Since 1989, Nordic industries, organizations and universities have co‐operated in numerous projects related to the design and fabrication of welded structures. In a current ongoing project, QFAB, over 20 participants are working together to improve the design, fabrication and cost effectiveness of complex welded structures.This paper describes the background to this project and will also discuss the process of quality assessment of welded construction machinery. The main part of the supporting framework on vehicles consists of welded steel structures. These welds contain defects and imperfections from the weld process itself and when severe load conditions are present, a finite life is at hand. The competition among manufacturers towards higher productivity and lower fuel consumption drives the engineers to design lighter structures preferably in high strength material. Such a design requires a higher weld quality and calls special attention to design and manufacturing of welds. A major issue is thus to form a scientific and consistent base which can be used when analysis and design is integrated with production and quality inspection of components. The goal is to build world class vehicles for operation without failures in service during the economic life.