at the end of the day, to have created something tangible. Not to mention the breathtaking views from the top of the structures and the feeling of being above everything and everyone, to be unique and special. Fabricator And what about your ini-
That is a long-term vision that maintains a good pool of talented craftsmen and women in the workÂforce without depending on state-run institutions that have to deal with budget shortages, are disconnected from the real world, and have to train young people who have been put in their classes because of a lack of academic achievement. I trained and taught in the guild for seven years, and I am grateful to have done so. This painstaking education was a passport to my already quite consumed professional journey. It was also because I trained there that I was selected to be part of the team that built the new torch for the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor in 1984. That project is among
the best professional achievements of my career. Fabricator What tools and skills did
tial metal fabrication education? Fiers After three years working for this structural steel company, I realized the opportunities to grow within were limited. This would not be the kind of work I wanted to do for my entire professional life; it was physically demanding, and fraught with everyday dangers. I was not quite sure if I wanted to pursue a career in framing (wood or metal) or metal fabrication. I decided on metal fabrication, Philippe Fiers shares an office with two applied for and joined the renowned engineer/detailers. He can see most of guild of Les Compagnons Du Devoir, the shop from his desk and determine if he needs to help a crew. an institution that dates back to the middle ages and that trains some of the elite in the construction and other trades. While enrolled, you spend a year (or six months for some trades) in a city, work a full day in a company, have classes at night in French, math, technology, CAD, you name it, and full-day classes on Saturdays, mainly in drafting and workshop. Besides the training, you also discover the I trained and taught in the guild region, its people, and the way its for seven years, and I am grateful companies operate and the kind of work that is available. to have done so. This painstaking You, therefore, choose the city education was a passport to my already you will go based on the work you quite consumed professional journey. want to do and the techniques you want to learn. I was able to train in It was also because I trained there most of what the metalwork world offered, from large-scale sheet that I was selected to be part of the metal shops, mom and pop small team that built the new torch for the town forge shops to high-end ornaStatue of Liberty in New York harbor mental metal shops. In the guild, once you acquire in 1984. That project is among the best a good deal of knowledge, you are professional achievements of my career. asked to start teaching the younger trainees. This way the knowledge Philippe Fiers is transmitted from generation to Vice President Armadillo Metalworks generation.
September / October 2014 n O&MM Fabricator
you learn? Do you have a personal area of expertise? What do you especially like to do? Fiers I have been trained on all the basic equipment used within the trade, as well as the early versions of the CNC shears and press brakes. I have, however, trained in shops that did not have up-to-date equipment, which pushes you to be creative. I don’t really have a personal area of expertise, and I cannot qualify myself as a blacksmith even though I had the basic training for it. It is somehow a field that I was not much involved in, except during the restoration on the Neptune grilles of the Stanislas Plaza in Nancy, France (mid-1,700 grilles by the blacksmith of the king, Jean Lamour; the Plaza is a UNESCO World Heritage site). I like to do most anything, as long as it is challenging and I can make a living out of it. Once I get bored, it shows me it is time to move on. Fabricator How did you
start your work life as a business person? What is the short history of your current company? Fiers I have never seen myself as a businessman. That is not what I am good at. I like the technical side of a project, the solving of shop and site issues. However, I give 100% of my abilities to any company I work for. Because of that, I was repeatedly told that I should open my own business since I always worked like my employer’s shop was mine. Despite my gut instinct, I created my own company in 2002. After three years running it, with the help of poor business decisions, a poor global economy, and an unpaid project, I folded before the company took me deeper financially. Within a few days of that deci43