Capital Equipment News December 2018

for the OEM. This is not as a result of them being readily available, but because Bell Equipment is “able to grow its own timber” through its accredited apprentice programme. “Annually we enrol an average of 50 apprentices. Out of that number, we employ 10 of the graduates and the rest are available to the industry – for other OEMs or our customer network,” says Badenhorst. However, Badenhorst concurs that skills shortage is a massive reality elsewhere in Africa and the rest of the world. “We have first-hand experience in Australia and New Zealand where workshops are unable to keep up with demand because they don’t have enough skills,” he says. He says customers in those countries are head-hunting those skills faster than what the OEMs can retain them. Bell Equipment has also picked up the same problem in Germany with one of its dealers. To help bridge the gap, it now has apprentices it rotates out of South Africa in the final year to the UK, Germany and the United States. “The benefit is two-fold: it’s a reward scheme for our apprentices whereby the best of the best have the opportunity to gain work experience overseas, while helping our dealers in Germany and the United States, as well as our own entity in the UK with the much-needed skills,” says Badenhorst. “A mechanic needs a minimum of five years of experience to be a successful artisan in Africa because of the nature of the environment. Access to information and secondary assistance from the OEM is often scarce and out of reach, so mechanics are really on their own and have to be self-sufficient.” WearCheck’s reliability solutions technician, Dennis Swanepoel, who is also a certified Mobius instructor and was among the first people in South Africa to achieve Vibration ISO CAT IV certification, says as the complexity of machinery increases, so does the need for more technical skills to operate it. He reasons that technological advancement is an ongoing process, and skills training is constantly required in order to keep up with technology. Swanepoel reasons that one of the challenges hindering the development of skills is the fact that training is not cheap – it takes time and money. “However, investing in skills training can save a lot of money in the long term. These words, which are so true, are often quoted, and have been attributed to several different people: if you think training is expensive, try ignorance,” says Swanepoel.

thyssenkrupp recently launched its R28-million Technical Training Academy. Located in Chloorkop, Johannesburg, it will offer accredited technical and theoretical training to engineering apprentices. In total, the company is looking at training between 30-35 technicians per year.

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thyssenkrupp has invested R28-million in its Technical Training Academy. It will offer accredited training to between 30-35 engineering apprentices per year.

Given that technical skills are the lifeblood of the equipment industry, it is encouraging to see that several companies are making hefty investments in developing the skills they need.

Bell Equipment enrols an average of 50 apprentices every year. Out of that number, it employs 10 of the graduates and the rest are available to the industry.

Since its inception 42 years ago, WearCheck has compiled a database of sample diagnoses and wear trends, adding 750 000 new sample results annually to the data.

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS DECEMBER 2018 19