The 40th WorldSkills competition took place September 1-7, 2009 at the Calgary Stampede in Calgary, Canada. Mori Seiki was selected twice as a Founding Sponsor for WorldSkills, following the 2007 competition in Sizuoka, Japan.

The biannual WorldSkills promotes technical proficiency and trades within participating countries. For this year’s event, over 1,000 young engineers from 51 countries, who had won highly competitive preliminary contests in their home countries, competed in 45 different skill categories in six groups.

Mori Seiki provided 26 DuraTurn and DuraVertical machines for three skills competitions: CNC Turning, CNC Milling and the Manufacturing Team Challenge. Those competing in these challenges had received online operator training from Mori Seiki University to help them prepare for WorldSkills 2009.

In addition, Mori Seiki had a booth in exhibition areas to help visitors understand the role of machine tools in society. The main features of the booth included sample workpiece display, machining demonstration videos and hands-on experience of Education On Demand (EOD) and machine tool programming.

Workforce development is a challenge for all manufacturing industries, and the WorldSkills competition showcases the importance of skills development. By recognizing the skills and ingenuity of these talented competitors, we can inspire young people around the globe and encourage them to consider an exciting and rewarding career in manufacturing.