It doesn’t matter whether you work in the maintenance, operation, or supervision of pumping systems; you know the industry is constantly changing. The best way to stay ahead of these changes and any related issues that arise is to train and have a plan for them, rather than waiting until a customer calls when a catastrophe happens before acting. In that spirit, we have collected information on the benefits of employee training, recent developments, and more information on five excellent training opportunities.

Benefits of Industrial Training

1. Safety – Safety is one of the most important aspects of any operation. Employees who are educated in how best to meet the latest safety standards also stand to avoid potential damage to personnel and equipment.
2. Optimization of ROI – When done properly, employee training and development can provide a company with its best chance for high ROI. The biggest asset any operation can have is its people and increasing their knowledge on maintaining and repairing equipment can pay off big.
3. Increase productivity and decrease down time – When employees know the trouble signs of a piece of equipment or process that is about to fail, they can better identify it before disaster happens, and with the proper training, can even fix the problem in-house.
4. Knowledge from within – Another excellent benefit of training is the ability to make the most of your in-house employees, not only in promoting them, but allowing them to share their newfound knowledge with others.

Recent Developments in Industrial Training

• According to a study conducted by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, currently 5% of manufacturing jobs are left unfilled. Employees are retiring in droves and taking decades of invaluable experience. These departures are making knowledge transfer an increasingly rare commodity. Source: http://www.impomag.com/articles/2013/11/how-develop-multi-skilled-workforce-learning-do-more-less
• Just this week, the Zamil Higher Institute for Industrial Training signed a new two year renewable training agreement with the El-Seif Engineering Contracting Company in Saudi Arabia. The ultimate goal is to recruit and train the largest possible number of new employees to work reliably in different technical fields. Source: http://ameinfo.com/blog/finance-and-economy/zamil-higher-institute-industrial-training-signs-new-training-agreement-train-260-el-seif-engineering-contracting-companys-employees/
• The number of industrial training institutes (ITIs) and industrial training centers (ITCs) are likely to continue to increase. In India, the new industrial training efforts will increase the intake capacity of vocational institutes by 10,000. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/aurangabad/More-vocational-training-facilities-likely-to-come-up/articleshow/39780447.cms
• While the students are turning down engineering courses which result in over 50,000 vacant seats each year, the situation for Industrial Training Institutes courses is completely contrary with an intake capacity of 98,000. Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/pune/report-demand-for-industrial-training-institutes-iti-courses-on-rise-2006548

Good Places to Get Pump Training

1. Pump Systems Optimization One-Day Course

Get a solid foundation in improving the efficiency and reliability of industrial pumping systems in this one day course. Hosted by William C. Livoti of the WEG Electric Corporation, the course is targeted towards meeting a void in current training standards. The course will communicate the latest developments and best practices in the design, selection, installation, maintenance, operation, and optimization of modern pumping systems. It is aimed at design engineers and facility managers, as well as for various engineering, operations, and maintenance personnel.

When: September 4, 2014

Where:The Edge Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Register here: www.Pumps.org/EmpoweringPSO 

More information here: http://test.empoweringpumps.com/events/pump-systems-optimization-one-day-course/ 

2. Pump Guy Seminar Training Course

This seminar is focused on educating attendees on the fundamental principles of efficient pumping systems design, operation, and maintenance. Process plant engineers, managers, technicians, operators, and others involved with pumping systems are encouraged to attend and return to their jobs after with the ability to improve plant production through the use of reliable pump and process piping system design.

The seminar is hosted by pumping systems expert Larry Bachus, author of the popular textbook “Everything You Need to Know About Pumps”, and who is also known as the Pumping Guy (link to: http://www.bachusinc.com/). He has given the seminar in several major industries, such as oil and gas, pulp and paper, water and wastewater, mining, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical.

More information here: http://www.flowcontrolnetwork.com/about-the-pump-guy-seminar 

3. Online Courses for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals

The Reliability Institute offers learning and networking opportunities with the goal of providing the industry’s best comprehensive knowledge-based learning that is designed to maximize organizational effectiveness. For those of you looking to expand your customer base or increase overall satisfaction, there are tons of training opportunities available as webinars and e-learning modules. The five categories the Reliability Institute offers courses in include maintenance strategy, maintenance work process, preventive/predictive maintenance, technical, and development.

Course authors have decades of experience in teaching their particular subject and offer expert insights into complex subjects.

When: Various

Where:Online

Register here: http://www.reliabilityinstitute.com/maintenance-strategy.html 

More information here: http://www.reliabilityinstitute.com/ 

4. Fundamentals & Skill Building: Design, Analysis and Optimization of Axial & Centrifugal Pumps 

The presented course is an online training that includes both turbomachinery (axial, radial and mixed-flow pumps) fundamentals and practical hands on training to provide you with an in-depth, practical coverage of turbomachinery design, analysis and optimization. The first part of this course relates to the understanding or refreshing of fundamentals concepts linked to the design of pumps, analysis and optimization of pumps. This includes fluid dynamics, aerodynamic theories, pump parameters, cavitation and so on. Then, during the hands on portion students use industry leading software to practice the full design process, starting from preliminary design, then running meanline and streamline calculations, performing optimization, FEA, CFD, cycle analysis, etc.

The course is $1800.00 USD/per person.  (Group discounts are available).

Click Here to Register! 

5. 43rd Turbomachinery & 20th Pump Users Symposia 2014

For users concerned with maintenance, performance, troubleshooting, operation, and purchase of pumps and other rotating equipment.

When: September 22-25, 2014

Where: George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, TX

Click Here to Register!

Given the mercurial nature of the pumping and other industries, it is crucial to keep educating yourself and your staff in order to run the most efficient operation possible, whether that is done online, onsite, or at a live event. Those who don’t could stand to lose a considerable amount of productivity and capital.  Empowering Pumps will always keep you updated on training opportunities so you can stay ahead of the curve!