll equipment for the first time in the UK, Lack of anti-roll equipment for IM gauge trains exacerbated the poor ride quality on questionable track. I was asked to lead a team in Taiwan to respectively modify the electric trains and fit anti-roll equipment, linking bogie to body. All aspects of welding for this major modification were undertaken by David and his team, who worked in Taiwan for many months and saw the programme through to completion. Because of the efforts of David and his team, he rescued a Thirteen million pound contract.”
 
Since acting in this advisory position Dave has spent  a great deal of time in the Far East acting as trouble shooter to the Changchun Railway Car Company who treat Mr Riley as their honoured guest for the changes he has effected to ensure the safety of all their passengers and freight deliveries.  Still a frequent visitor to China, Dave Riley acts as a Welding, Fabrication and Design Consultant, as required.
 
Other positions have also led him to Germany, whereupon he renewed his own particular skills with the highly regarded  Merkle Advice and Consultancy Course  in Stuttgart, Germany in 2004. This up to the minute qualification recognises Dave Riley as a Merkle UK Welding Instructor, extending his talents to include:
Methods of Instruction
Welding Inspection
Welding Design
Crack Detection: Magnetic Particle
Dye Penetrant, Eddy Current, Ultra Sonic, X-Ray
 Interpretation,
Man Management
Welding Institute: Planning for Robotics
 
 The idea of ‘DR Welder’ was born shortly after completing the Merkle training course in Germany when Dave Riley was invited by a colleague to attend a Euorstar depot in London to repair a damaged train. The ‘doctor’ was called, so to speak, and as his reputation grew and the work he had completed met with universal acclaim, the word went out , ‘if you had a problem related to welding, you needed  Dave ‘DR WELDER’ Riley’. He is proud of his record of never having been presented with a welding problem he could not solve.
 
I hope this answers any queries you may have about my background in the welding and fabrication trade, but if there are  any other questions you would like to put to me, or any further enquiries you would like to make concerning the services I offer, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Dave Robert Riley - ‘DR WELDER’