Capital Equipment News December 2018

TRAINING

South Africa as well as in other regions where there are WearCheck customers. Courses are tailored and targeted at a range of levels within an operation, from factory floor to senior management. 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. Much of the training course material draws on this database, with the added benefit that WearCheck processes samples from a range of OEMs. Skills of the future Speaking about honing the skills for the future, Badenhorst is of the view that “millennials work better with a carrot rather than a stick and would prefer to be more office bound rather than physical”. “Being an earthmoving mechanic is a tough job. It’s not a job for anyone. It’s a cold, wet, dirty hands and sore back kind of job. The further we progress into the future the youngsters are not going to want to get their hands dirty and this will be a challenge for the industry. I think machines will evolve where they will diagnose themselves but the hardware changeovers – the physical work – will still need to be done by people,” says Badenhorst. According to Badenhorst, the skill of an earthmoving mechanic has evolved over the past 10 years from being more mechanical to a semi-electronic specialist with advanced hydraulic knowledge as well. Earthmoving equipment of 15 years ago required some basic tooling and parts to keep it going, whereas today one needs a PC and some high-tech special tooling. “Mechanics are more like software specialists with a really good understanding of electrics, electronics and hydraulics. This is a challenge for the artisan of today, that is say 40 or 50 years old, because they need a laptop but were born ‘BC’ (before computers),” reasons Badenhorst. He foresees an earthmoving mechanic becoming an IT software specialist with enough know-how to change hardware because once they have mastered the IT software side, the machine’s diagnostics will tell them what’s wrong and what needs to be changed out. “To prepare ourselves for the needs of the future, we meet annually with the relevant SETAs and sit on a panel that revises the course content so that it evolves to be relevant to the technological developments of today,” concludes Badenhorst. b

Nomcebo Gumede (centre) was recently announced Bell Factory Apprentice of the Year. She received her award from Chairman Gary Bell (left) and Riaan De Klerk (right), technical training manager: Apprenticeships and Factory Skills at Bell Equipment.

The skills challenge is likely to be increased in the coming years due to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, characterised by fast-paced technological progress, which will further transform the equipment industry.

“WearCheck recognises that condition monitoring is a technologically advanced arena, and it has been proven time and again that customers who invest in providing their employees with the right skills to understand and maintain their machinery, definitely receive improved return on their investment through a good condition monitoring programme,” adds Swanepoel. By sending their employees on good training courses, it means that these people have a deeper appreciation of their own role in the oil sampling process, the importance of taking samples correctly, as well as understanding the results and the remedial

action that needs to be taken when a sample indicates a potential problem. For more than 20 years, WearCheck has run oil analysis training courses for its customers. For the past five years, the company has also offered Mobius training courses for reliability solutions customers. While the oil analysis courses cover accurate oil analysis report interpretation, correct sample taking, pre-planned maintenance schedules and good lubricant management, the Mobius training covers subjects that include vibration analysis awareness, laser alignment and balancing. Training courses are conducted around

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