Even Naturals Benefit From Training

If, just like in the Back to the Future movies, we could see into alternative realities, I’d bet there would be one where Tiger Woods never meets golf coaches Butch Harmon and Hank Haney and doesn’t end up as the most successful golfer in the modern game. I’d also lay odds that, in one of those alternative futures, Venus and Serena Williams between them may never score a tennis grand slam, because their father Richard doesn’t give them mega-intensive training as kids. I’d even bet that Usain ‘Lightning’ Bolt, the fastest man in the world over 100 meters, is called ‘Deadbolt’ in some world where he hasn’t been coached by Fitz Coleman and Glen Mills.

However naturally talented you may be, being on the receiving end of training and advice from people who know their stuff always helps you to excel. When it comes to manufacturing, this translates into benefits for both the individual and the company they work for. Employers shouldn’t have to look far to find the training and advice their people and businesses need, because equipment suppliers know a whole lot more than simply how to make machines.

The big plus with in-house training is that your staff can get away from the day-to-day distractions and hassles of production.

So what exactly are these benefits to be had from training? The most obvious is the ability to maximize the return on the investment you have made in equipment. Like an Indy car without a great pit team, no piece of equipment will perform to its maximum capability without the right inputs. So the questions to which your operators need answers are things like: Is the product from upstream of the right quality? If not, why not?; Do I have the right tooling, equipment and consumables for the job?; Do I know the optimum order of events for changeover and running?; Do I know how to solve common production problems? If they cannot answer ‘yes’ to questions like these then there is a clear need for training.

The reasons behind training needs vary. It could be that your staff was trained a while back, perhaps when your equipment was first installed. Or maybe they’re new to the process and have been taught on-the-job by their peers? Or perhaps they have simply picked up bad habits over time and need a bit of a refresher. Whichever it is, structured training by an equipment specialist could gain as much as a million sheets of extra production a year on your die cutter, or many millions of boxes on your folder-gluer. It’s a low cost investment that, in most cases, provides great bottom line returns.

However, training isn’t just about improving speed and efficiency. It’s also about achieving better quality and greater versatility. A workforce that understands the processes and tasks they perform will ensure that you suffer minimum returns and waste. It also makes available additional machine time to respond quickly to those constantly changing customer demands. At the same time, training can give your workforce the confidence to tackle more complicated jobs.

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