Industry
- Food & Beverage Manufacturer
Technology Focus
- Allen Bradley PLC Family
Project Overview
Operating around the clock, the manufacturer faced significant operational challenges, primarily during off shifts when skilled technicians for troubleshooting were scarce. This scarcity often necessitated waking the main automation engineer at night to address problems, leading to extended production downtime and inefficiencies. To mitigate these costly disruptions and enhance operational efficiency, the company sought to empower technicians across all shifts with the requisite skills and knowledge.
The objective was clear: enable each technician, regardless of the shift they worked, to troubleshoot and resolve issues independently so that the company maintained continuous production flow. This strategic shift aimed not only at optimizing production but also at fostering a more skilled and versatile engineering team capable of handling the demands of a 24/7 manufacturing operation.
For our customer, having a unified platform from which they remotely access all of the information coming from their customer sites, saves time and money by eliminating the need to deploy a resource to go onsite to diagnose the problem.
Pete LaRochelle, VP of Sales for NeoMatrix
Challenge
One significant challenge associated with platform vendor training is its broad approach, which often doesn't align precisely with the specific objectives of an individual company. While such training excels at covering a wide range of skill sets pertinent to the platform, it may not directly address the nuanced needs or particular goals of the manufacturer.
Automation platform vendors can piecemeal multiple trainings together to deliver the end result the customer desires, but in many cases, that can be costly and inefficient.
Solution
To address the challenge of obtaining specialized skill sets aligned with company-specific goals, Neomatrix created a customized Allen Bradley PLC training course. This tailor-made approach eliminated the need for piecing together multiple training modules to achieve the desired outcome.
More significantly, the customized Allen Bradley PLC training empowers the company to incorporate its actual Allen Bradley PLC platforms and projects into the learning curriculum. This real-world application not only enhances the relevance and immediacy of the training but also ensures that the learning outcomes are directly applicable to the company's ongoing and future projects.
Starting with introductory level training, the PLC training course moved towards specific training regarding the four unique processes at the plant. We built a programming environment that had all of the PLC software needed so that we could review each PLC in detail, including:
- Software installation and licensing
- Hardware review
- Programming (IO, alarm processing, control modules, automated operations, etc.)
- Process overview
After the three-day training concluded, Neomatrix’s Allen Bradley PLC trainers created labs for the technicians to continue learning through hands-on experience.
Results
The manufacturer's initiative to engage Neomatrix in developing a customized Allen Bradley PLC training program directly addressed the operational challenges of running a 24/7 production plant. By complementing its broad-focused vendor training with a specialized, company-specific PLC training course, the company empowered its technicians across all shifts with the skills and knowledge needed to troubleshoot and resolve issues independently.
This strategic investment not only minimized production downtime, but also nurtured a more skilled and versatile workforce, essential for the demands of continuous manufacturing operations. The implementation of real-world projects into the training curriculum ensured that the learning was highly relevant and immediately applicable, showcasing a forward-thinking approach to overcoming operational inefficiencies.
Say goodbye to generic training and hello to a personalized learning experience that delivers tangible results.
How Can We Help?